I.S.S.

Although the plot description gives you a good idea of what's ahead - war between Russia and the U. S. - the special effects shows you the actual consequences of the conflict from the International Space Station. It is unnerving. Then, what we see transpire between the Russian and American crew keeps you on the edge of your seat. A woman next to me sounded like she was in agony, closing her eyes and turning her head, moaning oh no! It's a story about allegiances, and how long do you keep them to both your crew mate and to your country, all the while fending for yourself. There is a love story within all the chaos that pulls you in emotionally. You leave with the question of could this happen? And if so, what happens to all that we know?

The premise of the movie is great, but some poor decisions in the script ruined the movie for me. This could've been a very good, Hitchcockian suspense thriller. Instead, they give away too much too soon, and make every action too predictable. There is some suspense, but it does not pervade the entire film; it is only intermittent. The characters are not very complex at all, and the viewer isn't very vested in any of them by the time things turn sour. As for the ending, I'm not sure what they were going for there.

I was really expecting more from this movie, but left very disappointed. Not the worst I've seen this year, but it also could've been one of the best.

Great concept for a story. I found it to be original and exciting. The acting (outside of the zero G) was quite good and I was really drawn in by each of the performances. However, the zero G effects were so bad and it kept pulling me out of the story. It doesn't take an expert to realize just how lazy this production got with ensuring even a hint of accuracy. If this story took place in a near future where artificial gravity was established, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. Or I would have enjoyed this movie more as an audio book or audio drama so I could use my imagination of what it looked like. But the visuals were so distracting and disappointing. The story was good and an interesting and original concept that I would have enjoyed if I could have focused.

It's a very interesting premise, not one I recall being done. Astronauts from different superpower countries are up in space while world war 3 essentially breaks out down on earth. Problem is it lacks tension and intensity. We didn't get time to get acquainted properly with each of the characters, as well as their connections between each other. Although the film invests initial moments in character development, it falls short in getting a genuine attachment to any of the six characters for me.

However, there's a couple minutes in the movie when the war down below starts, a brief moment when the trust between Russian and American scientists disappears after they both receive orders but don't know if their counterparts also got the exact same ones. While this brings a brief sense of tension, it dissipates quickly, leaving the overall impression of the movie feeling rather meh. Also wouldn't other countries also be on the ISS?

'Gravity' with Sandra bullock was a compelling movie that this one reminded me of. This tries to evoke a sense of claustrophobia, but I didn't feel it. I mean yeah there's the evident spatial constraints and the characters confined to a limited number of rooms, but the film struggles to convey this effectively on screen. Felt very slow, I was aching for it to move on and just get to the end. It's just not much of a memorable watch. The "so do I" line was satisfying though.

LIKES:

The RunTime -The movie clocks in at 90 minutes without credits, meaning it's not the monumental time investment -It helps to an extent with the pacing, and gives a concise feeling that is refreshing given some of the bloated experiences.

The Acting -A strong cast for a very character focused movie, I quite enjoyed the crew and the psychological thriller that was assembled for this mission.

-Gallagher is strong in the role cast, the neurotic personality, the composure, and the speech components solid for the part he was cast. Made for a very engaging character that tried to spice up a rather bland story.

-Messina wasn't bad, his character holding some vim, vigor, and guts that I liked seeing come out in a few moments that called for it. Yet, I found his utilization missing a lot of, primarily in the latter half of the movie.

-And for Debose, she was the star, holding the most evolution across the board, the scientist that has a story to tell and kind of tells it. More time was needed, but she was a stronger inclusion than most of the others.

-The other three deserve a shout out for hitting their marks well. Each adding some small sliver that helps round out the cast, but again holding ore potential that a time extension could have helped.

The Music Use -This is no popular track set pumping out of the speakers or original songs that are going to be the next radio storm.

-No, instead, it goes back to some of the classic elements the movies did, using it to establish so much of the mood of the shot.

-I. S. S uses the symphony to help illicit the terror of the moment, sort of representing the very setting that we are in and adding that claustrophobic intensity to the movie.

