L I F E

Neomorph- Im not going to describe Calvin to you, you must see it for yourself. In the theatre. Don't bother with the popcorn, you'll have no appetite.

The two most captivating space monsters I've seen in a very, very long time are the Hammerpede and Calvin, just for sheer Sci fi space organism outer-spaciness. Everything is so complicated looking anymore, it's the Giger influence, I hate to say. Spielberg's Martians were ridiculous looking for that very reason. 

I will allow that Calvin also gets a bit design-y for my taste in the third act. I read one bad review that went so far as to accuse it of looking like a MORB, which it does not. What Calvin has throughout though is this vicious personality, this random sadism. It's hard to explain, because even though Calvin is very much a character, it's still a very alien character. It's just a really well realized creature, as much thought was put into its behavior as its appearance, it's better that almost anything in the last few decades. And I loved how even though it's a relatively small life form, the music always made it seem like it's 12 atom bombs about to blow. I must see this again.

Wow Aorta you really like this film lol

It was not until recently that I found out that the film has 3 swedes in it; no other then the director himself Daniel Espinosa, the composer Jon Ekstrand and also actress Rebecca Ferguson, so I can't help but feeling a little proud :) 

Neo- I do like it a lot, I just appreciate this sort of thing and it's rare when it's so well done. I went similarly ballistic over Prometheus, but will admit that I like LIFE almost as much. More, in a couple of ways. No offense, Ridley!

Espinosa and Ekstrand are well suited to this material, and each other. This is my first time seeing Ferguson and she is fantastic. Her scream is quite primal. You should be proud.

With your sheer enthusiasm you've pretty much sold me on watching this film as I previously had no interest.

Good job :) 

Took long enough

Good point about A:C being move up. 

I think a story such as this raises a good point about how "life" may be transported, inter-galactically, as "space dust" and evolve on other planets.  Maybe not by hitch-hiking on space-faring vehicles, but certainly on meteors or asteroids.

But it's kinda an amusing warning, to all those starry-eyed scientists we've watched all these years, who wax poetic about finding life, like it's some benign substance, waiting to be activated, like a packet of garden seeds. 

In the same vision of Alien, be careful what you wish for.       

@Neo You will enjoy it, neo. Just a good bit of thoughtful entertainment.

@Aorta Good job persuading Neo ;)

Diz- One of the genius moves I think, was keeping Calvin fairly small, but then expressing the sense that every time it enters the frame it's a huge disaster. Calvin has an odd charm and yet it's understood he's pretty much the end of civilization.

Starlogger- thank you. I'm a little worn out now.

oops double post sorry!

A small creature!? Named Calvin!!? Pffhrm....HAHAHAHA.

Aorta....I'm gonna need a few more pages of convincing to overlook this lol

Nah joke aside I'm gonna see it ;) not sure about dinner afterwards though as it seems like a bad idea...

Just seeing pictures and clips of the little bigger has me steering clear of gelatinous substances...better safe than sorry XD

Neo- there is something about this creature, even in its early stages when it looks an overgrown germ, that is relatable. It's like this antic little murder machine that does not stop erasing life, it's industrious and even jolly, all with the net result of you're gonna DIE. Naming it was a good idea, I think. They have to call it something, and 'Calvin' quickly loses its appeal and starts to sound more like 'Ebola'.

Truly excellent movie however aghhh…one scene is really bugging me…SPOILER ALERT… when Rory is trying to kill Calvin in the lab with the flamethrower… Rory shots the flamethrower in every direction all around the room - in extended bursts of fire, until it basically runs out. Not one of the labs automatic fire sprinkler systems goes off …that is until … after Rory becomes "incapacitated", and his almost empty flamethrower (which now has a flame the size of a match) is now floating in the zero gravity comes within range and ignites the automatic sprinkler system! Surely the flame thrower's fountain of flames, the smoke and all the small fires surely would have activated this from the start!

At the start of the movie Calvin does not display anything but simple curiosity to me especially when interacting/dancing with the fingers of the glove. I really wonder if Calvin could have evolved differently had he not been forced into hibernation (due to a malfunction in the lab) and then being electrocuted into consciousness again. Not only that...but did you notice how gently and inquisitively Calvin interacts and caresses the lab rat until, that is the rat bites Calvin and then Calvin decides to then turn nasty on the rat.

Maybe these events “forced a behaviour change” in Calvin and because of Calvin’s ability to grow very quickly, these mimicked hurting behaviours (from Hugh, rat, then Rory) also grew in its level of violence. Basically each time Calvin fed/grew - it was the direct result of people trying to hurt or kill him...Then maybe Calvin gets the idea that out of his 3 interactions - all have hurt him so therefore he understands that he needs to kill/hurt or be killed/hurt. Probably not explaining this in the best way…sounds much clearer/better in my head…

Spoilers! Thanks for the courtesy- OUT!

S*P*O*I*L*E*R*S

Little Newt – if I remember correctly, the sprinklers were down the center of the room, and Rory uses the flamethrower on the perimeter, where Calvin is dashing about like a squishy spider.

