A newly discovered lifeform runs amok on the International Space
Station.
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Jake
Gyllenhaal, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dihovichnaya, Ariyon
Bakare
Inspired no doubt by the movie marketing shocks of
10 Cloverfield Lane,
Blair Witch
and
Split, director Daniel Espinosa's sci-fi thriller Life provoked some theories as to its possible connection to other
existing franchises. But after all that musing, it turned out Life
is a standalone film, an original concept, albeit there's not much
originality on display. Life is a simple, old school monster
loose on a spaceship movie, but a pretty good one.
At some point in the near future, the crew of the International Space
Station have just made history by discovering the first sign of life on Mars
in the form of a microscopic cell. At least, that's how it begins. Like the
Chicken Heart of the classic radio drama and subsequent Bill Cosby routine,
the life form, dubbed 'Calvin', begins to grow. At first it seems merely
inquisitive, responding to stimuli and displaying signs of intelligence, but
it's not long before it begins to shed blood, endangering the ISS crew and
humanity itself should it find its way to earth.
Life is a largely satisfying mix of classic '50s b-movies and
the sort of sci-fi chillers that emerged in the wake of the success of
Star Wars and Alien in the late '70s and early
'80s. Aesthetically it resembles something the under-rated Peter
Hyams (2010, Outland) might have given us back in the day. Thanks largely to the pristine work
of cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, who is creeping up on Roger
Deakins as the best DoP working in modern Hollywood, it has a classy and
polished aesthetic. Gone are the choppy, ADD editing routines of Espinosa's
earlier films, replaced by a more studied, patient approach to building
tension.
The recent work of Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is
clearly an influence too, particularly in the opening sequence, an extended
take that brilliantly conveys the weightlessness of zero gravity thanks to
some flawless FX work, the camera seeming to float as it introduces us to
the film's human protagonists.
Said humans play a key role in elevating Life above
recent Hollywood genre fare. They're played by an impressive and diverse
cast, and despite the varying degrees of star power on display, they're all
introduced as equals, which keeps us guessing as to who dies next. Each
character is developed just enough for this sort of narrative to make us
care whether or not they get offed by the malevolent Martian. Most notable
is the smartest guy in the room, Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare), a rare
black male portrayed as intellectual and sensitive while also living with a
disability that the film never exploits. Elsewhere the movie allows its male
heroes to shed tears while portraying its women as the capable professionals
such a mission would require.
Life is no sci-fi masterpiece, but it's classy and competent,
and like those pillars of the genre, Alien and
The Thing (and unlike
Prometheus), it features intelligent protagonists who never behave like moronic teens
in a slasher movie. Like its amorphous antagonist, it may not be quite what
you're expecting, but it's worth discovering nonetheless.
Life is on Amazon Prime Video UK
now.
