Movie: "Life"
Director: Daniel EspinosaRating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes
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"Life" is directed by
Daniel Espinosa, who is know for films such as "Safe House" and "Child 44." It is written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who wrote the
fabulous "Deadpool"...oh, and they also wrote the awful "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds,
Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya, who make up a
multi-national group of scientists and astronauts aboard the
International Space Station. Their job is to study the most recent soil
samples from the planet Mars. In these samples, they find a dormant
single cell organism they then coax out of hibernation. The cell
multiplies and quickly grows into a considerably larger squid-like
creature that is essentially "all muscle, all brain, and all eye." Once
it feels threatened, this creature starts to unleash its wrath on the
crew.
"Life" is an original sci-fi story in
that it is not a remake, sequel, or something based on any previously published
material, at least not on the surface. Deep down, however, it is very
derivative of movies that came before it like "Alien" and even
"Gravity." Here, a crew stuck in space tries to survive against a newly
discovered, extremely adaptive species. There are a couple of unsettling
scenes early on that can genuinely make the audience cringe in a good
way. There is a mild amount of tension, but unfortunately, never goes
beyond the bare minimum. From there, as the martian known as Calvin
continues its rampage, the film starts to fall into typical sci-fi
horror tropes, contrived plot points, and convenient situations that are
only there as devices to further these contrivances. The acting is
completely competent from all of the actors involved, though a few play
to type. Of course, Ryan Reynolds has found success being the sarcastic
and snarky go-to, so that's the role he plays once again. Other parts include Rebecca
Ferguson as the super efficient scientist who wants everything by the
book, Jake Gyllenhaal as the jaded former soldier trying to get away
from the hatred of earth, Hiroyuki Sanada as the new father/tech expert of the crew, Ariyon Bakare as the super attached scientist
who nurtured the creature in its infancy, and Olga Dihovichnaya as the token Russian.
This is really where the character development ends and what we are left with is fairly thin. We never truly get to know them or care about
them beyond a general outline of these archetypes. Despite their high
education, this group also winds up doing plenty of stupid things at the most
inopportune times, leaving the audience with a typical horror
reaction akin to "DON'T GO UPSTAIRS!!"
By far,
the best part of "Life" is its special effects. In fact, they are enough
to blow you away at times. Though the set pieces do seem familiar to
other movies that take place in space, just because they are derivative
doesn't mean they aren't cool as hell. In addition, the creature design
is awesome. Calvin looks like a cross between an octopus and a
sea angel, dangly and gangly and floating and majestic in its viciousness. Speaking of Calvin, it is the
type of creature that is essentially the ultimate killing machine with
no weaknesses the crew can find. It can squeeze through small openings,
it is far stronger than the humans on the station, it is far smarter
than anyone (or so it appears), and though it needs oxygen to live, it
can survive for an indeterminate amount of time without it. These trite
instances will automatically put off some viewers. Something else that may be off-putting to some is the dialogue, which is not the best and often consists of people explaining their plans
to kill Calvin in great detail, or espousing whether or not they think
Calvin will survive in this or that type of situation. These are the
moments where the movie came to a screeching halt. The writers
basically made this creature have invincibility at times. For example, at one point, the crew says out loud in their deliberations that Calvin needs
oxygen to survive, but a caveat was written in so that it can continue
existing even without air. Things are often explained, then happen in contradiction to what was said, like how Calvin can crawl unprotected on the exterior
of the station without oxygen for an extended period of time and doesn't die.
"Life"
has a few tense and exciting moments, but overall is too derivative and too convenient. Without compelling characters to elevate the story, it
remains far too predictable, especially given its very typical horror
film finale (which we both love and hate).
My Rating: 6/10
BigJ's Rating: 5.5/10
IMDB's Rating: ~7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: ~66%
Do we recommend this movie: Sure, why not?
**To review this movie for yourself on one of the best websites on the internet, visit filmfed.com!*
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