Despite a somewhat face-palm ending, Life is otherwise a more or less worthwhile sci-fi thriller effort.
The core question going into Life is: What kind of sci-fi thriller is this? Is it a copy of Alien, 2001, Sphere, and other space titles? Or rather does this film take the core sensibilities of those films and use them to establish itself as its own offering? For better or worse, Life is competing with all of the aforementioned films, their sequels, and a bevy of other similar titles, whether it knows it or not. While the movie certainly has its problems, the areas where Life does succeed in standing on its own two feet speak to exactly how much room there is left to venture within the genre.
In Life, the crew of on the International Space Station (Jake Gyllenhall, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ryan Reynolds, Olga Dykhovichnay and Ariyon Bakare) are pleased to report back home with the news that they’ve discovered a living organism from Mars. As they proceed to study the organism, a creature begins to take shape, threatening both the crew and possibly life on Earth.
The best thing Life has going for it is by far its construction. The whole film feels and functions like a well-crafted episode of The Twilight Zone. Director Daniel Espinosa’s focus on plot and pacing shows a well-made storytelling hand, especially in the way he gives a definite tightness to the whole exercise. There’s an unexpected gentleness and beauty to the first act of the film, heightened by the initial discovery, which makes it easy to instantly embrace. The film isn’t as large or as grand as it could have been, opting instead for quiet intensity, a move which works in its favor. The mechanics of Life function so well under this method that when something startling happens, it does so in the most effective of ways without coming off as over-the-top. While Life has far more money to spend on the look and feel of its story than The Twilight Zone ever could have afforded, the film echoes the iconic series by focusing on the intricacies of its plot and the tension it supplies.
For all of Life’s attributes, however, there are a number of things lacking with what is otherwise a solidly-made film. All of the thrills and twists, as diverting as they are, come at the great expense of characterization. There is not a single person on the screen who manages to come off as a distinguishable personality, despite the fact that their actions greatly signify a lot about strength of character. One surefire remedy for this would have been to heighten the more maddening aspects of being in space besides just the alien threat at the film’s center. The one scene serving as an attempt to humanize the characters features the entire cast venting their fears. Not only does the scene feel haphazard, but it’s a waste of time and does nothing to forward or improve the film. The same can be said in the near-laughable instance where we literally watch as Gyllenhaall takes the time to read Goodnight, Moon aloud.
The alien’s mind and his menacing instincts generate plenty of suspense and unease, making him the true star of the film, far and above more interesting than any of the humans on the screen. As for the people themselves, none of them have much to do other than act scared and out of their element, while doing what they can to ensure their survival. This is all well and good, but as a result, there remains very little by way of actual characters for anyone to play, leaving all of the actors stranded.
There’s something incredibly refreshing in the way Life doesn’t waste too much time on overly flashy special effects or pimping out its set design the way most films of its kind do. As expected, the film has a technical side to it, but thankfully not a lot of time is spent on such matters to the extent that the film becomes inaccessible. Yet the film holds onto its credibility in the moves and motives of the characters on the screen. Life breaks no new ground, nor will it be considered a future classic in the genre it belongs to. However, during its brisk runtime it remains a worthy and intense cat and mouse chase in space.
The Package
There are a number of making-of featurettes which will delight no one as much as those select few who will brand Life as one of their favorite films of the year.
The Lowdown
As a sci-fi thriller, Life is one of those films which purely has no reason to exist, but its existence is nonetheless appreciated.
Life is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Home Entertainment.
