In five words: Alien for a new generation.

Rating: 7/10 (17 June 2017)

Good movie with a good setup, focus, character development, tension and great pacing. It isn't original in anyway and certain parts are quite predictable, however the movie delivers everything marvelously with a great pacing and balance. Furthermore, the movie is very short only 1 hour and 30 minutes. So stop reading and start watching.
This may all sound familiar, we find a sample or organism in space and we try to analyze it only to find out it is hostile. It is the basic setup as Alien and/or Species; however is that a bad thing? Alien is considered a master piece by most and it is a recommended watch, Species not so much. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and when a movie is good we don't need to compare them, just enjoy them.
As aforementioned Life is quite short and within this short time the director is able to give us a hopeful beginning, tense middle with good character development, and a well enough ending. The cinematography is similar to the movie Gravity (2013) with a realistic view of space and the ISS. The music isn't anything special but it does its job to underscore the moments. What really stands out is the balance and pacing of the movie. The director knows how to setup a moment and how to pay it off later. Together with a fast pacing the movie almost never felt like it dragged on for too long (maybe a little at the end).
The movie's protagonist isn't one person but a group. It consists of 5 astronauts on the ISS doing research on a Martian specimen. Each member has their own function on the ISS and gets their own moment to shine in the movie. The antagonist, is off course the Martian organism, however the movie tells it from a neutral perspective, basically it isn't evil it just tries to survive.
That is it really. It is a shorter review than usual, but hey it is a short movie. Off course I can nitpick every small detail and give you all a detailed comparison with other movies, but this time it isn't about that. It is just me telling you that I liked the movie and that I can honestly recommend it.
It is a good watch.
I give this movie a 7.