Movie · 2017 · Horror, Science Fiction, Mystery · 1h 44m · R · English
Curator score: 2.1/10 (588K ratings)
Be careful what you search for.
Overview
The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.1/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.06/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 54
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Daniel Espinosa
Production
Columbia Pictures, Skydance Media
Cast
Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dihovichnaya, Ariyon Bakare, Naoko Mori, Haruka Kuroda, Camiel Warren-Taylor, Alexandre Nguyen, Hiu Woong-Sin, David Muir, Allen McLean, Jesus Del Orden, Leila Grace, Mari Gvelesiani, Elizabeth Vargas
Curator Review
Verdict
A slick, efficient space-horror thriller with strong creature design and solid performances, but it plays like a familiar remix of better genre landmarks. If you want tense, lean sci-fi carnage more than originality, it delivers enough to be worth a watch.
Best for
viewers who like claustrophobic space-set horror
fans of creature-feature suspense
people in the mood for a polished but straightforward thriller
audiences who enjoy ensemble survival stories
Skip if
you want a highly original sci-fi concept
you are tired of Alien-style space horror
you prefer character-driven drama over shock-and-panic plotting
you dislike bleak, body-horror-inflected endings
Overview
Life is a clean, efficient piece of studio horror: a crew, a sample, a mistake, and then escalating disaster in a sealed environment. The film knows exactly how to stage dread in zero gravity, and the creature effects are the main attraction, giving the movie a nasty, tactile energy even when the story feels familiar.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Marian (3★) · 4512 likes
jake gyllenhaal and ryan reynolds being in the same movie is weird to me. i don't know why but i feel that their paths shouldn't cross. that's how i feel.
🇵🇱 Steve G 🐝 (3★) · 3819 likes
It's fine.
The plot is fine.
The special effects are fine.
The music is fine.
The direction is fine.
The cinematography is fine.
The pacing is fine.
The acting is fine.
The alien is fine.
The deaths are fine.
The beginning is fine.
The middle is fine.
The ending is fine.
It's just, very, fine.
Fine?
Fine.
Christian Ramos (3★) · 3124 likes
Life: Hey can I copy your answers I forgot to do the homework!
Alien (1979): Sure man, just make sure it looks different!
*smudges out Alien and writes Life*
lauren (4★) · 2061 likes
i relate to calvin because i was likable when i was younger, im a fast runner and i want to throw myself on top of jake gyllenhaal
sree (3★) · 1327 likes
i can't believe something named calvin will be the end of the world