Life

Dir: Daniel Espinosa

2017

****

Life isn't particularly original in its concept and you can compare it to pretty much every other 'Alien' in space film that has ever been made, however, it improves on the formula, adds its own flare and is deliciously dark in all the right places. I'm a sucker for a sci-fi space horror, and while Life is no Alien, it does have some tricks up its sleeve that make it a stand out addition to the sub-genre. It begins with a stunning (and I mean stunning) opening shot of the International Space Station in-front of the earth's horizon. From then on the film is beautifully shot, with some very clever techniques amalgamating ideas first seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey and in the more recent Gravity. The influences from other sci-fi horror films are very obvious and I don't think it ever pretends it doesn't stand on the shoulders of giants in some respect, but what I would say is that the acting is far superior than that of other films like it and I thought that while it's not altogether original, it is somewhat unpredictable. The characters weren't stereotypes, the acting is very convincing and I thought it was cast really well. However, as much as I like him and as good as he was in this, I thought the casting of Hiroyuki Sanada was a bit confusing, given that he played a very similar character in Danny Boyle's Sunshine, but I got over it fairly quickly. Jake Gyllenhaal played an interesting alternative lead and Rebecca Ferguson was faultless. No one will ever be nominated for a best actor award in a space horror but seriously, her performance is more compelling and real as any seen in your typical Oscar winning drama. Ryan Reynolds is also impressive in what is quite an unexpected role for him and Ariyon Bakare and Olga Dihovichnaya cope brilliantly in performances that no acting school can ever prepare you for. The performances are all perfect. The script is fairly punchy too, it's not overly technical but it is believable, these are level-headed experts but with human emotions who act exactly like you'd expect people such as them to act if put in their situation. Fantasy horror is good, I consider myself a fan, but when doing sci-fi, particularly space sci-fi, then realism is key, and Life certainly ticks all the right boxes. The action isn't overdone but if that's what you want then you won't be disappointed, some of the CGI is questionable and the creature design goes from 'great' to 'I've seen greater' but overall it is all good fun. The music was a tad forced and was trying a little too hard to be the next 2001: A Space Odyssey and also sounds like a poor man's John Carpenter in places. I don't feel the film was ever treading water, every minute was used and nothing was wasted. The story could have gone down many paths but I was relieved when it took the one it did. I loved the ending. Seriously, without the ending it would have been a three star film, I was going to say guilty pleasure but that would be unfair, I have no guilt or shame for really enjoying Life but the conclusion made what was an entertaining but average horror to a superior horror, with a magnificent crescendo of terror to finish. I can live with a substandard alien and a familiar story, it is the script, the performances and the awesome conclusion that make Life a film to take notice of. It may not be what most people are expecting, which I personally see as a good thing, but it shouldn't be overlooked simply because other films have explored similar themes. In comparison, it actually does things much better than most, and more importantly, I believe it, it could theoretically happen. The alien is called Calvin for goodness sake, sit back, munch on your popcorn and enjoy, it's the most fun I've had at the pictures for quite some time.