Good quality Sci Fi horror.

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2017)

I didn't have any expectations from this film, neither did I read any reviews beforehand so I was unaware of the plot. I began by thinking it was going to be more of a Gravity styled space adventure, and to some degree this is true. However, and I do mean a big however, things started to seriously heat up at around 25 minutes in.
I love Sci Fi, and grew up watching Aliens and The Thing etc, consequently I am a big fan of both. I recently saw Alien Covenant which I really enjoyed, but I think this film is a lot more terrifying. Perhaps its just the down right persistence of the creature, and its lack of decipherable agenda other than to consume and kill. The location is set on a small space station, so the atmosphere is very claustrophobic. With each chapter the characters seem to get further boxed in, which constantly adds to the tension. The cast are excellent, however the biggest shortfall of the film is the script and characters. In my opinion there are no real standout or memorable characters. There are certainly no Ripleys, Hicks, Burkes or Bishops. In truth the excellent cast seem to have very little to play with, but they do there best with the limited material. If only they had of developed the script and characters further, this could have been a real contender. Previously, I also enjoyed Daniel Espinosas film Child 44 (Largely due to the brilliant performance from Tom Hardy), but that seemed to get a raw deal in the reviews as well. Its a shame as both movies are very enjoyable for the right audience.
As it is, Life is a fun ride for Sci Fi and Horror fans, it's genuinely scary and incredibly well made. OK, so it follows many of the usual tropes, but it brings new ideas to the table as well. It has an excellent cast and has an interesting score that helps to drive the mood. Again, If you don't like Sci Fi or Horror then obviously you wont enjoy this. Some of the reviews here seem biased, it would be pointless for me to write negative reviews about period costume dramas as they are not usually to my taste. I give this film a 7.5/10.