Spoiler Free Review from an Alien/Aliens Fan

Rating: 4/10 (30 March 2017)

When I heard that this movie was being compared to Alien I got pretty excited. I'm a huge fan of Alien and Aliens (I just pretend the other "Aliens" movies don't exist). Alien was a genre shattering film that set the bar in dark, brooding, cerebral scifi. So, to compare this to Alien, is high praise indeed.
Let's get this out of the way right now. This isn't Alien, it's not even close and it makes me think the people comparing it don't understand either films.
Alien is a Science Fiction Thriller. I use the term thriller here because it's a movie with tons of suspense, really intense scenes with very high stakes. The Alien was smart, resourceful, deadly, and equal in strength to the protagonists. Set in a realistic environment, it just ratcheted up the tension even more. The Alien itself was also well thought out, logical in it's behavior and biological processes. It was a strange and otherworldly creature, but it also made sense, which is one of the things that made it so terrifying.
Life on the other hand is a Science Fiction Horror. I really don't like horror movies. There are some horror movies that are done well and are quite interesting, but I don't feel this is one of them. This wasn't exactly gore porn like Event Horizon, but it was brutal and violent at times, even shocking. The atmosphere wasn't dark and brooding like Alien, rather it was bleak and hopeless. The hits keep coming, and as a horror film, the alien is more powerful that the people it beats on. This gives the film a feeling of inevitable doom. If horror is your thing, then you'll probably enjoy this overwhelmingly dark atmosphere. If you're more like me and liked Alien because it was suspenseful and cerebral you may want to skip this one.
I gave it a 4 because the first 20 minutes are great, perfectly paced, and the tension is high so it really delivers on that front. But so many things were broken in this film, not least of which was the unexpected genre mistyping that I just couldn't enjoy this film at all.
If you love foreboding, doom filled horror and sci fi this is your movie, otherwise, steer clear.