“I.S.S.” tells the tale of Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose), a new astronaut making her way to the International Space Station. She and her veteran companion, Christian Campbell (John Gallagher Jr.) arrive to complete a crew of six. Joining Foster and Campbell are American team leader Gordon Barrett (Chris Messina) and the Russian crew composed of Weronika Vetrov (Masha Mashkova), Commader Nicholai Pulov (Costa Ronin) and Alexey Pulov (Pilou Asbaek). Kira is quickly accepted into the group as the six bond over drinks and a love of science. There are no politics here and Weronika even jokingly calls them “more evolved lifeforms.” Things take a turn when they observe a series of explosions on the surface of the earth. It turns out American and Russia are at war with each other and each government sends messages to their respective crews to take control of the station by any means necessary. Let the fun begin!
Now if this were a typical Cold War thriller, “I.S.S” would devolve quickly into a jingoistic kill or be killed exercise in stereotypical thrills, but “I.S.S” is a little bit different. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite and screenwriter Nick Shafir decide to handle the conflict in a more realistic fashion. The crews interpersonal relationships and their dedication to science and logic inform most of their decisions in primarily logical ways. Complicating things is the fact that Weronika and Gordon are having a not-so clandestine affair. This sets up a dynamic that allows for a mostly tension filled changing of loyalties and mounting paranoia in the face of escalating tension.
“I.S.S.” makes use of some impressive special effects and set design, making the most of a smaller budget, with the backdrop of the planet Earth in flames a constant eerie companion and a reminder of what’s at stake. Cowperthwaite makes good use of the claustrophobic nature of the station to stage some pretty effective set pieces, each made all the more effective by the tension between the crew.
What elevates “I.S.S.” are the performances of the game cast. Debose shines as Kira, the newbie who becomes the focal point of the story as well as the audience surrogate. Messina is also good as the level-headed Gordon and his affection for Weronika is genuine and drives some of the story’s more emotional beats. Gallagher has an interesting arc as Campbell, whose intitial paranoia grows into something that turns deadly. Mashkova’s Weronika serves as the most level-headed and accesible member of the Russian crew and her bond with Kira is a highlight of the film. Ronin is also very good as the Russian commander who, despite his more hardline approach to his orders, manages to give Pulov a humanity that keeps him from becoming a cliched villain. And Asbaek is terrific as Alexey, who starts the film as an icy potential antagonist but evolves into something quite different as the film progresses.
On the minus side, “I.S.S.” is forced to devolve a bit after the intital set-up. It’s not a deal-breaker but the scenarios you see play out are variations on things you’ve seen before. They are still very well done, mind you, but the back half doesn’t quite match the intensity of the set-up. The other small issue has to do with the ending. It’s a bit ambiguous and my feeling about the ending is not driven by criticism so much as it is a desire to see what happens next. That said, “I.S.S.” is a wonderful science fiction film that makes the most of its cast and environment to craft a tight thriller that is worth seeing on the big screen. 4 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!
