Okay, so we're used to Hollywood recycling all the same basic stories into some newer and usual inferior version. With sci fi, whether that's horror or space opera, it's with more special effects. Life is one of those movies. While nothing truly special, the effects in this movie do try to take us to a different reality by making just about every scene in a weightless environment. We've seen that before but not quite to this degree.
Too bad it's wasted on a typical puerile story, with little suspense and cardboard characters. This is one of those movies where the actors have to simultaneously look drugged -- as though they feel no real emotions -- while also acting in frenetic ways -- because, you know, the action comes at us 100 MPH.
Now, the characters here are all the stock types. We have the stalwart commander, the sensible junior officer, the scientist who goes too far, and the various cannon fodder for the creature that, of course, will stalk them all. You've seen this story a million times, and with smarter people. In fact, these are among the dumbest scientists presented in this sort of film, even though ostensibly, they should all have graduate degrees.
Their first mistake is taking what appears to be a single-celled organism from Mars and messing around with it about the International Space Station. You'd think NASA, at the very least, would have protocols for such, but these folks behave more like camp counselors in one of those ski mask killer movies. Oh, there's a protocol in case something gets out but apparently anyone can just mess around with new life however they want in the meantime.
In some ways, the movie want to be The Andromeda Strain, but that movie was smart, told in a semi-documentary style. This movie is like a videogame, with little time to think (even though some scenes drag the action out while the crew seems to react in slow motion). If that's your thing, you'll be amazed by this movie. If you're someone easily impressed who scoffs with the usual tripe of "Huh, huh, huh, it's only a movie, man," then you're actually on to something but for the wrong reasons. Yes, it's only a movie. That's all it is.
Too bad it's wasted on a typical puerile story, with little suspense and cardboard characters. This is one of those movies where the actors have to simultaneously look drugged -- as though they feel no real emotions -- while also acting in frenetic ways -- because, you know, the action comes at us 100 MPH.
Now, the characters here are all the stock types. We have the stalwart commander, the sensible junior officer, the scientist who goes too far, and the various cannon fodder for the creature that, of course, will stalk them all. You've seen this story a million times, and with smarter people. In fact, these are among the dumbest scientists presented in this sort of film, even though ostensibly, they should all have graduate degrees.
Their first mistake is taking what appears to be a single-celled organism from Mars and messing around with it about the International Space Station. You'd think NASA, at the very least, would have protocols for such, but these folks behave more like camp counselors in one of those ski mask killer movies. Oh, there's a protocol in case something gets out but apparently anyone can just mess around with new life however they want in the meantime.
In some ways, the movie want to be The Andromeda Strain, but that movie was smart, told in a semi-documentary style. This movie is like a videogame, with little time to think (even though some scenes drag the action out while the crew seems to react in slow motion). If that's your thing, you'll be amazed by this movie. If you're someone easily impressed who scoffs with the usual tripe of "Huh, huh, huh, it's only a movie, man," then you're actually on to something but for the wrong reasons. Yes, it's only a movie. That's all it is.