Life Review

Life is a more believable than most sci-fi horror. It's Gravity merged with Alien, taking the best of both and crafting something original and enthralling. 

From the writing team Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick of last years high performing Deadpool, is Life and the only thing they have in common is star Ryan Reynolds. This time they tell a tale of a team of astronauts on a space station after retrieving a sample of a living organism from Mars but the life-form is more than they bargained for.
The film holds suspense keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout its duration and although it does scare, these are not the dull jump scares that most modern horror films seem to use too often. The scare in Life comes from the seclusion of the characters and the atmosphere created for them.
The score by Jon Ekstrand is gripping and every bit as suspenseful as the movie. It does nothing more than pull you into the film. Capturing the terror and every other bit of emotion these characters go through, Ekstrand has created a score that really sits well next to the images on screen.
Director Daniel Espinosa keeps a realistic vision from beginning to end which is a major element in keeping you on edge. Although his directing on the visionary aspect is great, it seems as if the actors such as Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson were hired for their own qualities as actors and are not giving truly great performances. Don't get me wrong, they're not terrible but it would have pushed the rating of this movie up if they gave stronger performances.
The effects of the creature throughout are wonderful but the best thing about the creature is its design. I don't want to ruin the film so no spoilers other than the creature evolves. It is as it evolves where the design becomes important as it is designed to be believable in how it moves in the space station's zero-gravity. The appearance is more reminiscent of sea life but it works and it is a more realistic approach to a space creature than we're used to. Again, the aspect of realism to the film helps in creating the suspenseful atmosphere.
I am not going to spoil your experience of this great film, see it while it is still in cinemas because it is going to be a film you wish you'd seen sooner.

​Mr. Cynic Rates this 8/10