-Some psychological tones lace the violin work to bring something simple, yet so empowering in this film, and helping add to that experience. An art that seems lost, at least to this level.

The Atmosphere -Another major factor, the movie's cinematography is gorgeous and truly conveys the scope of the I. S. S. And the theatrics happening in this time frame.

-Beautiful outside shots give you the grandiosity of the world below, and the circumstances below that hold this gorgeous effect that is terrifying and yet majestic at the same time.

-Inside the station, the perspective changes so much, that it helps change the tone of the movie, evolving into something that you either will love or hate depending on how much you enjoy the start of the film.

-But throughout it all, you get the emotions in the shot, feel every angle and action as the camera shifts and finds just the right spot and really capture the life in this station and then some.

The Realism -It's a Sci-Fi like movie that holds merit and less fantasy, which helps add to the theme of this movie.

-I felt much of the movie was believable, giving the characters merit and helping add some more suspense and mystery to them.

-And for a movie like this, keeping themselves grounded was, to some degree, worth it and I found it really helping connect so much for the Thrilling element that should appeal to these types of dramas.

The Character Development, To Some Degree -And some of the character testing held the potential for some of the best storytelling given what was going to be tested.

-What starts as one goal, quickly escalates into about four types of moments that test their fortitude, willpower, loyalty, and more, all vying to win over the rest for the goal at hand.

-That enigma of what will win was the driving force for me, alongside what the people would do and that was the thrilling part of the premise of this movie and what it had in store.

-And yet... it might not have been fully reached (see below)

DISLIKES:

The Pacing -The movie tries hard to compact a very loaded story into a short time span, and for me that led to inconsistent and often a disappointing pacing on my part.

-Much of the movie is set up, elaborate additions to the movie testing that character fortitude and giving you a lot of dialogue, planning, and talking about their interests.

-And then... nothing. Sure, the movie evolves to the typical tropes of the thriller element, but the payoff for the buildup didn't quite deliver, making the pacing now seem very much not the right pace for the 90 minutes we had to see.

The Incomplete Feeling -It leads to an ending that has merits that were good for me. Again, the music, the shots, and the acting enough to really help buffer this feeling with the ending.

-Not enough though. I. S. S. Really left me feeling vague and ambiguous finale just feels like a cop out to an extent, much of the characters just losing connections with too soon and feeling that there was so much more to tell.

-As such, the movie has that artistic flair that is beautiful and leaves that lingering feeling in my mind to reflect on. And yet, the fulfillment of the story being complete and not a setup is fleeting, as if drifting out into the void this movie takes place in.

Lackluster -Compared to the potentials of the trailer, the movie kind of felt dull and lackluster in the end.

-Certainly, the morale studying and character building did the work, but so much of the movie felt very cut and dropped in favor of a rapid finish that just didn't hold the same majesty of space.

-But when most of the shocking moments take place in the span of twenty minutes, nor do we have the full essay they seemed to want to take, the result just felt very moot and lacking the bite that I had sought.

THE VERDICT: For me, this film is beautiful on so many levels and again shows the talent of the director and his team to make space come alive, or space station. A fantastic collection of shots, CGI work, and editing really brings the emotions of the space station during this rather charged et of events. Acting brings out the taxation of the station, gives us characters that I wanted to explore and learn more about them as they take on these tests granted to them. Add in that musical element to enhance the factors, and this is an essay on the effects that Hollywood technology can place on you with the right guidance and use. Yet, the short runtime, while respectful for my personal life, doesn't do justice to fully deliver on all the buildup and promise of the movie. Such disappointing finishes left me feeling incomplete, with so much happening in about twenty minutes that the buildup did not feel worth the investment, when there was so much more to tell. Sure, there are these facets of moral testing and inner characters that are natural, realistic, and quite honestly that artistic soul that people like. And yet, I feel there was so much more that could have been done, that another half an hour or a mini-series could have taken given the amount they were putting in. My scores for the movie are:

Sci-Fi/Thriller: 6.5 Movie Overall: 5.5.