Review by Jon Donnis
The year is 2056 and we find ourselves with a skeleton crew of astronauts aboard the space station Rubikon, we have German-born Captain Hannah Wagner (Julia Franz Richter), British male Gavin (George Blagden), and Russian Dimitri (Mark Ivanir).
The world below is facing huge changes to what we know, the world is run by giant corporations where the rich live in paradise while the poor starve and choke. Ok not that much of a huge change, in fact pretty much identical to 2022.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a giant toxic cloud starts to cover the face of the earth, but without any signs of a Super Volcano erupting or an asteroid strike, the crew aboard the Rubikon apparently have no idea what has caused it, nor do they have communications with anyone on earth to tell them what is happening.
The astronauts eventually make contact with people in the bunker, 300 of them, but their oxygen is running out, it just so happens that our space crew have the technology to help them filter out the harmful toxins so they can survive. The question now becomes how can they help, should they risk their lives to save these 300 survivors, or should they just wait and keep themselves safe.
As you will have guessed the crew is an international one, everyone speaks in English of course, which is lucky for the viewer. The film excels at the start and at the end, really delivering a scifi story to captivate the viewer. The cinematography is fantastic, and as the tensions grow between the crew, you do find yourself being dragged in and really caring what happens.
At nearly 1 hour and 50 minutes, the film is quite long, especially considering the modest budget, and the middle of the film does drag a bit. I think this film would improve massively with a much tighter cut of around 85 minutes.
You will probably see the twist a mile off, but it is a pleasing one.
The Good
A well made film on a modest budget, with strong characters.
The Bad
The middle feels like a bit of a grind at times, and really should have been edited down.
Overall
A simple sci-fi film with a respectable plot, decent acting and strong ending.
I score Rubikon a respectable 7/10
Out now on Digitla and DVD at https://amzn.to/3zetJx5
