Life (REVIEW)
I always look forward to space movies. They automatically have danger by being set in space and usually there is something else that makes the threat of it and space that much more apparent and this film does not disappoint in making space pretty scary. The basic set up for the film is that they find a life form from samples collected from Mars and one of the scientists managed to get it to come to life. It grows at a rapid rate and before you know it, all hell breaks loose.
This was a rather enjoyable film. The characters were not exactly memorable and the only person I really dug was Ryan Reynolds but that was more to do with him basically playing a slightly more serious version of himself. The scientist in charge of supervising the life form was also quite a good actor. He was excited to study a new life form but didn't go so far as to be the one guy who wanted to keep the thing alive at all cost despite the destruction it was causing. He and Reynolds made for a compelling duo who were unfortunately not the main focus over the runtime as the movie went on. Aside from those two characters though the other crew members were pretty lackluster despite still all being A-list talent. Jake Gylenhaal was underutilized and we really didn't gain much having him in the role he played as the man who has spent the most time in space of anyone.
The CG of the creature and the effects were all quite good. The monster was realistic looking for the most part. There wasn't anything that felt too fake, the floating aspect was handled well and the horror elements were genuinely scary at times. It is really a solid space thriller with some cool direction, set design and score. It just didn't do anything particularly new. It is what it is and it was fine. There is a death in the film I was cringing and staring in awe at because of how painful it was to watch. The creature was smart, and skilled and did everything it took to survive much like the humans in the film did. That is in essence what the film was about. When something feels threatened it defends itself and what do you do when that thing is a Martian that is REALLY good at defending itself in the least hospitable place there is? some of the things they do to try and get rid of the creature didn't make sense in terms of how safety procedures would activateand that bothered me. using large flames happens at one point and that is at the top of the list in terms of things they make sure can't happen on a space station.
The performances are fine the direction is solid and the CG is pretty much seamless. The characters can be a bit throw away and there were a few bits that I didn't think would have actually have happened the way they did going by the safety procedures they would have in place. I don't think this is going to go down as a great sci-fi film like Gravity or Alien but it is a fun sci fi creature feature with enough gore and tense scenes to make for a fun time.
