Perhaps best known for the tension-inducing 2013 documentary film Blackfish, Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite returns with yet another one guaranteed to have audiences biting their nails. This time though, rather than a documentary, Cowperthwaite has turned her hand to Sci-Fi with space set Thriller I.S.S.
First premiering at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, I.S.S. will now be hitting theaters on January 19th through Bleecker Street. The film follows Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose: Hamilton 2020, Wish 2023) as she arrives on the International Space Station. Her arrival means that the crew is now evenly split into three astronauts and three cosmonauts. Along with Kira, there are Gordon Barrett (Chris Messina: Argo 2012, Air 2023) and Christian Campbell (John Gallagher Jr: 10 Cloverfield Lane 2016, Hush 2016) on the American side. Whilst on the Russian side there are Weronika Vetrov (Maria Mashkova: Closed Spaces 2008, Newsmakers 2009), Alexay Pulov (Pilou Asbaek: A Hijacking 2012, Uncharted 2022) and Nicholai Pulov (Costa Ronin: Red Dog 2011, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019). Not that their respective nationalities matter at this point though as the International Space Station is a neutral zone where everyone works together.
Kira has not been on the station long when she notices what she believes are a series of volcanic eruptions taking place back on earth. Soon it transpires that this was not the case however and actually the explosions were the result of war breaking out between Russia and America. When Gordon receives a message from Houston to take control of the station by any means possible, he assumes that the Russians have had the same message from their own mission control. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse as each wonders who will strike first.
As previously proven in numerous other films, space makes for an extremely atmospheric setting. I.S.S. is visually interesting and intriguing, and often the camera feels as though it is literally floating which gives the film a feeling of realism. However, the film is not a big budget affair where the main elements are stunning visuals and panoramas of the vastness of space. Rather I.S.S. is a character study and a Thriller.
DeBose takes center stage here and is great as the character who is most uneasy about the situation that is unfolding. The rest of the cast are also really good and the small number of characters in the not so roomy confines of the space station all add to the tension and stress. I.S.S. has moments that will genuinely have audiences on the edge of their seats. Whilst I.S.S. boasts great performances and some really engaging scenes, both of these elements are bogged down by the unshakable feeling that this has all been done before and done better. The cast does well, but the characters feel pretty one dimensional and whilst Cowperthwaite gives the audience scenes with the requisite tension, there are also scenes which feel slow and less engaging.
Overall, I.S.S. is enjoyable and interesting enough to merit a watch even if it is not quite out of this world. That is why Cryptic Rock gives it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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