Cinephile No. 637 "Life"
"Unsafe Space"
A Review of "Life" by Nathan H. Box
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds, Director: Daniel Espinosa, Writers: Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
The American movie going public has fallen in love with space movies once again. The affair has been effortless with smart, beautiful, and enthralling pictures such as: "Interstellar," "Gravity," and "The Martian." Thanks to the likes of Elon Musk and his Space X program, NASA is dreaming boldly. A manned mission to Mars seems likely within our lifetime. We are glued to social media as images are made public of Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter. Earth-like planets are being discovered in distant galaxies allowing us to rediscover our pioneering spirit and once again look up to the heavens with wonder.
With that sense of awe, we are treated to art forms questioning our place in the galaxy, the very fabric of time and space, as well as our ability to survive in such hostile environments. "Life" asks us to question with a sense of curiosity what it would be like to encounter life from another planet. This is a question it poses in an almost flawless picture. Every scene in this movie is smart, devised with the viewer in mind, and devoted to asking the audience to no longer suspend disbelief. Instead, we are asked to consider the very real possibility that we are not alone and the beings we may encounter will have one guiding principle, survive.
This sense of survival makes for a thrilling, gasp-inducing, exhausting movie that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Plus it features one the best endings I have ever seen in a movie. As the credits rolled on this film, I was left with two thoughts: this is why we go to the movies and Earth doesn't seem so bad.
Be good to each other,
-Nathan
