Decent But Derivative Sci-Fi Thriller

Rating: 6/10 (30 December 2017)

There's nothing wrong, whatsoever, with 'Life.' It's a good film with some good characters, good sequences and, as the thriller genre demands, thrills. Indeed, in places 'Life' goes beyond what you might expect. Its characters are far better rounded and developed than some of its lesser cousins and cliches which could easily drag it down are avoided in clever ways. The performances, across the board, are good and the dialogue feels natural.
Despite this the film suffers from an obvious derivative nature. All films are derivative, nothing is original and almost all films pay tribute in one form or another, either obviously or subtly, to those films that inspired them. The problem with 'Life' is it feels too much like a modern day 'Alien' tribute piece than something fresh.
I enjoyed the film and it certainly excels in some areas. It is thrilling, it is scary in parts and there is plenty of well placed tension. That said, the overriding feeling of watching the film is less, 'This is good', and more, 'Aren't Alien and The Thing really brilliant.'