Being clever in the realm of entertainment media can be a difficult thing. Many people have great ideas and a killer elevator pitch can mean the difference between an instant green light and year in production limbo. On paper, I.S.S. is an intriguing premise. Using the isolation of the International Space Station and very real life tensions between the U.S.A. and Russia to play out a semi-action morality tale sounds like a good start. But like most clever ideas, being able to translate an idea into a feature length film can be difficult. While I.S.S. tries hard to do something special, it ends up being very bland. In space, no one can hear you be mediocre.

Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose) is on her first trip to the I.S.S. Upon arriving, she gets all the ins and outs of living on the station from her two American compatriots and the three Russian cosmonauts they share the space with. The International Space Station is a beacon of peace where scientists work together to better humanity. Though she has trouble getting used to sleeping in zero gravity, Kira’s first day at the station went well. But upon waking up, small issues start to accumulate.

Communications and connection to any working network for everyone on the station are out. While they have no way of fixing these issues, there are still things they can do to prepare once things are back to normal. That is until everyone notices large explosions on Earth’s surface. Though full communications are still out, the American’s receive a message from their government. “Take control of the I.S.S., above all costs.” Figuring the Russian’s received the same message, tensions begin to boil as paranoia takes over.

There is something to be said about I.S.S.’s presentation. We’ve seen plenty of films that take place in outer space with no gravity in sight.  Gravity of course being the most recent and obvious example. But even in Gravity there are points of being strapped into chairs and such. Except for their arrival into the station via another craft or a single moment of being zipped up in a sleeping bag against a wall, every character in the film is presented in a weightless manner. Lots of full body shots with their feet under rails to keep the characters from floating to the ceiling fill every minute of I.S.S., and it all looks plausible.

The real issue with I.S.S. is that it doesn’t do anything original or even thought provoking with its premise. Setting it in space doesn’t even count as a new attempt as isolation and paranoia are the cornerstones of most non-terrestrial thrillers. The drama and tension all fall flat against cliche scenarios that feel like they lead nowhere. And like most films, the bad decision meter is all over the place in this one. You have to send someone out for a space walk to fix something and communications between that person and that station go out? Let’s just stand aimlessly at the computer for 15 minutes instead of going after him.

An attempt to throw in story points to lead to some meaningful closure of the film is half baked and slightly confusing. I.S.S. doesn’t even try very hard to deliver its message and is outshined by films that not only did it better, but will be remembered 100 years from now. It’s ending is meant to act as a warning to work on the issues we have now to help prevent the atrocities of the film’s plot. It’s just too weak in the way it does it. This is a a public service announcement to Children of Men’s long lasting brilliance.

I.S.S. isn’t a complete failure, but in the grand scheme of better products it is white rice to flavorful fried rice. It loses points for a lack of trying anything different. And while it isn’t a carbon copy of any one specific thing, it certainly is more like a flimsy attempt to be Twilight Zone’s Monsters Due on Mir (I know Mir is long gone, but it is a better line than Monsters Due on the I.S.S.) than a real grounded message of importance.

Final Grade: C

Check out more of Matthew’s articles.

Here’s the trailer of the film.