One of the only recent Hollywood films to scare me

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2017)

LIFE is the latest Hollywood sci-fi horror movie that owes a debt of inspiration to ALIEN. Once again a space crew are exposed to a malignant alien life form, with the twist that this time around the action takes place a lot closer to home - on the International Space Station, orbiting Earth. LIFE tells a familiar story in a familiar way, but I really enjoyed it, and it's one of the few films to actually get my heart going; I experienced genuine fear, for the first time in a long time, in the early sequences in which the alien is trying to escape. I put this down to the sterling job done by director Daniel Espinosa, of EASY MONEY fame.
The cast is pretty good for a film like this, with the actors giving subdued performances for the most part. Jake Gyllenhaal echoes NIGHTCRAWLER with his haunted turn while Ryan Reynolds has mercifully little running time. Rebecca Ferguson is okay and a darn sight better than Sandra Bullock was in GRAVITY. Best of the lot is the great former Japanese action star Hiroyuki Sanada, once again acting the socks off everybody else in support. The film is sufficiently gruesome in the horror stakes, and the CGI effects are up to the job too. It's different enough from ALIEN to enjoy, and the suspense is consistent. Add in a good twist ending and you have a thoroughly enjoyable movie.