I.S.S. review: Ariana DeBose sci-fi thriller never reaches orbit

War has broken out on earth between Russia and the US and the group of scientists aboard the International Space Station (I.S.S.) are desperately trying to make contact to find out what has happened. The three American scientists receive orders to take the I.S.S., by any means necessary, but have their Russian counterparts received the same orders?

The biggest problem with I.S.S., the sci-fi thriller named after its setting, is that it removes just about all of the tension that situation could have created and gives the game away pretty early on.

It's a frustrating choice as the movie features a solid cast (Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina and John Gallagher Jr. as the US astronauts; Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin and Pilou Asbæk as the Russian trio) and direction from Gabriela Cowperthwaite that does what it can to ratchet up the thrills, but the script's decision early on to divulge key information to the audience drains all suspense and makes I.S.S. an easily forgettable watch.

The script was written by first time screenwriter Nick Shafir, who to his credit developed an enticing premise for a movie — an enclosed thriller set aboard the I.S.S., where scientists from rival countries forgo their borders in the spirit of collaboration, until actions on earth force them to make a choice: side with their country or the spirit of human cooperation that the I.S.S. embodies?

When the US scientists receive their orders, they rightly begin to wonder if the Russians have been told to do the same. The problem is the movie does not let this question linger in the air, but rather makes it very clear to the audience that yes, they did and they are taking action.

That ruins the suspense the movie needed, forcing the audience to ask themselves are things happening on board an accident or sabotage? Is someone telling the truth or trying to set the other up? Instead we see what each member of the crew is doing and are shown their true feelings pretty quickly, which prevents any true shocking moments, even the intended third act "twist."

Also not helping are the underdeveloped characters. We get a few tidbits on some of the character's personal lives (though it doesn't even bother with two of the Russian cosmonauts), but all of it is a cheap coat of paint to make it seem like they have depth, but none of the things shared are ever really paid off. That unfortunately gives the actors little to work with. They do what they can, but you'll be hard pressed to remember a few of their character's names because they barely register as more than bodies floating through zero gravity, doing what the script demands of them.

All of that culminates in an abrupt and unsatisfying ending. The message we are supposed to take away from the movie isn't difficult to decipher— our devotion to our countries/borders rather than our shared humanity could lead to our destruction. The movie is clearly more concerned about hammering home that message, albeit a noble one, than attempting to deliver on the paranoid thriller it could have been.

I.S.S. wanted to be the latest sci-fi movie that offered a vital social message for our times. But in forgetting to enthrall us first with a story we want to watch, it seems destined to become a movie lost to the void of space.

I.S.S. is now playing exclusively in movie theaters in North America. At this time there is no info on a UK premiere. Find out more on how to watch I.S.S. here.