“I.S.S.”
(31/2 Out of 4 Stars)
PG-13 | 1h 36m | Drama, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller | 19 January 2024 (USA)
(LD Entertainment)
Due in tandem to escalating costs and the practical end to the "Space Race," the United States and Russia took the world by surprise by joining forces and created the International Space Station (ISS).
Launched in November 1998, the ongoing ISS mission achieved something exceedingly rare in global politics – it is an apolitical humanitarian venture between two countries that otherwise don’t like or trust each other very much.
The new movie "I.S.S." was written by Nick Shafir and is at minimum three years old but plays out on the screen as if it was written last month.
The brilliantly-conceived premise feels ripped from the headlines and while technically science-fiction could also be labeled science-future if a handful of powerful people aren’t careful.
(It is worth noting Mr. Shafir’s script was listed on the 2020 "Black List" — an unofficial movie industry collective listing what are generally deemed as high quality, yet still unproduced screenplays).
The movie is set on the International Space Station where three American astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts share tight quarters.
Each country is represented by two males and one female.
Not long after "I.S.S." starts, World War III begins on Earth and those on the station are ordered to take control of the vessel "by any means necessary" by their respective overseers.
At first no one does anything remotely hostile or aggressive, although metaphoric air in the vessel grows noticeable cooler.
While there is something of a language barrier (the Americans speak a small amount of Russian and the Russians have a slightly better grasp of English), all aboard are amiable towards each other and strongly subscribe to that apolitical mindset.
It was only the night before when they shared a bottle of Scotch and playfully kibitzed on the origins and meaning of the 1993 Def Leppard song "Two Steps Behind."
There is also a wild card situation that blurs the lines: there is a not so subtle inference that a budding romance is taking place involving one of the Americans and one of the Russians.
Senior U.S. officer Gordon (Chris Messina) wants to stave off the mounting friction and gets a reason when an antenna on the exterior fails. He suits up and exits the ISS to make repairs.
Barrett’s Russian counterpart Nicholai (Costa Ronin) is the first to seriously consider confrontation and violence.
American Christian (John Gallagher, Jr.) isn’t far behind Nicholai, a position fueled greatly by his inborn paranoia.
Pilou Asbæk (think a blond Michael Shannon) plays Alexey, Nicholai’s second in command that has a poker face the entire time and seems to be the type who could go postal if provoked but never does.
As she speaks the most English, cool-headed Russian officer Weronika (Maria Mashkova) is the one on board most qualified to broker "peace" and also has personal reasons to avoid any American bloodshed.
The biggest unknown in the mix is Kira (Ariana DeBose), the most recent arrival who is still trying to find her weightless space sea legs.
"I.S.S." is Ms. DeBose’s first live action performance since her Oscar-winning turn in the otherwise unimpressive remake of "West Side Story."
Appearing as the de facto lead in what is technically a six-part ensemble piece was a smart move on her part and goes far in proving she can do more than sing, dance, and act "large."
"I.S.S." is the sixth feature from director Gabriela Copperthwaite who has yet to make a anything close to a bad movie and isn’t afraid to bounce from genre to genre.
She made three very different documentaries, a complicated romantic drama ("Our Friend"), and the near perfect biographical military drama "Megan Leavey."
"I.S.S." is another bright feather in Ms. Copperthwaite’s cap and marks her biggest artistic stretch thus far.
At various points recalling "Fail Safe" (the 1964 version), "2001: A Space Odyssey," (1968) "Alien," (1979) and "Gravity," (2013) "I.S.S." draws us in with familiar narrative beats and keeps us on edge with its connections to real-life global entanglements.
With the U.S. currently engaged in a stalemate proxy war with Russia in Ukraine, the events taking place in "I.S.S." cuts to the bone and hits dangerously close to home.
Toss in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, recent attacks by the Houthis, and the gurgling maelstrom in Iran and you’re left with a recipe for disaster.
It’s hard to gauge just how interested general audiences are going to be in plopping down the money to see a movie that may be foretelling their doom.
The saving grace is that "I.S.S." ends on an upbeat, optimistic note which gives us hope that Armageddon can be, if not unavoidable, at least survivable.
(The movie is presented in English and subtitled Russian and opens in theaters on January 19, 2024)
Originally from Washington, D.C., Michael Clark has written for over 30 local and national film industry media outlets. He is based in the Atlanta Top 10 media marketplace. He co-founded the Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a regular contributor to The Shannon Burke Show on floridamanradio.com. Over the last 25 years, Mr. Clark has written over 4,000 movie reviews and film-related articles. He is one of the few conservative U.S. movie critics. Read Michael Clark's Reports — More Here.
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