JPL scientist analyzes pros and cons of the science in dystopian drama IO

Much of the human race has decamped to a distant colony, leaving behind an uninhabitable Earth, in IO, Netflix's modest follow-up to its post-apocalyptic thriller, Bird Box. Directed by Jonathan Halpert, it's an ambitious film that doesn't quite work, with glacial pacing, little dramatic tension, and a rather flat tone. A catastrophic event has turned Earth's atmosphere toxic, and most of the surviving humans have decamped to a colony on one of Jupiter's moons, Io. Those who clung to hope and remained were forced to move to high altitudes, although many died before they could do so. He urges Sam to come with him for the final shuttle launch, carrying any remaining Earthbound survivors to the colony.Unfortunately, setting up a human colony on Io is "just not tenable," according to Hand. Setting up a series of space stations to house former Earth denizens might make more sense, but if a society is sufficiently advanced to accomplish such a huge project, it should also be able to take care of its home planet.Still, "I'll give them a mulligan on [colonizing Io], because it's not actually central to the film," Hand said. But I love that it brought Io to the attention of many Netflix viewers."Hand did find the notion of a toxic lower Earth's atmosphere fascinating, however—a situation that would force any living thing that needs oxygen to move to higher elevations.