For Sony Pictures, the meaning of Life is determined by tenaciously throwing massive amounts of money at a B-movie horror flick script.
Even under the weight of its often illogical script, Life manages not to flatline in spite of a series of rather idiotic decisions made by supposedly intelligent people. I’m even curious to see where the story might go next; if Life ever did find a way again.
The term “life” refers to the historical discovery of an initially microscopic living organism brought back to the International Space Station (ISS) by a exploratory spacecraft sent to Mars. It’s such a momentous occasion for mankind that grade school children give the organism a name: Calvin.
While the scientist charged with examining Calvin grows fond of his rapidly growing subject, other members of the six-person crew grow concerned. Before you know it Calvin is on the loose following the film’s most gripping scene, the crew predictably begin dropping like flies, and the movie Alien is rehashed with something that looks like the cross between a starfish and an octopus on the loose.
The biggest problem with Life is screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick of Deadpool fame invented an organism that is hyper-intelligent and virtually indestructible. Ridley Scott’s Alien might as well have been a toddler strolling through Disneyland compared to what Calvin experiences. Knowing that Calvin cannot be destroyed and can solve any trap humans throw its way sucks much of the plot’s uncertainty out the airlock.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada and the rest of the cast do what they can with the script and deliver convincing performances against a CGI antagonist. I suspect if/when real life from another planet is discovered, those responsible for examining it won’t break a string of security protocols at the whim of emotional attachments.
From a visual perspective, Sony spared no expense in bringing outer space to life. It’s like Alfonso Cuarón’s beautifully shot Gravity with a deadly alien thrown into the pot.
Though Life is a 2K upconvert to 4K, its photography does benefit from the newer format thanks to the inclusion of HDR. Dimly lit tight quarters and corridors are predominant on the ISS, especially during the film’s second and third acts. HDR pulls out details from dark spaces that are washed out on Blu-ray making 4K the way to go.
Calvin’s natural means of movement by crawling along surfaces provide some great creepy spatial aural effects from the Dolby Atmos sound mix. Life won’t go down as a bombastic soundtrack to immerse in, but there’s enough depth and vocal clarity to raise no flags.
Life was on life support at the box office and its lackluster performance is reflected in a rather run-of-the-mill selection of bonus features. I would have liked to hear a commentary by director Daniel Espinosa, or perhaps Ryan Reynolds and his Deadpool creative partners.
Instead we get a collection of unfulfilling deleted scenes, featurettes comprised mostly of scattered interview footage, and the actors talking at the camera while in character.
- Deleted Scenes
- “Claustrophobic Terror: Creating a Thriller in Space”
- “Life: In Zero G”
- “Creating Life: The Art and Reality of Calvin”
- “Astronaut Diaries”
Life delivers some campy thrills and goes well with soda and popcorn like the vast majority of B-movie horror flicks. In 4K with top-notch visual effects and unlike the majority of B-movie horror flicks, Life will look really good doing so.
