Life (2017)

Daniel Espinosa had made a reasonable splash in Hollywood with Safe House (2012) and Child 44 (2015) before landing this Columbia Pictures and Skydance Media co-production, a mid-budget sci-fi thriller arriving at a moment when the genre was riding a wave of prestige space films (Gravity, The Martian, Arrival had all landed in the preceding years). The $58 million budget was a reasonable but not extravagant bet for a studio hoping to capitalise on that appetite. Screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Whaley (the pair behind the Deadpool films) crafted an original story rather than an adaptation, though its DNA owes obvious debts to the creature-feature tradition. The casting of Gyllenhaal, Reynolds and Ferguson gave the film a strong commercial anchor, with principal photography taking place on practical sets designed to convincingly replicate the cramped, weightless environment of the ISS.

Life (2017) starts with a killer premise: a crew aboard the International Space Station discovers the first evidence of extraterrestrial life in a sample from Mars, only to realise, too late, that it’s not just alive, but terrifyingly intelligent and deadly. The film builds tension like a slow-creeping nightmare in zero gravity. And yes, it’s basically Alien meets The Thing in space, but that’s not automatically a bad thing. Ryan Reynolds brings his usual sarcastic edge (though toned down), Jake Gyllenhaal gives a solid, twitchy performance as the ship’s doctor descending into guilt and obsession, and Rebecca Ferguson holds it all together with quiet strength. The cinematography is sleek, the zero-G effects are convincing, and the early scenes of discovery are genuinely suspenseful. But for all its promise, Life never rises above being “just okay.” The plot follows a predictable descent (containment breach, character deaths, last stands) and while it’s competently executed, nothing feels new or surprising. The twists are telegraphed, the final act leans on tired horror tropes, and despite the high stakes, the emotional payoff fizzles out. It’s not bad, it’s well-made, tense at times, and looks great, but it doesn’t bring anything fresh to the genre. Solid B-movie material with A-list actors. Worth a watch if you’re craving a tight, claustrophobic thriller, but don’t expect to remember it a week later. In space, no one remembers a forgettable monster.

Rating: ★★½  | Year: 2017  | Watched: 2025-09-23

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