The thrill is substantially outweighed by the cringe factor

Rating: 5/10 (25 March 2017)

The premise is fascinating- the first extraterrestrial carbon-based life-form is discovered and its analysis takes place on a space station orbiting earth. When this organism poses a catastrophic threat to the lives of others, the story becomes terrifying. However, unlike Alien (a comparator), the characters behaviour from the start is completely unrealistic. What they do, what they say, has been solely contrived to set-up the terror that follows. The stakes are so high, yet the characters always respond inappropriately to events, they never collaborate, they never review their protocols, they have no plan, their affect (emotional response) is often subdued, flat, and inappropriate. The viewer feels manipulated, and incredulous and any transference and credibility is lost. This contrasts starkly with the engaged, switched on, yet terrified characters in the movie Alien. This is why 'Life' fails. It is not the horror and gore that is unpleasant, it is the human and technical repeated mistakes (no Swiss cheese hypothesis here), abuse of physics, and human incompetence. This can only be attributed to poor script writing and/or commercial interests. However, Alien was a huge commercial success, proving to movie makers that the investment in script and storyline will ensure longevity, whereas 'Life' will be forgotten in a fraction of time. PS. The musical score at the end is sensational, Very similar to Sicario, and even more foreboding.