ISS

ISS

When a world war event occurs on Earth, America and Russia, both nations secretly contact their astronauts aboard the I.S.S. and give them instructions to take control of the station by any means necessary.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 95 minutes
  • Genre: Thrillers
  • Stars: Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, Pilou Asbæk, John Gallagher Jr., Costa Ronin
  • Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
 Comments
  • brandon-234 - 23 June 2024
    Great cast, horrible writing.
    It could have been great but the writing and premise is atrocious. The viewer is expected to believe the people on ISS aren't aware of an impending war between the two countries controlling ISS, and that the Russians help send an American up in their rocket only to start a way the next day? Beyond all that, the technical issues they create are bs. Both US and Russia have independent communication systems on the ISS. But ok, people can ignore that... the other major issue is that the movie has literally no resolution. It's just them fighting for control, apparently to get a radiation cure that the Americans wouldn't know about... only to leave and not know what ultimately happens. Huge waste of what could have been a great story with great production. I scant grasp why crap writers are given such resources for their terrible work.
  • brentsbulletinboard - 12 June 2024
    Undercooked and Drawn Out
    It's unfortunate that a good premise can't be saved from poor execution, but such is the case with this undercooked sci-fi thriller. When three Americans and three Russians aboard the International Space Station are stranded there when war breaks out between the two countries on Earth, the previously congenial crewmates turn against one another when the two teams of astronauts each receive orders to take control of the facility at any cost. The question in this, of course, is why? As a scientific research center, what material value would there be in taking charge of a remote space-based facility to the Earth-bound survivors of a war-ravaged planet? While the reasoning behind this is eventually explained, its revelation is delayed, leaving viewers with a drawn-out mystery that doesn't make much apparent sense, especially when taking control calls for a team of intelligent, convivial, supposedly mature scientists to instantaneously turn into murderous territorial thugs. And, even when the big reveal is finally made, it seems like it's hardly justification enough for this kind of behavior from a group of individuals who are allegedly more psychologically evolved and have supposedly risen above the infantile geopolitical bickering of their counterparts on terra firma. That's particularly true in light of the many (and I do mean many) references to the crew's "enlightened" outlook and assumed solidarity, qualities that are repeatedly browbeaten into viewers in the film's opening act. The fault here lies with a rather lame narrative and a screenplay that doesn't do much to overcome that failing. The special effects are also somewhat underwhelming for a sci-fi offering, one in which the filmmakers could have done considerably more to make the picture more visually engaging. Sadly, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, perhaps best known for the superb documentary "Blackfish" (2013), is in over her head with this release, a project that really could have used a more skillful hand in making it the kind of edge-of-your-seat thriller that it deserved to be. Instead, audiences are left with a mediocre sci-fi tale that feels more like something one would find on the SyFy Channel or some other B-grade cable network. You won't miss much by skipping this one.