INCOMING (2018) * ½

Scott Adkins stars as part of a team of astronauts who torture the leaders of a terrorist group known as “The Wolfpack” aboard a space station orbiting the Earth.  Since the black site is in orbit, they’re not bound by earthly laws (“The Geneva convention doesn’t apply in space!”) and can do whatever the fuck they want to the prisoners.  A lady doctor (Michelle Lehane) comes to check on the condition of the prisoners and is appalled at their treatment.  When she sneaks in to one of the terrorist’s cell to hear the extent of the torture, he predictably overpowers her and unleashes his fellow prisoners.  He then takes over the space station with the intention of plummeting it into downtown Moscow.  Naturally, it’s up to Adkins to stop them.

Incoming is a cheap sci-fi actioner that wastes a moderately intriguing premise on a lot of dull dialogue scenes.  Despite the promising set-up, it’s a dark, dreary, and slow-moving slog.  The low budget doesn’t help either.  The minimal sets and special effects highlight the claustrophobia of the characters, but there’s more boredom here than suspense.

This is not an ideal use of Adkins’ talents by any stretch of the imagination.  The scenes of Adkins and his crew trying to survive get a pass because of his presence alone.  The stuff with the prisoners plotting their coup, on the other hand, is a chore to sit through.  None of the actors are convincing or menacing and their villainous monologues are dreadfully dull. 

It’s also painfully low on action, which is the ultimate kiss of death.  The film only occasionally remembers it’s a Scott Adkins movie when it briefly puts the tedium on pause for an intermittent knife fight or a Kung Fu skirmish.  Even these welcome surges of machismo (I did like when Adkins said, “Don’t fuck with America!” before slitting a terrorist’s throat) fall flat more often than not.