I.S.S.

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.

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.

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.

As someone who rarely writes reviews, I felt compelled to share my thoughts on this film. The experience left me questioning whether I was watching a student project rather than a professional, cinema-grade production.

Firstly, the casting was notably inconsistent, with only two of the three actors playing Russians actually being Russian. The third actor's rendition of the Russian language was so flawed it was nearly unintelligible. Should finding a Russian actor have been a challenge, the use of voiceovers in Russian scenes might have been a prudent alternative. Moreover, the supposed official communications to Russian astronauts were nonsensical, merely a string of random letters. It begs the question, why not strive for a semblance of authenticity?

Secondly, the film unfortunately indulged in stereotypical portrayals, particularly the overused trope of Russians invariably drinking vodka. This is akin to unfounded stereotypes of American astronauts being overweight and constantly eating burgers. It's pertinent to mention that the I. S. S. Strictly forbids alcohol and related products, including mouthwash and aftershave, due to the potential damage their chemical components, like ethanol, can cause to the equipment. A little research in the scriptwriting phase would have been advantageous.

Lastly, the graphics in several scenes were disappointingly reminiscent of the 80s, detracting from the overall quality of the film.

There were stupid moments all 90 minutes long.

As a school project, this work might get a 10/10 for its effort. However, as a commercially-released movie, it struggles to reach a 4/10 in my view.

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)