An underwhelmingly ambitious sci-fi emerges from the fog to plant a flag on the streaming Top 10

Very few genres in cinema open the doors as widely to unbridled imagination as sci-fi, but just because a certain project has a fascinating entry point into such a well-worn arena, it doesn’t mean that it’s guaranteed to find widespread acclaim as a result. While it can’t be faulted for its ambition, last year’s Rubikon didn’t quite hit the spot.

The Austrian intergalactic thriller starts as so many stories of its ilk tend to do; with Earth being rendered almost inhospitable following a cataclysmic event that forces humanity to seek out pastures new. With the planet covered in a toxic fog, a space station crew find themselves torn between risking it all to get home and seek out survivors, or remain high above the atmosphere with a perfectly acceptable algae system ensuring their safety for the foreseeable future.

There are plenty of interesting moral quandaries and eye-popping visuals to be found, but a 35 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t paint the prettiest picture of director Magdalena Lauritsch’s vision. That being said, a more robust 78 percent audience average says the opposite, and there are no prizes for guessing which side streaming subscribers are falling on.

Per FlixPatrol, Rubikon has re-entered orbit on-demand to become one of the Top 10 most-watched features among Amazon customers in the United States, who’ve planted their flag firmly on the ground that the unsung cosmic caper is one worth their time and investment, even if critics aren’t wholeheartedly in agreement over its merits.