Life
2017 · Directed by Daniel Espinosa
Original language: English
- horror
- science fiction
- mystery
The story
The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.
What it’s like
Cold, clinical blues and whites dominate this film, with the ISS interiors lit by flat fluorescent panels and sterile LED strips that make every cramped corridor feel airless. The camera drifts through the station in long, unbroken takes, often handheld and close, so the crew's bodies float and tumble in tight frames that keep the walls pressing in. Earth appears only in glimpses through round portholes, a blue marble that makes the isolation feel total. The score is low and tense, built from sustained drones and sparse electronic pulses that swell at the wrong moments, and between scares the station hums with the constant mechanical noise of pumps and fans. Its vibe is claustrophobic dread with a clinical chill, suited to a late-night watch alone or a tense weekend viewing with the lights low. Pacing is steady and escalating, the tone clammy and paranoid, and the crew's arcs trace colleagues turning on one another as their trust erodes. The violence is sudden and graphic, with bloody injuries and deaths shown on screen, and the frights rely on jump moments and body horror rather than sustained gore. It suits viewers who want contained sci-fi horror with a strong sense of place and no relief.
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