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Ridley Scott's original "Alien" released in 1979 and birthed a genre we now call "Space Horror". Very few films since then have managed to combine space sci-fi with gripping, gory tension on screen. Daniel Espinosa's "Life" released in 2017 tries very hard to ape Scott's tour de force in terms of its setting, structure and the scares but falls short with its flawed narrative and hollow characterization.
"Life" stars Hollywood A listers such as Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Jake Gyllenhal (Rendition) among other cast members who are used merely as instruments to take the story forward. Its very first sequence puts you right in the middle of a space station and its crew who are on a mission to retrieve samples from Mars. As a standard Hollywood cliche, they then start researching on one of the single cell life forms they discover in the samples.
And before you can say "Houston we have a problem" things start to go haywire for the scientist and the space crew. The alien life form starts evolving and getting smarter at a breakneck speed. There is one stand out sequence in the film when "Calvin" (that's what they named the alien) finally breaks out of it's chamber and escapes. The way the film picks up from here on makes it far more entertaining than it deserves to be.
The story progresses on predictable yet somehow entertaining lines. "Calvin" has more personality than some of the characters in the story and it almost gives you a feeling that you are watching a slasher flick like "Jason X" in space.
The direction is competent although it is nothing special. Director Daniel Espinosa and Cinematographer Seamus McGarvy keep majority of the proceedings restricted to the inner surrounding of the space station and are able to extract some decent performances from the actors. The screenplay is somewhat muddled yet makes a one or two bold choices that help elevate your interest in the film. The background score, editing and production design are nothing noteworthy and offer the usual Hollywood stamp.
As an unofficial and pseudo remake of Ridley Scott's masterpiece it never sets the bar high enough for itself. This is above average standard Hollywood popcorn entertainment. However, it is to be said that "Life" is an entertaining film and probably give you a good time due its premise and some really stand out scenes if you are in the mood for some space horror.
If you are expecting authenticity in how space programs are run and how astronauts behave then "Life" is not your film. But if you want to see an above average space thriller then it should be your pick albeit with mild expectations only.
Check out my Channel and Subscribe for Movie Reviews and Videos.
Click Here http://bit.ly/2tnLvfz
Click here to watch: http://bit.ly/2tnLvfz
Ridley Scott's original "Alien" released in 1979 and birthed a genre we now call "Space Horror". Very few films since then have managed to combine space sci-fi with gripping, gory tension on screen. Daniel Espinosa's "Life" released in 2017 tries very hard to ape Scott's tour de force in terms of its setting, structure and the scares but falls short with its flawed narrative and hollow characterization.
"Life" stars Hollywood A listers such as Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Jake Gyllenhal (Rendition) among other cast members who are used merely as instruments to take the story forward. Its very first sequence puts you right in the middle of a space station and its crew who are on a mission to retrieve samples from Mars. As a standard Hollywood cliche, they then start researching on one of the single cell life forms they discover in the samples.
And before you can say "Houston we have a problem" things start to go haywire for the scientist and the space crew. The alien life form starts evolving and getting smarter at a breakneck speed. There is one stand out sequence in the film when "Calvin" (that's what they named the alien) finally breaks out of it's chamber and escapes. The way the film picks up from here on makes it far more entertaining than it deserves to be.
The story progresses on predictable yet somehow entertaining lines. "Calvin" has more personality than some of the characters in the story and it almost gives you a feeling that you are watching a slasher flick like "Jason X" in space.
The direction is competent although it is nothing special. Director Daniel Espinosa and Cinematographer Seamus McGarvy keep majority of the proceedings restricted to the inner surrounding of the space station and are able to extract some decent performances from the actors. The screenplay is somewhat muddled yet makes a one or two bold choices that help elevate your interest in the film. The background score, editing and production design are nothing noteworthy and offer the usual Hollywood stamp.
As an unofficial and pseudo remake of Ridley Scott's masterpiece it never sets the bar high enough for itself. This is above average standard Hollywood popcorn entertainment. However, it is to be said that "Life" is an entertaining film and probably give you a good time due its premise and some really stand out scenes if you are in the mood for some space horror.
If you are expecting authenticity in how space programs are run and how astronauts behave then "Life" is not your film. But if you want to see an above average space thriller then it should be your pick albeit with mild expectations only.
Check out my Channel and Subscribe for Movie Reviews and Videos.
Click Here http://bit.ly/2tnLvfz
