Today’s quick review: Incoming. Years in the future, Reiser (Scott Adkins) leads a mission to the Hammer, an orbiting prison where terrorists are held for interrogation, to allow Dr. Stone (Michelle Lehane) to audit the treatment of the prisoners. But when Argun (Vahidin Prelic), a dangerous terrorist, breaks out of his cell and frees his brethren, Reiser and his allies must regain control of the Hammer before the prisoners can crash it into the ground.
Incoming is a budget science fiction action movie that pits four survivors against six escaped terrorists aboard a prison space station. Outnumbered, stranded, and short on resources, Reiser and the others must find a way to even the odds against Argun and his band of killers. Incoming makes an earnest attempt at following through on its premise, but its low budget, poor acting, and flawed writing keep it from holding much appeal.
Incoming has two areas where its efforts bear fruit: its action and its world-building. The action isn’t spectacular, let down by a limited budget and a restrictive setting, but the fights are reasonably well-choreographed and give the film some excitement. As for its world-building, Incoming puts in more effort than it needs to, setting up an elaborate mystery about the Hammer, its political ramifications, and the terrorists it holds.
Neither of these aspects is enough to make up for the movie’s many shortcomings. None of the characters are likable, and one or two of them are active hindrances. The script fails to follow through on its best ideas, and the film’s plot twists, in spite of being fairly clever, are barely felt. Incoming’s budget restricts it to a confined setting with very little personality, while the action has none of the flash needed to carry the film.
Incoming might hold some value for fans of budget science fiction, but anyone else will want to steer clear. The movie has some passable action and a couple of interesting ideas, but it lacks the capacity to do much with them. For a sci-fi action film with a similar premise and better execution, check out Lockout. For more violent, larger-scale assault on a secure facility, check out Dredd or The Raid: Redemption.
3.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 4.0 for modest action let down by poor execution all the way around.