Life (2017)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Daniel Espinosa
	Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, The Day after Tomorrow), Rebecca Ferguson (MI5: Ghost Protocol), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool)
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF, Horror
	Conditions of visioning: 02.09.2017, in-flight entertainment 10" screen
Synopsis: A space probe bringing back Martian soil is intercepted by the team on board the International Space Station, acting as a quarantine unit for the unlikely case where living organisms would be discovered. The impossible happens and the team will face an unexpectedly active life form.
Review: The recent years have seen an increasing number of fictional series and movies depicting the exploration of the solar system in a realistic way: Europa Report, Gravity, Interstellar, The Martian, Ascension, the Expanse, MARS... and to a certain extend Avatar or Passengers. Life is particular in that it diverts from pure Exploration to broader Science Fiction with a strong emphasis on Thriller and even Horror. This mix of genres translates into the different flavours of movie poster shown at the end of this post. But it does it while maintaining a highly realistic environment (in the current ISS) and in particular zero gravity at all times. A property of Space costly to put in images and that most series/movies usually avoid thanks to rotating wheels (Interstellar, The Martian), constant acceleration (Ascension) or magnetic boots (The Expanse). Some events and character's reactions are unrealistic, but that's normal is such a movie and most of the physics makes sense. From this movie I will remember a group of actors delivering a good performance in an enclosed space, and as already mentioned a spirit of Exploration and discovery that rapidly (but not too rapidly) turns into Horror in the full sense of it. I am tempted to compare my anxiety level in watching some scenes (even though they take place in broad daylight) with the feeling of watching the first Alien, which is a noble reference. In fact I wouldn't recommend this movie to a young audience as it could have on them the effect Alien had on me and lead to a lifetime of watching Genre movies. Another reference that comes to mind is the underrated Sphere with Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson. Life was for me a tense experience until the very end.
Rating: 6 /10