IO (2019)

Movie Name/Year: IO (2019)

Tagline: In the near future we must save Earth, or leave it.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Drama, Romance

Length: 96 minutes

Rating: TV-14

Production Companies: Baked Studios, Mandalay Pictures, Sunset Junction Entertainment, Untitled Entertainment, Netflix

Producer: Will Basanta, Jason Michael Berman, Caroline Connor, François Enginger, Thomas B. Fore, Dave Hansen, Amy Jarvela, Clay Jeter, Ryan Andrej Lough, Johnny Mac, Anthony Mackie, Mark Moran, Alain Peyrollaz, Patrick Raymond, Will Raynor, Laura Rister, Victor Shapiro, Charles Spano, Jason Spire, Raphael Swann, Jeremy Kipp Walker

Director: Jonathan Helpert

Writer: Clay Jeter, Charles Spano, Will Basanta

Actors: Margaret Qualley, Anthony Mackie, Danny Huston, Tom Payne, Emma Fitzgerald, Justin Jamieson, Teagan Johnson

Blurb from Netflix: As a young scientist searches for a way to save a dying Earth, she finds a connection with a man who’s racing to catch the last shuttle off the planet.

Selina’s Point of View:

I wanted to like IO but it was just so long and boring.

The thing is, IO is only about an hour and a half. That’s pretty well normal for most films and a little on the short side for something sci-fi. Still, it felt like it was four hours long. I almost had trouble concentrating on it near the end.

As far as the quality goes, it wasn’t technically bad. If you’re really into a slow kind of drama, you might see some good in this movie. Unfortunately, that’s is my least favorite kind of film.

From my personal perspective, I feel like the actors were way too good for this. With the talent Netflix had involved in IO, they could have gotten away with a much more daring and unpredictable script.

I’m disappointed and more tired than I was when I started watching.

You really need to be in it for the snail-paced drama, or you’re going to feel more ‘meh’ than anything, in the end.

Cat’s Point of View:

I was initially intrigued by this movie. With all of the environmental protections that have been rolled back by the current administration, here in the US; as well as other concerns such as global warming, productions such as this one don’t take too much suspension of disbelief.

Usually, anyway. This one took a little more effort than I would have liked.

This wasn’t my first watch-through. I’d caved to curiosity not too long after Netflix released it. I was underwhelmed. When the movie had its lucky number rolled for our viewing schedule, I thought that surely I might feel differently after giving it a second chance. I was pretty convinced that I must’ve had a narcoleptic snooze during my first watch-through, or simply that my own exhaustion had colored my interpretation of the film. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I couldn’t find anything really lacking in the production quality. The acting wasn’t at fault, either – even though the cast didn’t have a lot to work with. Quite a few of the interactions between characters felt awkward – but that wasn’t really their fault. It was all just…strange.

The whole thing was just slow and ponderous. It felt like I was sitting in a skewed science lecture with a minor sprinkling of art and literature. I guess there wasn’t enough fiction in this one for me.

I guess I was hoping there would be more to do with the film’s namesake. Alas, without giving spoilers, I can’t quite explain the extent of my hopes for the film and thereby the depth of my disappointment. Sufficed to say, I think that they really squandered an opportunity here to do something cool.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 33%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – None

Metascore - 40/100

Metacritic User Score – 3.3/10

IMDB Score – 4.7/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

Movie Trailer: