I.S.S.

I.S.S. (2023)

63% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 123 reviews)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Starring: Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher, Jr, Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin, Pilou Asbaek

From: Bleecker Street

Truthfully, the film’s trailer entertained me more for its usage of Winds of Change from the Scorpions rather than what I saw. Still, the premise was interesting (I’m hoping that the idea of nuclear war breaking out between the United States and Russia is just a nightmare rather than a scenario that hits too close to home due to likelihood) and the idea of a sextet of characters in what appeared to be a single location throughout made me hope this would be fine despite general consensus and its status as a box office flop. Supporting a small studio like Bleecker Street is also a nice gesture on my part.

This was a single location film after the opening scene where two new characters joined the four already on the International Space Station. War does indeed break out & the Americans get the message to take control of the I.S.S. “by any means necessary.” What you’d think is a “paranoid thriller” and technically, that was what happened, although there was a decided lack of tension and suspense for my tastes. The final scene I’m unsure of; “abrupt” is an apt term to use. More confident is my opinion that the journey to get to the denouement was not always agreeable w/ me. In fact, it was kind of dumb at times. A shame, as the small cast is game, the effects are good for the budget and the Anne Nikitin score is serviceable for the setting.

From reviews, it’s not the most realistic depiction of the I.S.S., not that this was expected by me. Ultimately, the moments that weren’t dopey are destined to quickly be forgotten by me. Despite some nice visuals there’s no real need for the theatrical experience—not that there’s too much out which is of interest to me. What an interesting fictional feature film for its director, Gabriela Cowperthwaite. If you were like me up to a few days ago and didn’t know the name: that’s the person responsible for the 2013 “Sea World is evil” documentary Blackfish. There’s a movie you shouldn’t expect me to review; it’s probably best not to discuss what I presume is controversial material.