A modern day doppleganger to 1979's Alien

Rating: 7/10 (25 March 2017)

Life is not going to be this generation's "Alien" (especially when we have another one coming out this summer) but I will say it is probably one of the best movies that repeat the old formula of Alien.
Director Daniel Espinosa of Safehouse and the writers of Deadpool, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick give a fresh and grounded take on the old monster-on-a-spaceship formula. Imagine 1979's Alien but set closer to the present with the realistic NASA science and technology seen in 2013's Gravity. Seeing the film's events take place in these zero-gravity compartments with close quarter rooms creates a claustrophobic effect while still being stunning to look at. Espinosa creates an amazingly long opening one-shot sequence that shows how large the ship is while introducing the characters but also showing how tight and confined they are within it. Also expect to hear a big nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey in the opening score.
The characters work as these great personalities with whom you develop some fondness over. No one is an antagonist or a selfish jerk but serve as real people who become desperate in a situation they are unprepared for. While Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson are decent in their roles, the supporting cast members like Olga Dihovichnaya and especially Ariyon Bakare were the real standouts of this film. Bakare's character as the scientist Hugh who develops a fondness for the creature at the start was really the most compelling and complex character out of the entire crew.
But the best character is the monster of the movie nicknamed "Calvin". While the lifeform's design is not as original as compared to the classic Xenomorph, its personality, and intelligence makes it scarily unpredictable. When Calvin "awakens", it starts as something innocent and almost cute. But once it feels like it is threatened, Calvin goes on the offensive and evolves to become a more formidable and deadly being. The creature's methods of killing are disturbing and feel very malevolent and twisted.
What throws me off from completely loving this movie is the final act. The first two acts are great because they are simple. Act one is discovering the lifeform and Act two is trying to kill it. But Act three becomes overly complicated without being properly setup and leads to problematic decision-making. And the way the film ends I was not a fan. The twist felt very cynical and depressing while still being very easy to predict. I enjoy certain twist endings like recently in Snowpiercer and 10 Cloverfield Lane because they elevate the story and themes. The ending this movie chooses felt like it was just there to be different without having anything to offer. In the end, it makes the efforts of the characters feel like a waste of time and progression.
Life is not original by story-standards but knows how to capture the same moments of tension and suspense that made the first Alien film memorable along with great characters. While the ending is its biggest weakness, its strengths work to make this one of the more enjoyable sci fi movies in recent years.