I.S.S.
Bleecker Street Media | Release Date: January 19, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
23
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 19, 2024
I.S.S. doesn’t disappoint but neither does it go above or beyond what one might reasonably expect based on the trailer. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshJan 18, 2024
It’s a surprisingly trenchant story for what seems to be a slight genre thriller, but then again, genre thrillers can be the best vessels for these kinds of messages. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comNell MinowJan 18, 2024
It is an efficient thrill ride, running about 90 minutes, with every moment used as effectively as possible. Read full review
75
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeJan 16, 2024
The film doesn’t stop to give the six characters time for major exposition and backstory, which would only get in the way of the film’s B-movie sensibility, accentuating scalpel-edge thrills above all else. Read full review
74
Paste MagazineElijah GonzalezJan 16, 2024
Although its barebones backstories and straightforward storytelling may not leave a massive impact, I.S.S conveys the dangers of space and human desperation in a way that will leave you gasping for oxygen. Read full review
70
We Got This CoveredCharlotte SimmonsJan 22, 2024
Gabriela Cowperthwaite orchestrates Nick Shafir's fantastic script and deftly on-the-ball players to uniquely jolting effect, even if the finish line was ultimately more glimpsed than crossed. Read full review
70
VarietyMichael NordineJun 22, 2023
While the landing isn’t as smooth as might be hoped for after the exemplary first act, neither does I.S.S. burn up on reentry. Read full review
67
IndieWireChristian ZilkoJan 19, 2024
Unfortunately, the character development never hits hard enough for “I.S.S.” to transcend being a cool idea, rather than a cool movie. Read full review
63
The Seattle TimesDominic BaezFeb 14, 2024
I.S.S. may be a bit untethered, unsure of what it wants to be and what it wants to say, but it’s worth the voyage regardless. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 18, 2024
The cast is uniformly excellent, with Ariana DeBose leading the way. For a relatively small-budget film, the visuals and sets are better than good. Ultimately, though, “I.S.S.” runs out of big ideas and sputters across the finish line. Read full review
63
USA TodayBrian TruittJan 17, 2024
With I.S.S., the talented songstress takes a giant leap forward as a solid action hero amid a decently gripping mix of human nature and atomic annihilation. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJan 16, 2024
Set on the International Space Station, the movie “I.S.S.” is a modest but satisfyingly suspenseful thriller whose central conflict between the six members of the station’s half-American, half-Russian crew is precipitated by a decidedly earthbound crisis. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeApr 28, 2024
While DeBose is impressive, the contrived plot of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s movie hinges, somewhat preposterously, on rational, highly trained scientific minds devolving overnight into paranoid, murderous maniacs. Read full review
60
The GuardianCath ClarkeApr 26, 2024
ISS does deliver one knock-out terrific death in space: a screwdriver to the neck, perfect little bubbles of blood floating prettily away in zero gravity. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeApr 25, 2024
If the film has a significant flaw, it is that it doesn’t get the room to breathe. Another 10 minutes to flesh out plots and subplots would have been nice. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithJan 18, 2024
After an intriguing start and a strong middle, however, the film can’t quite deliver a satisfying ending. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla DargisJan 18, 2024
What follows is consistently watchable and sometimes tense but, despite some twists, largely unsurprising. Read full review
60
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiJan 16, 2024
While the plot is suspenseful and unsettling because it’s something that could happen, the film underwhelms when it comes to its dynamics and individual arcs, each character lacking a depth that would have elevated an otherwise solid thriller. Read full review
53
TheWrapJun 13, 2023
Despite the impossible stakes of their situation, the crew’s acts of backstabbing and self-sabotage feel curiously lifeless, bogged down by a completely unnecessary instance of on-the-job romance that comically comes out of nowhere. Though, in fairness, the ensemble gives it their all with committed performances. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 19, 2024
I.S.S. can be poignant and even pulse-pounding. But a promising lift-off, chilling set-up, dazzling production design and good effects can’t overcome a “more impressive than entertaining” label. Read full review
50
ABC NewsPeter TraversJan 19, 2024
Ariana DeBose and Chris Messina excel in this space thriller that sizzles with Russia vs America tension but all too predictably fizzles into a mild ride that is better than you might expect while falling way short of the wonder it so wants to inspire. Read full review
50
CNNBrian LowryJan 19, 2024
Despite the gravity of the situation (or lack thereof), the promising idea feels too weightless in the spare, underdeveloped execution, operating at the edges of a good movie without reaching that orbit. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJan 18, 2024
Essentially, “I.S.S.” is a fine movie for what it is, and the only reservation is what it is. It’s a cramped-space movie in which the stakes feel higher to the characters than they do for us. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonJan 18, 2024
This film isn’t terrible; it’s just empty. There are few things more disappointing than a genre movie that forgoes developing its intriguing premise to focus on cheap, failed attempts to thrill. Read full review
50
The Associated PressJake CoyleJan 18, 2024
It’s an intriguing premise that “I.S.S.” can’t translate into a coherent thriller. Read full review
50
ColliderRobert Brian TaylorJan 18, 2024
Fans of space-based thrillers may get enough out of the movie to be moderately entertained, but anyone else intrigued by the idea of six astronauts floating above a world that may have blown itself to hell is likely going to find themselves disappointed by the fact that I.S.S. barely takes the time to reckon with the unimaginable horror that should have been dawning on these characters. Read full review
50
The Daily BeastNick SchagerJan 18, 2024
A pedestrian thriller that never generates a modicum of suspense. Read full review
50
ObserverDylan RothJan 17, 2024
Cowperthwaite successfully turns the I.S.S. into a sweaty pressure cooker, but what’s she actually cooking? Not much, unfortunately. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineJustin ClarkJan 14, 2024
The film is in such a rush to get to the bloodshed, deception, and panic that most of the fertile ground of its premise goes unexplored. Read full review
45
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJan 17, 2024
A movie so dumb that it has tricked itself into thinking it is smart enough to be self-knowingly stupid, the new astronaut thriller, I.S.S., is a true waste of inner and outer space. Read full review
42
PolygonTasha RobinsonJan 19, 2024
The movie is a tepid botch on pretty much every level. Read full review
42
Original-CinChris KnightJan 18, 2024
On the plus side, production design is superb, and the sets look like they were built from NASA blueprints. I’ve spent some virtual time in the I.S.S. (thank you IMAX and VR headsets) and it does look a treat. But that’s still not enough to tether this problematic product. Read full review
40
EmpireHelen O'HaraApr 24, 2024
Tense and occasionally disturbing, but somehow you’re left with the nagging suspicion that what should have been a meaty psychological drama has been turned into a slightly insipid thriller instead. Read full review
40
The New YorkerAnthony LaneJan 19, 2024
As a thriller, regrettably, “I.S.S.” fails to fulfill its mission. Any air of plausibility soon leaks out of the plot, and the whole thing drifts into silliness, tricked out with familiar tropes. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJan 17, 2024
For a film with such weighty aspirations, I.S.S. lacks gravity. Read full review
33
The A.V. ClubCourtney HowardJan 18, 2024
It stretches credulity, as well as our patience. Read full review
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