A film review by Brooks Rich
Netflix is going to be a destination for some interesting films. Last year we had major directors, the Coen Brothers and Alfonzo Cuaron, release films through Netflix. Martin Scorsese will release The Irishman on the platform this year. So it's becoming a destination for significant films. But we're also getting some smaller releases too. That brings us to IO, a quiet science fiction film from director Jonathan Helpert.
IO is about a woman living along on Earth after humans have fled to Jupiter's moon, Io, as the Earth slowly dies, it's air nearly unbreathable. Sam, played by Margaret Qually, is working to save the planet when Micah, played by the always fantastic Anthony Mackie, shows up in a hot air balloon. That's all I'll say so as not to spoil anything. Just know though that IO ultimately doesn't live up to it's premise and becomes bogged down by unnecessary dialogue scenes that don't move the plot forward.
Mackie and Qually have chemistry together and between their conversations, a majority of the film, we piece together what happened, and where humans are now. This film would be nothing without them and the strongest part is their relationship together. The story is interesting but sadly the dialogue gets a little pretentious with it's philosophy and literary quotes and it's meditations on life. I don't mind references in a film but it has to serve the story. I don't feel IO accomplishes this. The film comes to a screeching halt a few times to have the characters discuss a quote from something. I understand they are supposed to play into the film's narrative but ultimately it doesn't work.
The film's ending does work and makes sense. I think this will be worth a watch to fans of slow burn science fiction. This is not Star Wars or anything like this. This is a slow, deliberately paced film about survival and the human condition. That will work for some people. But for me the film couldn't get out of it's own way and bogged it's great story down with it's thesis on literature and philosophy. An interesting watch but it ultimately doesn't work as a whole.
2/5
Netflix is going to be a destination for some interesting films. Last year we had major directors, the Coen Brothers and Alfonzo Cuaron, release films through Netflix. Martin Scorsese will release The Irishman on the platform this year. So it's becoming a destination for significant films. But we're also getting some smaller releases too. That brings us to IO, a quiet science fiction film from director Jonathan Helpert.
IO is about a woman living along on Earth after humans have fled to Jupiter's moon, Io, as the Earth slowly dies, it's air nearly unbreathable. Sam, played by Margaret Qually, is working to save the planet when Micah, played by the always fantastic Anthony Mackie, shows up in a hot air balloon. That's all I'll say so as not to spoil anything. Just know though that IO ultimately doesn't live up to it's premise and becomes bogged down by unnecessary dialogue scenes that don't move the plot forward.
Mackie and Qually have chemistry together and between their conversations, a majority of the film, we piece together what happened, and where humans are now. This film would be nothing without them and the strongest part is their relationship together. The story is interesting but sadly the dialogue gets a little pretentious with it's philosophy and literary quotes and it's meditations on life. I don't mind references in a film but it has to serve the story. I don't feel IO accomplishes this. The film comes to a screeching halt a few times to have the characters discuss a quote from something. I understand they are supposed to play into the film's narrative but ultimately it doesn't work.
The film's ending does work and makes sense. I think this will be worth a watch to fans of slow burn science fiction. This is not Star Wars or anything like this. This is a slow, deliberately paced film about survival and the human condition. That will work for some people. But for me the film couldn't get out of it's own way and bogged it's great story down with it's thesis on literature and philosophy. An interesting watch but it ultimately doesn't work as a whole.
2/5
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