Image: Rebecca Reynolds.
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick might not be household names just yet, but the cinema crowd are beginning to take note. Known for their unexpected successes with Deadpool and Zombieland, the writing duo just released their new flick Life.
Set on the International Space Station, the film follows a group of astronauts who are given the task of analysing a recovered dirt sample found on Mars. Named Calvin, the sample turns out to be a single cell organism that grows once fed oxygen.
While it’s impossible not to compare the film to the Alien series, and see its blatant influence from other space-set flicks such as Gravity, the film manages to cross into new territory for the genre. With big names Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal starring, the film does not centre upon the one character, meaning the viewer has no idea who will survive at the end. You can’t help but wonder if, like the writers’ previous hits, it was their aim to toy with their viewers expectations.
Unfortunately though, the film misses the mark. Packed with cringey one liners, overly gory deaths, and a second half that suddenly feels less intelligent than its first, it’s not a must-see. Its ending may be surprising, but unfortunately, by the time the viewer lands there, the damage has been done.
★★
Reviewed by Chantal Walsh.