Not to say that there aren't numerous gaps in logic, but overall  I love that sequence, it's original and truly scary and most unexpected in a number of ways. Fantastic tension and dread. I'm sorry, but that scene alone handed Skull Island it's ass!

SPOLIERS AHEAD...

THANK YOU Aorta - yes you're right about the sprinklers location - they were down the centre! Totally awesome scene and I loved how Rory's determination was captured especially against the pleas of the others to stop - as he was running out of fuel and then da da da daaa...he's out of fuel....opens hatch nothing....opens other hatch.... FANTASTIC scene!!!!

Aorta...do you think Calvin could have evolved differently had he not been exposed to pain from Hugh, the rat and then Rory...

Newt-  

I love how even though Calvin is basically a large booger with an attitude, you know Rory, with a flame thrower, is out classed. He's trapped, defenseless, with a thing that's gonna take him down in some random, sadistic way. Just a really well imagined, well written scene, so much storytelling with so few words. 

Calvin is one of those curiosities that makes you wonder what its natural environment must be like. Sort of like the MORB, you can almost reach the conclusion that Calvin was designed rather than evolved. It's strength and apparent indestructibility seem very suited to a creature that would prey on things much larger than itself. I know Daniel Espinosa has a more philosophical angle on the a creature but, to me, Calvin is naturally hostile. 

*SPOILERS*

Just got back from watching Life. Here's my review:

Starting with the monster as that was my first question here; "Calvin" was not ridiculous at all, it was absolutely terrifying, especially in combination with the zero G setting that added to the sheer horror factor of the film in a similar way to how sharks chase humans underwater. 

The icing on the cake that instantly added more depth to Calvin and the whole movie in the same process was the simple yet extremely valuable line that "it's just trying to survive" (words of gold. Thank you for that line.) 

This may be the case in many other films, but as the majority of film monsters aren't explained in this scientific manner, they're thereby rendered "evil one-dimensional killing machines" instead of something more. That's not necessarily a bad thing and it could all depend on how a monster is created to fit the particular story that surrounds it, but Calvin is as interesting as it is intimidating. 

As for the creature shape and aesthetic, it looks elegant rather than designed merely to look scary. Sure it's sadistic (oh boy) but it always felt like there was a reason for the brutal attacks, whether it is by absorbing intestines or attaching itself to body parts to suck the blood of the victim like a parasite, all to survive.

The way it attached itself to the torches to keep warm was another great touch that added even more depth to its character and survival instincts.

The only thing that sort of decreased its terror factor was the last time we see it and it turns out that it didn't kill Gyllenhaal's character like you'd expect. Considering how vicious and sadistic it was up to this point, I'd expect some consistency in terms of the brutal attack pattern.

As for the story, it was good overall (way better than Prometheus) apart from a few dumb moments like when Ferguson and Gyllenhaal's characters left safety and risked both of their lives to save Sanada's character who was being pulled by this insanely powerful creature while the whole tunnel is about to get ripped open. It should be obvious by now that they wouldn't stand a chance so why hold onto him for what seemed like an eternity? Let go!

This leads me to my next minor criticism that is the stupid character behaviour that seems to be standard in sci-fi films set in space nowadays. I'm mostly referring to the impulsive character played by Reynolds but also the idiocy of wasting precious station thruster fuel to kill Calvin. Yeah it was cleverly set up that it could enter through the thruster exhaust vents but it was also very important to make sure that the organism would not reach earth as they hit the thrusters without thinking, almost sending the station into atmospheric entry.

Sure it's a film and sure they probably behaved irrational due to the extreme stress levels but for instance; how on earth did Reynold's character managed to become an astronaut? His temper is a security problem and his dialogue was silly, I couldn't take him serious among the rest of the crew who were convincing overall. 

The acting was good in general, especially from Sanada, Bakare and Dihovichnaya who were 100% convincing. Ferguson and Gyllenhaal did great too mostly. 

Ekstrand did a great job with the soundtrack, not much to say about that other than it was powerful without being overly exaggerated.

To conclude, Life was a good sci-fi horror film, much thanks to to a fascinating beast of a "villain", good tension buildup, tense moments  (although the attempt to torch Calvin with the exterior steering thrusters could easily be parodised "whack-a-mole style" with some goofy music)

Is it a masterpiece? No

One of the best sci-fi films ever made? No

Is it good? Yes, in fact, very good.

Does it ripoff parts of Alien? Yes but as we say; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and this is one of the better copies, with some original aspects. 

The Verdict: 7.8

Aorta  really, really appreciate you continuing to share your thoughts…I still cannot quite see Calvin acting in a “sadistic” way just yet - although I agree that Calvin’s strength, apparent indestructability and also his adaptability would tick an awful lot of boxes as to what its personality or predisposition he would have - even as a little blip of a thing, when comparing it to lifeforms here on Earth.

Yep…poor Rory – well and truly out-classed!!! And yes… so much shown with the minimum of words. Gosh I loved this movie!!!