a90skid.com
  • Shop
  • Reviews
  • Shop
  • Reviews
0
A 90s Kid
  • Shop
  • Reviews

Life borrows so heavily from Alien that it’s faults are glaringly obvious when compared to Ridley Scott’s masterpiece. Great performances – especially from Jake Gyllenhaal – aren’t enough to elevate a script devoid of spark and originality.

The film mainly failed at making me care about any of the humans in danger. A crew of astronauts on the International Space Station receiving soil samples from Mars. The samples contain a trace of life that progresses into a dangerous threat to the crew.

The setting and characters start off realistic and grounded, following NASA protocol etc. It’s therefore quite jarring to hear a science nerd turn action hero and yell out “fuck this” as they rush off to save someone.

Life

Ryan Reynolds is immediately unlikable and out of place as he cracks jokes like Deadpool and acts like a cowboy. There’s not enough effort made to marry the conflicting styles so it comes off obnoxious and false.

Ryan Reynolds Life

The best characterization comes from the lead scientist – normally wheel-chair bound on Earth – enjoying the freedom of anti-gravity. His curiosity and bonding with the alien before it turned hostile could have been explored much further.

There are also silly scenes of the astronauts having video conversations with kids on earth, answering questions the way a Kindergarten teacher talks to kids when they know parents are watching. It’s unnecessary and cringe-worthy.

Another astronaut has a quick subplot regarding his newborn child on Earth. The rest of the crew lounge while this is happening, reading stories as Reynolds cracks jokes. Ridley Scott’s Alien succeeded at showing regular people being regular in space because they were essentially blue-collar truckers. Space travel was the norm and they were just doing a job. The International Space Station in Life is not presented as a regular job yet it tries to have its characters feel like a good ol’ gang of buds.

Life

The action ramps up quickly, and although the alien’s design appears quite natural and believable, it’s a million light-years from Giger’s Xenophobe. There’s never a significant amount of terror generated, even though a crew of scientists are stuck in a confined space with a powerful creature intent on killing.

Technically the film looks fantastic. The space and station effects are well done and the alien itself avoids looking too computer-generated. For some reason, the cinematography picks up considerably near the end, showing off wonderful composition of a few characters. Perhaps that was a post-production choice to show an evolution, but it was lost on me. I just liked how it looked.

Life
More of this would have been nice

Life isn’t terrible. It’s a serviceable movie but the wasted potential and mindless cribbing of a classic was offensively bland. I couldn’t find a reason to care about anything that happened, and the action wasn’t spectacular enough to compensate. If you’re looking for an Alien clone, Scott’s next film will release May 19th of this year. Based on those trailers however, there aren’t too many new ideas in his movie either.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • alien
  • film
  • gyllenhaal
  • life
  • movie
  • review
  • ryan reynolds
Mathew Falvai

Mathew is a huge fan of Space, Strategy, and Shadowrun (Genesis version is #1). When it comes to games and films, he’d much rather experience a 10/10 classic from yesteryear than a 6/10 modern blandfest. He does feel we’re living in a gaming golden age with the power of indie developers at an all-time high, but wishes AAA publishers would take more risks. Mat believes it’s only a matter of time before the pendulum swings the other way and new ideas take their rightful place above reboots.

You May Also Like
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Opinion
  • PlayStation
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review
  • Xbox Series X

Hogwarts Legacy Review – Wizard’s Creed

  • Matthew Owen
  • March 3, 2023
SpongeBob Riding a Seahorse
View Post
  • 3 min
  • Opinion
  • PC
  • PlayStation
  • PlayStation 4
  • Review
  • Xbox
  • Xbox One

SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake Review – Back to Bikini Bottom

  • Matthew Owen
  • January 31, 2023
God of War Ragnarok Eclipse Scene
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Opinion
  • PlayStation
  • PlayStation 4
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review

God of War Ragnarok Review – Once More Unto the Breach

  • Matthew Owen
  • December 28, 2022
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Opinion
  • PlayStation
  • Review
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Series X

The Callisto Protocol Review – Sci-Fi Gore Galore

  • Matthew Owen
  • December 20, 2022
Return to Monkey Island Title Card
View Post
  • 4 min
  • News
  • Nintendo
  • PC
  • PlayStation
  • Review
  • Xbox

Return to Monkey Island Review – A Pirate’s Life for Me

  • Matthew Owen
  • December 10, 2022
The four teenage mutant ninja turtles
View Post
  • 5 min
  • Nintendo
  • Opinion
  • PC
  • PlayStation
  • PlayStation 4
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review
  • Xbox
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X

TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection Review – Pizza Time

  • Matthew Owen
  • September 16, 2022
Destroy All Humans Crypto
View Post
  • 5 min
  • PC
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review
  • Xbox Series X

Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed Review – Summer of ’69

  • Matthew Owen
  • September 6, 2022
ESO High Wood Idol
View Post
  • 5 min
  • PC
  • PlayStation 4
  • PlayStation 5
  • Review
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X

The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle Review – A Knightly Vacation

  • Matthew Owen
  • July 22, 2022

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

A90KID.COM

VIDEO GAMES COMMUNITY & ENTERTAINMENT

A 90s Kid is an active website and media channel, dedicated to providing you information and entertainment related to the video games industry

Navigation
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund and Returns Policy
Recent Articles
  • All about FIFA 2026 – Dates, Hosts, and More March 16, 2023
  • Hogwarts Legacy Review – Wizard’s Creed March 3, 2023
  • First Look at the New Spooky Scooby Doo Pinball Machine February 10, 2023
  • SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake Review – Back to Bikini Bottom January 31, 2023
  • How competitiveness drives gamers to be better January 27, 2023
A 90s Kid
© 2022

Input your search keywords and press Enter.