Well Executed Sci-Fi Thriller

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2018)

Synopsis: Astronauts (Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds) aboard the International Space Station are on the cutting edge of one of the most important discoveries in human history: the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. As members of the crew conduct their research, the rapidly evolving life-form proves far more intelligent and terrifying than anyone could have imagined.
Plot - 3.5/5
Altough Life's plot isn't anything original, it's still in the higher end of the movies regarding this concept. Not only does it create a suspensful atmosphere through the whole film, but it also seems like a realisitic situation humanity might face if we ever found an outside being (which is something i enjoyed about this movie). I have to say though, the script is slightly messy, making the story predictable during the third act, making some key points in the story not as impactful while watching the movie.
Characters - 3/5
Probably the weakest part of the movie. The characters in this movie are so ignorant and make so many stupid decisions that at the end you stop caring about them. Also, most of them are pretty bland, not showing much personality, making scenes with long dialogue really boring. Most of the time i never thought that this characters knew what they were getting into while in this mission, which made the movie less believable.
Acting - 5/5
No surprise on this. Gyllenhaal, Ferguson, and Reynolds give amazing performances, which helped a lot with the tension the movie was trying to build up. The other astronauts also offered great performances, and it's really sad that all these actors potential was wasted due to the poor handling of the characters.
Direction and Editing - 4.5/5
Daniel Espinoza delivers his best movie yet. It's beautifuly shot, really well edited and crafted. Both the opening and ending scenes are really well done, shiwing the potential that Espinoza can do when given a good script. It's sad that he didn't work as hard with the main plot and the characters than he did on the visuals, but overall a great job from him.
Visuals and Soundtrack - 5/5
As mentioned various times through this review, this movie is gorgeous to look at. The cgi looks really believable, even though it's present basically in 90% of the movie, and at no point did i doubt this couldn't be real. The main alien on this movie is really well done, with an original design that makes it both terrifying but good to look at. The soundctrack helps build the tension, and it isn't overused or overplayed in the movie.
Final Grade. B+