Though audience members may be expecting to see some sort of extra-terrestrial monster in a thriller set on a space station, that is not what they’ll see when they watch I.S.S. (as far as we know at least). Instead, the threat that is present in director Gabriela Cowperthwaite‘s latest feature film is, ironically, very terrestrial. In this gripping new drama, a small crew of American and Russian astronauts stationed on the International Space Station go from fast friends to fierce foes when their respective countries become combatants in a nuclear war.
Where the three Americans and the three Russians had nothing but positive feelings for each other just hours before, their dynamic drastically changed when their countries ordered each trio to take over the space station by force if necessary. With nowhere to hide and, potentially, no home to go back to, the stakes have never been higher for these once-humble astronomers. One astronaut in particular, Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose), will have to use every skill in her arsenal if she hopes to survive this deadly encounter.
To find out when and where you can watch this metaphorically grounded sci-fi spectacle in all its glory, here is how you can watch I.S.S.
I.S.S.
Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth.
- Release Date
- January 19, 2024
- Director
- Gabriela Cowperthwaite
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Writers
- Nick Shafir
- Studio
- Bleecker Street
What Is The Release Date For ‘I.S.S.’?
Science fiction and war thrillers unite when I.S.S. launches into theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Friday, January 19th, 2024. This comes a little less than a year after the film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12th, 2023. I.S.S. would continue its festival circuit at the Deauville American Film Festival on September 2nd, 2023, and the Denver Film Festival on November 11th, 2023.
Is ‘I.S.S.’ In Theaters?
The only way to see this tense space station thriller is at your local movie theater, as that is where I.S.S. will be exclusively released this January. The film will be the latest entry into a surprisingly packed January, releasing the weekend after the musical remake of Mean Girls, the honey-themed action flick The Beekeeper, the biblical satire The Book of Clarence, and the much-deserved theatrical re-release of Soul.
Find Showtimes For ‘I.S.S.’
To see if I.S.S. will be launching in a theater near you, look to the following links and get your tickets in advance:
Watch The Trailer For ‘I.S.S.’
Blecker Street released the first trailer for I.S.S. on December 4th, 2023, introducing audiences everywhere to the unique and frankly terrifying setting of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s latest feature film. The trailer begins by showing Dr. Kira Foster and her companions reaching the International Space Station, where they receive a genuinely warm welcome from their Russian compatriots. When they’re not doing routine space work, they all have a friendly camaraderie. That changes when they witness the telltale signs of nuclear war on Earth’s surface, and they each receive messages from their respective countries that the United States and Russia have entered a conflict that has proven to be catastrophic. When their governments order their astronauts to take over the station, that’s where the tense games of manipulation and survival truly begin on the I.S.S.
Other Sci-Fi Thrillers Like ‘I.S.S.’ You Can Watch Right Now
Alien (1979)
It’s impossible to talk about claustrophobic space-based thrillers without mentioning Ridley Scott‘s 1979 masterpiece, Alien – a movie that changed horror forever. A ragtag crew of cargo transporters on the spacecraft The Nostromo answer an unusual distress beacon, which takes them to a derelict spaceship that’s covered in egg-like lifeforms. One of these organisms attaches itself to an unfortunate crew member, and when he returns to the ship, the now-iconic Xenomorph wreaks mayhem and havoc on the ship’s crew. Alien is available to stream on Hulu.
Watch on Hulu
Gravity (2013)
Much like I.S.S., Gravity is a film where the threat isn’t an extra-terrestrial monster, but rather something much more realistic and, for lack of a better term, grounded. On an otherwise hardly unusual space walk, disaster strikes astronaut Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) when a collection of space debris sends her flying into the vast emptiness of space. With limited oxygen and a lack of the film’s titular physics concept, Stone will need to use everything at her disposal to find a safe way back home. Gravity is available to stream on Netflix.
Watch on Netflix
Life (2017)
Unlike Alien, where a group of spacefarers accidentally stumble upon an extra-terrestrial, the main characters of Life are actually seeking life outside Earth. One day, they succeed, but this seemingly harmless organism is secretly a parasitic entity that devours all other life around it. The astronauts involved know that this creature will destroy Earth’s ecosystems should it ever get there, so they do everything in their power to stop it. Life is available to stream on Starz.
Watch on Starz
