Life Lacks Life

Rating: 5/10 (13 July 2017)

I'll start out by saying that I wanted to like this movie very much. I was anticipating it. I've been waiting for another monster movie that I could really dive into and have it give me that feeling like the first Alien movie gave me. Unfortunately, Life just doesn't deliver.
It has a great premise and a fantastic cast. I was hooked on it from the first trailer I saw. That kind of thing where you go "oh man, this is gonna be good!" The fact it had Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds was a great selling point for me. After all, Gyllenhaal was riveting in Nightcrawler, one of my favorite films of his. And Ryan Reynolds has been one of my favorite, snarky smart-ass actors for years. I think he was born to play Deadpool.
Here's problem one: Jake is an actor that shines in character studies. He's to be pondered over, inspected. He can make a slight gesture with his face, and it's almost better than any line he could say. This isn't that type of movie though. It's a popcorn thriller without many thrills. He's under utilized as an actor, and there isn't a lot for him to do. It's just not his type of movie.
Problem two: Every scary movie utilizes jump scares these days. It's the cheap way to get a scare out of folks. It's easy, and that's why it's used so much. Real suspenseful ramping up of a tense moment, building the anticipatory reveal and successfully pulling off a righteous scary moment isn't an easy feat. There aren't any skilled scary moments in this movie. All "BOO!" and no "guess what's coming..."
Another problem is that Ryan Reynolds is also under utilized. very much so. If you see it, you'll understand what I mean.
Finally, the "monster" is just weird. Not particularly scary. Even when It "matures". The CGI is standard and there are no special moments that make you think "wow, that took some skill as a digital artist". It's lazy CGI, and it's not a very creative antagonist.
I felt as if I didn't see a full movie after I left the theater. It was unsatisfying to me. Others may feel differently. It definitely didn't stay with me, and unlike Alien, I didn't feel creeped out afterward. It's not fair to compare it to Alien, I know. Alien, after all, had me looking over my shoulder when I left the theater. But maybe when writing these stories and making these movies, they should try to compare it to the best out there, at least in execution and creativity.