Netflix Sci-Fi Horror Thriller With Star-Studded Cast Deserves A Second Chance

Daniel Espinosa directed the project, which boasts a true ensemble cast–we’re talking Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, and Rebecca Ferguson, all some of Hollywood’s finest. The setting in Life is a character in its own right, enriching the movie noticeably. 

The setting? None other than the International Space Station, or ISS, on which the film’s deceptively simple premise unfolds: a crew of astronauts, upon discovering a rapidly evolving life form (dubbed Calvin), soon find it threatens not only their lives–but potentially all Life on Earth. 

The film commences with an exhilarating moment: the crew of the ISS retrieves a soil sample from Mars, one containing a dormant single-celled organism. This plot device, perhaps influenced by the mosquito-trapped-in-amber from Michael Crichton’s Jurrasic Park, proceeds expectedly as the crew revives the organism. 

Initially appearing harmless, the being at the heart of Life, and rendering the movie so memorable, is anything but. Indeed, it harbors an incredible potential for growth and development alongside intelligence and adaptability. Soon, the lifeform has flown the coop, escaping its containment area and transforming the ISS from an innocuous research station into a lethal trap. 

The film immerses viewers in the tense, utterly isolated environs of the ISS from its first few minutes. Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography captures the space station’s quintessentially eerie beauty alongside the stark, even terrifying emptiness of space–a vast, unrelenting blackness. 

Thanks to Life’s top-tier visual effects, the alien creature, Calvin, achieves a compelling blend of fascinating–and horrifying; adjectives that could both be used to describe the movie. Streaming audiences will relate all too well to the crew’s desperation and fear surrounding Calvin’s evolution. Between the claustrophobic, extraterrestrial atmosphere and the increasingly unnerving alien, the sum total is a gripping title ensuring viewers stay on the edges of their seats. 

Additionally, the movie impresses with its dedication to scientific authenticity. Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick infused their screenplay with careful attention to the nuances of space travel and the challenges astronauts face. The dedication to realism not only enhances the film’s credibility but also heightens the horror elements. The narrow corridors the crew navigates in Life, the airlocks, and the confined spaces magnify the terror of the movie effectively. 

Gyllenhaal delivers an engaging performance as Dr. David Jordan, while Ferguson shines as Dr. Miranda North, a CDC specialist bent on containing the threat. Reynolds, supplying charisma and humor, adds appreciable levity to the film. 

Financially, against a production budget of $58 million, Life grossed $100.5 million worldwide. Critically, the movie earned mixed-to-positive reviews, currently holding a 68 percent based on 261 reviews. Experts enjoyed the film’s acting, cinematography, and overall direction but charged that the project was ultimately somewhat unoriginal. 

For an underrated journey through outer space with a rapidly evolving alien along for the ride, stream Life today on Netflix, a movie deserving a wider audience.