I.S.S.

Maybe I know too much about space but this felt incredibly unbelievable. Like the things they do make no sense, it's really rushed and the plot has too many competing factors that don't get enough attention. Also why is there only 2 countries on the ISS, it's literally a global initiative!! It just felt like someone didn't do their homework on how ISS runs to make a believable story. Like none of the characters felt developed, it seemed like none of them knew any skill besides 'science' and no one actually uses the science they are suppose to be on the station for to actually fight against each other. Again it just felt empty and it was such a good idea.

I enjoyed the plot overall. It seemed realistic for the situation, wasn't overtly preachy on anything and had some crazy moments. The hardest part watching it was around how they depicted the space experience. The way the astronauts 'floated around' was very distracting for me. So much so that it definitely caused my review to drop a couple stars. The other aspects were just weird character moves and missed opportunities for some action. The floating was obviously done in a green screen harness and was just silly. I almost wished they would have just made up some gravity as a convenience instead of trying to make it seem like space floating. The other aspects were around the characters and how they responded. While I called it realistic, the characters behaved oddly in some of the interactions, felt like it was against the grain of their character at times. Maybe they tried to tackle too much, but for some reason this movie didn't really resonate with me and I would not recommend it to my friends. It was not horrible by any stretch and had good aspects, but it was just not that fun to watch.

The premise is fairly strong, but would need a great script that takes the story into a direction that subverts expectations. I. S. S. Doesn't do this. In fact, it goes the route of turning characters stupid and having situations happen to fit the narrative rather than coming off at all realistic.

Nothing is worse than a movie that has plot holes that glaringly stick out while you're watching it. You foresee where the shaky plot will falter, then the film proceeds to flounder itself into becoming more and more stupid because the original plot points are too weak to be paid off in a smart way. It is written into a corner where there's too many instances of plot convenience, with many going off the deep end of all plausibility. Characters inexplicably become different persons on a flip of a dime. At one point a character "dies" off screen only to come back for no reason. A character does evil things early on only to become a good guy by the end. Another character can't speak Russian well at all only to become fluent later. Someone else chooses to make a distraction in an unbelievably dangerous way. If the conflict is between the U. S. and Russia, why is the Yucatan Peninsula being bombed? These, and many other dumb decisions, lead to an end that is perhaps the dumbest moment of all.

Ultimately, when a writer can't figure out a smart way to resolve a conflict, then you should rethink the conflict. I. S. S. Becomes more stupid as it goes because its conflicts are too weak to begin with and it digs itself into a never-ending hole by the end. There's not much positive to say about this, because any positivity that I had was only in the first 30 minutes of the movie. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

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.

I love sci-fi. I love original non-franchise movies. The combination of the two are becoming increasingly scarce. I want these movies to succeed so Hollywood will continue to invest in them. But like with The Creator and 65, we have another failed attempt.

This movie is all over the place. So much of it feels off. The characters are extremely stupid. They make so many questionable decisions. It's just poor writing, which is also likely the reason I could barely get invested in the story.

There are also some questionable sci-fi elements. I caught a couple mistakes with the zero-G. And it was frequently noticeable that they were hanging, not floating. It was ambitious to attempt zero-G scenes for the entire runtime, but like much of this movie, it feels off.

There is also something major that only happens because an astronaut doesn't follow one of the most basic safety procedures, something even a regular movie fan like me would know. They mention it but never explain why that basic procedure wasn't followed.

Another reason I think this movie fails is the performance by lead actress Ariana DeBose. I found it flat and bland. She does not seem like leading role material. I assumed she was a newbie, but she has a decent filmography. It's mostly musicals (which I don't watch), but apparently she won an Oscar, which is shocking to me.

I was looking forward to watching a new movie in theaters opening night. But with this one, it was so unsatisfying that I decided to see another movie right after, unplanned. And it worked out because Godzilla Minus One is drastically better in every way. Watch that instead.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 1/18/2024)