I got done watching it a few hours ago and as I write this review, I have a degree of uncertainty as to which rating to give it. It's not as high as a six and not as low as a three.
There are three American astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts on board the I. S. S. The trailer provides all of the other story: a nuclear war has broken out on Earth. The astronauts are instructed to take control over the I. S. S. By any means necessary. How could such an amazing trailer and story result in such a disappointing movie? The answer: The movie, while having faults on several fronts, ultimately fails because it refuses to take a single serious risk with everything that follows the nuclear war on Earth.
The movie moves quite quick in the beginning with the introduction of the characters. More effort could have been put in the character development, especially since this movie is only one hour and thirty-five minutes long.
Two of the Russian male cosmonauts looks quite similar. I had trouble telling them apart.
Astronauts and cosmonauts are very intelligent, but the characters here seem pretty impulsive.
So when I thought about the direction that this movie could go, I thought that, generally, there were two. One would be where they fight and try to kill each other. The trailer more than hinted that that's the direction it was going in. I felt astronauts and cosmonauts would try and solve things more diplomatically--that's the other direction--and that the movie should do a better job of selling the idea of this fighting to the viewer. In other words, I was watching out for a series of specific events that put these six people in such a situation--'a perfect storm'--that they have no choice but to resort to violence. This was completely absent.
Early on, one of the Americans needs to go outside of the I. S. S. And fix an antenna. This was long after the American crew realizes that that the Russian crew would have likely received the same order to seize the I. S. S. By any means. One might think it's not a good idea to go out and leave the two Americans with the three Russians at a time when these orders are in place, but it's done anyway. That's when the sabotage and fighting starts.
At no point, do we see any scenes from Earth or know more about what's happening down there than what is shown in the trailer.
The problem is there's nothing creative. If the writer had asked him or herself 'how can I make this as generic as possible', this is the direction the movie would have gone in.
Give me anything original, even if it's bad. Give me something that will leave me thinking long after the movie is done. Give me something bold. Surprise me. Make me laugh or cry. Make me angry at a character. Heck, give me an ending where the bad guys win. Anything! But we get none of this in this movie.
There are three American astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts on board the I. S. S. The trailer provides all of the other story: a nuclear war has broken out on Earth. The astronauts are instructed to take control over the I. S. S. By any means necessary. How could such an amazing trailer and story result in such a disappointing movie? The answer: The movie, while having faults on several fronts, ultimately fails because it refuses to take a single serious risk with everything that follows the nuclear war on Earth.
The movie moves quite quick in the beginning with the introduction of the characters. More effort could have been put in the character development, especially since this movie is only one hour and thirty-five minutes long.
Two of the Russian male cosmonauts looks quite similar. I had trouble telling them apart.
Astronauts and cosmonauts are very intelligent, but the characters here seem pretty impulsive.
So when I thought about the direction that this movie could go, I thought that, generally, there were two. One would be where they fight and try to kill each other. The trailer more than hinted that that's the direction it was going in. I felt astronauts and cosmonauts would try and solve things more diplomatically--that's the other direction--and that the movie should do a better job of selling the idea of this fighting to the viewer. In other words, I was watching out for a series of specific events that put these six people in such a situation--'a perfect storm'--that they have no choice but to resort to violence. This was completely absent.
Early on, one of the Americans needs to go outside of the I. S. S. And fix an antenna. This was long after the American crew realizes that that the Russian crew would have likely received the same order to seize the I. S. S. By any means. One might think it's not a good idea to go out and leave the two Americans with the three Russians at a time when these orders are in place, but it's done anyway. That's when the sabotage and fighting starts.
At no point, do we see any scenes from Earth or know more about what's happening down there than what is shown in the trailer.
The problem is there's nothing creative. If the writer had asked him or herself 'how can I make this as generic as possible', this is the direction the movie would have gone in.
Give me anything original, even if it's bad. Give me something that will leave me thinking long after the movie is done. Give me something bold. Surprise me. Make me laugh or cry. Make me angry at a character. Heck, give me an ending where the bad guys win. Anything! But we get none of this in this movie.