I.S.S. review: Ariana DeBose’s sci-fi outing fails to achieve liftoff
Despite a promising high-concept premise, this would-be thriller leaves viewers lost in space
Ever since Georges Méliès sent audiences out of orbit in 1902 with A Trip To The Moon, filmmakers have been busy crafting distinctly textured space-themed stories, ranging from tender to terrifying. It’s a setting that provides claustrophobic tension and awe-inducing wonder, as well as giving space (pun intended) for drama and characters to flourish. So it’s unfortunate that director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s I.S.S. fails to take full advantage of not just the location, but also its narrative function when building its stakes, smarts, and scares. Set aboard an international space station where six passengers engage in a war for control, the film neglects to include fresh, heady ideas after its interesting premise arises, denying us of any satisfying gravitational pull.
When we first meet nervous Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose), she and scientist Christian (John Gallagher Jr.) are rocketing into space to join commanding American astronaut Gordon (Chris Messina) and Russian cosmonaut Weronika (Masha Mashkova), Commander Nicholai (Costa Ronin) and science officer Alexey (Pilou Asbæk) on board the International Space Station. They’ll be cohabitating in this far-off facility, leading the charge for research in medicine and technology. It’s a dream environment for some, although Kira and Christian are both concerned about their isolated situation and uneasy alliance with those already on board. And, as it turns out, they have every right to be.
After their initial honeymoon period, getting to know the layout of the vessel as well as each team member’s eccentric quirks and hot-button issues, they spot a nuclear war erupting on Earth. This wipes out both Russian and U.S. communications systems, leaving both sides with a final message: a directive to seize control of the station by any means necessary. Making matters worse, an electromagnetic pulse decimates their electricity, causing the I.S.S. to lose altitude and risk falling from the sky. A battle to gain the upper hand ensues, involving everything from deceit to murder, with Kira caught in the middle, unsure what to do and who to believe is on her side.
If audiences expect they’ll see heated arguments between the characters as they ponder and strategically debate their best chances for survival, they’d better think again. It’s a genuine disappointment that Cowperthwaite and screenwriter Nick Shafir instead gift us with a rote, reductive story where people are picked off one by one (and, to hurry the proceedings along, two at once). Characters choose to either trust or betray each other on careless whims and there’s little to no growth developed over the film’s thankfully brief run time. These trained astronauts, who we assume were adequately prepped for every nightmare scenario before being sent to space, begin making one dumb decision after another. It stretches credulity, as well as our patience.