I.S.S.

Grade: B-

I.S.S. (stands for International Space Station), at 95 minutes, is an efficient, economical space thriller. Going in, I didn’t know whether the main conflict would be supernatural or mechanical. Were we looking at an Alien or Apollo 13 situation here? The answer, refreshingly, is neither.

The first third of the film is all exposition, with a lot of on-the-nose obvious foreshadowing. My favorite: “The low hum you’re hearing, that’s our life support. When you don’t hear that hum, that’s when you start to panic.” I heard that and thought “I bet that’s gonna come up later.” The movie opens with a couple of American astronauts joining the US/Russia I.S.S. After, like I said, a half hour of setup and everyone getting to know each other, they start to see disturbing images on Earth. At first they think it’s a volcano, but then it becomes too widespread to be just that. There’s a war. An American gets an ominous communication from the ground: take control of the I.S.S. by any means necessary. A Russian on board gets the same message.

The cast of six is effective, led by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (Wish, West Side Story, the upcoming Argylle) and Chris Messina (The Boogeyman, Air, I Care a Lot, Birds of Prey, Argo). Once our main plot point comes into play, the proceedings get exciting. Nobody – including the audience – knows who to trust, and it becomes a big juggling act, keeping track of who knows what, and who is keeping what from whom.

Because the movie is so short, it almost seems over before it begins – but that just means you won’t get tired of it. I.S.S. hits it and quits it. It will most certainly drop out of theaters quickly and be forgotten about (65, anyone?), but it’s a fun little romp with entertaining twists and a small ensemble that works well together.

Grade: B-