As if the idea of being in space were not stressful enough on its own, here comes a new thriller that doubles down on the terror. Or triples, I guess, depending on your own personal stress-math. I.S.S. is about two groups of astronauts who are aboard the International Space Station when things go absolutely bugfuck haywire down on Earth.
One thing I did not ever expect to see in a movie trailer is the little whistled bit from The Scorpions’ “Winds of Change” used to extremely creepy ends, so, hey, full credit to whoever chose the music here.
This seems like a bit of a cousin to The Midnight Sky, in which George Clooney was hanging out alone in the Arctic after a worldwide disaster. (There were also some spacefolk in that one.) But this is way more stressful. And also somewhat frustrating: We’re still just pitting different sections of humanity against one another? We’re still obsessed with the false notion that people in terrible situations don’t cooperate? Is anyone else just really tired?
That said, one thing in favor of I.S.S. is that it’s directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, who made the extraordinary documentary Blackfish. The script is by Nick Shafir, and the excellent cast includes Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Chris Messina (Birds of Prey), Pilou Asbaek (Game of Thrones), John Gallagher Jr. (Westworld), Costa Ronin (The Americans), and Masha Mashkova.
I.S.S. is in theaters January 19, 2024.
