'Life' Review

Image from Landmark

By Diego Coya

            Life is directed by Daniel Espinosa and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson and Hiroyuki Sanada. The film follows six astronauts of the International Space Station who discover extraterrestrial life. After they discover the rapidly evolving life form, the astronauts start to realize how menacing this creature is, which threatens the crew and potentially all life on Earth. What follows is a typical Sci-Fi horror film that has some twists and turns and for the most part is an enjoyable ride.

            To no surprise, the performances were great all around the board. Everyone delivers a solid performance and when scenes are intense, the viewer is on the edge of their seat. Though the performances were really solid, the star of the film is the director, Daniel Espinosa. This is undoubtedly a step up for Espinosa after his last film Safe House. This is an intense horror film, and he does a great job at keeping suspense and giving a few surprises along the journey.

            The creature is also really frightening. The design of the creature was terrifying and it was incredible to look at. Furthermore, the creature is insanely smart which makes the film a lot more suspenseful than what the viewer would anticipate.

While Life is a well-made film, it does not change the game for Science Fiction films or reinvent the genre. In fact, it is very reminiscent to Ridley Scott’s Alien. And the truth is that Alien did this kind of story so much better and memorable. The first act does suffer from some pacing issues; there were times when the film was not as engaging as I wanted it to be. Also, the ending is going to be very polarizing among the audiences. Personally, I thought the ending was fine, but I could see why some people would either hate it or love it.

Even though Life is not the most original science fiction film out there, it is still a well-made, intense and well-acted film that one should go see. There is quite a bit of tension and for the most part is enjoyable to watch. I would say to watch it a matinee price, or perhaps wait until rental. It is solid, but nothing special.

7/10