Solidly Entertaining Horror Sci-Fi

Rating: 7/10 (7 September 2017)

Had I not seen "Life" the same weekend that I also watched "Alien: Covenant," I might have dismissed it as a cheap "Alien" rip-off. But because "Alien: Covenant" was such a dirty piece of cinematic toilet paper, I ironically ended up liking "Life" more than I might otherwise have for coming much closer to giving me the experience of watching an "Alien" movie than an actual "Alien" movie did.
"Life" has modest ambitions and meets them admirably, thanks to competent direction, a pretty decent set of actors, and a system of internal logic that follows its own rules. I have no idea how realistically scientific the movie is and don't much care, but the things that happen make sense within the context of the movie, and that's what matters to me. There are some truly disturbing moments -- like one where the alien life form kills off a major character early on by eating him from the inside, or another in which a crew member drowns in her own space helmet -- and the film is paced well. Its twist ending is handled a bit awkwardly and doesn't have as much impact as the filmmaker I think wanted it to have, but overall this is a solidly entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.
Grade: B+