I could have easily found myself caught up in the grandeur and horrors of space given the rich tapestry woven by director Daniel Espinosa ( Safe House (2012), Child 44 (2015)) and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (The Avengers (2012), Godzilla (2014))). The International Space Station (ISS) is beautifully rendered and the potential danger of being cast off into the vast coldness of space felt ever more real when set beside the familiar backdrop of planet Earth.
Yes, I could have found myself lost, tucked deep away as my imagination was carried along with this little space thriller. If not for the immense grating of my soul caused by watching supposedly highly intelligent people do extremely stupid things. One understands the urge to use mistakes as a catalyst for calamity, but someone should have also explained to writers Rhet Reese (Cruel Intentions 3 (2004)) and Paul Wernick (Zombieland (2009)) that sometimes even if you do everything right, things can still go horrible, horrible wrong. See what I did there?
Putting the erratic usage of intelligence aside, Life still offers it’s fair share of thrills, impressive special effects, and a not-so-unexpected twist or two. The acting from all quarters is solid with Jake Gyllenhaal leading the pack in the emoting game. A good movie rendered simply ‘okay’ by some avoidably poor choices.
3 out of 5 stars.
