Movie 'Life' - depicts real life in space

The film has many details reminiscent of "Alien" - the 1979 classic film - combined with impressive camera shots depicting life in space.

Life is a new project by director Daniel Espinosa, with a budget of 58 million USD, set on the International Space Station (ISS). Here, six astronauts receive a probe returning from Mars. British biologist (Ariyon Bakare) extracts a life form from the sample in the ship - the first evidence of life outside Earth. The whole world rejoices and names this creature Calvin.

The astronauts continued to keep Calvin on the space station for research. During one experiment, he became aggressive, attacked the biologist and escaped. Now, they must fight the dangerous creature while fixing the damage on the space station.

* A scary scene in the movie

Life begins with a long take that lasts nearly seven minutes. In this excerpt, the crew is welcoming the probe back to the station. Each person appears and works in harmony, in sync with the common mission. The camera pans over the characters’ shoulders, taking the viewer on an exploration of the station, then out to the outside, where specialist Rory Adams (Ryan Reynolds) is walking through space. The cramped setting of the station contrasts sharply with the vastness of outer space.

The director and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey’s staging makes it seem as if the camera is floating in zero gravity, following the astronauts. This scene is a high-tech highlight of the film and recalls Gravity, the excellent sci-fi film of four years ago.

The zero-gravity environment provides an interesting backdrop for the action scenes, acting as a secondary horror element alongside the dangerous creature. The astronauts float, using their feet to move. The frames occasionally show the characters upside down. It all adds up to a sense of disorientation, which only increases the fear each time Calvin attacks them.

The film then follows the familiar space horror motif, with many ideas inspired by the classic Alien (1979). The initial joy turns to extreme fear in an unexpected situation. Calvin grows in size and becomes increasingly intelligent. The creature has no specific shape, with all its cells being muscle cells, brain cells, and photoreceptor cells (eyes). Sometimes it wraps itself tightly around its prey like an octopus, but other times it pursues it at high speed like a predator.

* Trailer "Life"

The scares are scattered throughout, combined with Jon Ekstrand's score to create a creepy atmosphere. Between the horror scenes, there are quiet moments for the characters to express their feelings. Overall, the story is like a "cat and mouse" game between the astronauts and dangerous creatures.

The film features a haunting scene where an astronaut is trapped in an isolation room while others helplessly watch their friend from the outside. The dead man stands with his back to the audience, blood pouring out, spreading in all directions in zero gravity.

The zero gravity environment is subtly portrayed in the film.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, director Daniel Espinosa said he wanted to make a “reverse version” of Gravity. The 2013 film depicts the vastness of space through the eyes of an astronaut (played by Sandra Bullock), while Life focuses on the confines of a space station.

The main theme of Life is the danger from ambition, excessive human curiosity about strange things. At the same time, the work also cruelly illustrates the truth: "The existence of life requires destruction".

The two main roles are well-rounded through the acting of Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson. The 1980-born actor transforms into an astronaut who has participated in the war. He is bored with society, considers space his home and does not want to return to Earth. Meanwhile, "action girl" Rebecca Ferguson does not show off action scenes like in Mission: Impossible 5 - her most prominent film. The 34-year-old star plays an epidemic prevention specialist, trying every way to isolate dangerous lifeforms.

Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson

The downside of the film is that later on, director Daniel Espinosa could not maintain stability in the way he told the story and arranged the plot. The characters made many mistakes due to emotional actions, which did not match the image of a well-trained astronaut.

In some cases, they behave inexplicably despite knowing the danger of the creature. Despite a promising start, the second half of the film falls into the rut of horror films, lacking any breakthrough. Therefore, although the screenwriter tries to arrange a surprise ending, the dramatic atmosphere is still not heightened.

For domestic audiences, the film features an interesting detail with the appearance of two Vietnamese characters at the end of the film. However, their screen time is only a few dozen seconds.

Life (Life of Danger) is released from March 24.

According to VNE