Life

Life (2017)

66% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 151 reviews)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Daniel Espinosa

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dihovichnaya, Ariyon Bakare

From: Columbia Pictures

Even though for awhile now I have heard that this movie was heavily inspired by Alien (which it was; then again, Alien was not exactly an original idea to begin with), I was hoping that with its cast-headed by three well-known actors-this would at least be acceptable popcorn entertainment. Personally, I thought the movie was just that.

People likely know the general plot of how some astronauts on the International Space Station bring a microscopic alien organism from Mars onto the ship, where things naturally go wrong... various lines suggest that this is the “near future” and not “2017”. In either case, this is not a movie where you want to scrutinize its plot too closely. I know, many films can be labeled as such but I imagine Neil DeGrasse Tyson would be offended by some of the things that happen at the ISS or how NASA is portrayed, even if it's the “near future”.

Even if it's not the most logical movie, it was still one I found to be pretty entertaining. The cast does a swell job, and I appreciated how there was some diversity. It was filmed well and I also appreciated how the scenes were never difficult to make out or comprehend. It was never boring and there are some nasty deaths. While this unfortunately isn't a horror or sci-fi classic that will be beloved for years to come, I am thankful it's not an insufferable bore or a frustrating waste of time, either. I am glad there was a relatively modest R-rated movie that despite its obvious influences was still technically an original idea instead of a damn sequel, superhero movie, reboot, or what have you.

Add in a few moments that I'll vaguely describe as being “like from movies of decades past” and an appropriate ethereal score, and I can happily say this was “fine”, even if I can't say this is something you need to watch theatrically ASAP.