Nowadays a post-apocalyptic setting feels as common as a superhero movie. And now Netflix have released its latest original movie starring Avengers’ Anthony Mackie and Margaret Qualley. Set in a future where the Earth’s atmosphere has become toxic, most of humanity has fled to a space station near one of Jupiter’s moons called Io. However, this movie focuses on those who stayed behind; specifically, a scientist called Sam Walden who lives in a high altitude trying to breed bees to save the planet.
She’s all alone and spends her free time emailing her boyfriend Elon on the space station.
Polygon reckons this sounds familiar in that it’s basically The Martian in reverse.
Matt Damon’s sci-fi film saw him left behind on Mars as he fights for survival and tries to work out how to make it home to Earth.
But back in IO will Sam stay or head back to Io with Mackie’s Micah, who is travelling by to get the last shuttle there.
Sadly IO hasn’t been a big hit with the critics, garnering just 42% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
In comparison, The Martian has 91% and was nominated for seven Oscars – although it went home empty-handed.
The Hollywood Reporter complained the movie was dull and lacked excitement.
They said: “There’s barely a scene in IO that’s performed with pulse or verve. It’s Sad-Face Emoji Sci-Fi, with po-faced references to Greek mythology, Chopin, T.S. Eliot, among others, and empirical techno-jargon spoken at a Valley Girl level of credibility.”
RogerEbert.com were also not impressed and have given the Netflix movie two stars.
The website said: “Qualley and Mackie struggle to find chemistry as two slightly less lonely people in the world, conversing with monotone line-readings while guarding their private denials.
“Broad themes like staunch hope, and vital human connection, become cheap sentiments, vanishing into air. IO isn’t science fiction storytelling distilled so much as it is vaporized.”
IO is on Netflix now.