An intense and gripping space thriller with a shocking ending that leaves you on the edge of your seat.
1. Introduction
2. Plot Summary
3. Memorable Scenes
4. Review
5. Conclusion
Introduction
The greatest and most dangerous discovery unfolds as six astronauts open Pandora's box in space. "Life," a film released in 2017, is a science fiction, horror, thriller, and suspense movie set in space, depicting a story of survival against an unknown extraterrestrial organism that attacks humans in a confined space. The movie seamlessly integrates its science fiction elements throughout the narrative, presenting the space environment and actions without any awkwardness, which might have been noticeable in older films. It effectively utilizes small details and situations unique to space to enhance the sense of the setting's specialness. It could also be considered a claustrophobic thriller, as it skillfully portrays the constraints and challenges of movement and survival in the confined space of a space station, creating a gripping atmosphere until the resolution of the events.
While there are numerous films of similar genres and many set in space, "Life" manages to overcome its predictable storyline with exceptional performances. The shocking twist at the end leaves a chilling impact, even for those who anticipate the conclusion.
Plot
In the orbiting world's most expensive accommodation, the International Space Station (ISS), there are only eight occupants. Among them, six are humans, one is a single-celled organism collected from Mars, and the other is a lab mouse. Tragedy had already been conceived at this point.
After completing the Pilgrim 7 mission on Mars, the returning capsule veers off its normal orbit due to a meteorite collision. The ISS team, tasked with retrieving the capsule, succeeds in recovering it. Inside the capsule, they find a soil sample containing a dormant single-celled organism. They manage to revive the organism, sparking worldwide excitement as it marks the first discovery of extraterrestrial life. In the United States, one elementary school is selected, and its representative student is named Calvin, after the school's name. Forced awake, Calvin displays rapid growth and intense curiosity, captivating everyone. Particularly, Hugh, a biologist, eagerly anticipates whether Calvin could hold the key to regenerating his paralyzed leg, showing obsessive infatuation whenever he interacts with Calvin.
One day, while observing Calvin in the laboratory, a mishap occurs as gas leaks out of the lab due to Hugh's mistake, causing Calvin to enter a state of hibernation due to rapid changes in atmospheric composition. In an attempt to wake Calvin up again, Hugh applies an electric shock, but Calvin quickly breaks the shock device and grips Hugh's hand with immense force. Despite Hugh's efforts to free his hand, Calvin's tightening grip causes excruciating pain, leading Hugh to lose consciousness. Calvin, having subdued Hugh, breaks the tip of the electric shock device and tears apart the protective gloves of the isolation chamber before escaping the incubator. Encountering a trapped mouse in the lab, Calvin initially shows caution but quickly devours the mouse when it perceives it as a threat.
Eventually, Rory manages to open the locked isolation chamber door and rescue the unconscious Hugh, but as they attempt to escape the lab, Calvin swiftly lunges at Rory, grabbing his leg. As his colleagues lock the door to prevent Calvin's intrusion, Rory, using an oxygen tank, manages to pry Calvin off his leg, but Calvin retaliates and, as Rory recklessly moves forward, Calvin enters his mouth as the fuel of the flamethrower runs out. Rory, unable to scream, writhes in agony, spitting out blood. Calvin has devoured his organs. Eventually, Rory dies, convulsing and vomiting large amounts of blood. In shock, his colleagues freeze, but when a loose flamethrower accidentally triggers the sprinkler in zero gravity, the isolation is automatically lifted, causing the air to escape from the lab. Panicked, the colleagues manually seal each hole in the sprinkler to prevent Calvin from escaping.
Calvin, which previously emerged from Roy's mouth as nothing more than smooth and thin flesh, has now grown into full tentacles. Moreover, it has increased in intelligence and can feel the flow of air from the sprinklers, attempting to escape through them. As a significant number of sprinklers are closing, Calvin is swept away by the remaining sprinkler with a pre-set sequence, ultimately managing to escape into the air. Consequently, the protagonists, who failed to contain Calvin, attempt to send a distress call to Earth. However, in the midst of transmitting communication, all communication suddenly malfunctions. As a result, Ekaterina, acting on behalf of Roy, ventures into space to repair the communication equipment.
The reason for the communication equipment malfunction is overheating, caused by Calvin drinking all the coolant water needed as a living organism. While checking the coolant hose, Ekaterina is attacked by Calvin suddenly springing out from the coolant hole. Protected by the thick space suit, Ekaterina is not fatally injured at the moment, but the now larger Calvin, with increased intelligence, tightens the space suit, causing damage and allowing coolant to leak out of the space suit. Due to the increasing coolant inside the space suit, Ekaterina is at risk of drowning in space. In an attempt to rescue Ekaterina from suffocation in space due to the accumulating coolant, other colleagues try to bring her into the ISS via the airlock. However, Ekaterina chooses to lock the airlock door from the outside to protect her colleagues and makes the self-sacrificing decision to die.
Thus, successfully driving Calvin out of the ISS, but Calvin clings to the exterior of the ISS. Despite the absence of air, the robust Calvin, with the ability to collect oxygen, manages to find ways to re-enter the ISS by crawling around the walls. Fortunately, all doors are locked, and the coolant hole is closed by Ekaterina. However, the crew realizes that intrusion is still possible through the engine nozzle.
In the end, all other astronauts succumb to Calvin, and only Jordan and Miranda survive. Jordan boards the escape pod with Calvin, stating that he will head to space with Calvin, while Miranda boards the escape pod heading to Earth. However, as the debris from the space station collides, the course changes, and Miranda's escape pod heads towards space while Jordan and Calvin's escape pod heads towards Earth. Miranda screams as she flies into space, and Vietnamese fishermen discover the escape pod. Jordan yells not to open the door, but it opens anyway, and as boats approach Jordan's escape pod, the movie ends.
Memorable Scenes
Due to its setting in space, "Life" offers viewers the spectacle of space and spacecraft that we cannot see in our daily lives. While there is nothing particularly unique compared to other space-themed movies, simply the fact that it takes place in space may hold value for space enthusiasts. The scenes where the crew evades and defends against the creature's attacks are gripping, as the tension builds up with each encounter. The creature, starting as a small single-celled organism and gradually evolving and growing in size, maintains its horrifying presence without transforming into something grotesque like the Xenomorph from "Alien."
Aside from these visual elements, certain scenes related to the film's themes stand out.
Early in the film, the male protagonist discusses his experience of participating in war with the female protagonist, stating that humans are a terrible species. Although it may seem like an unrelated remark in the context of the film, there are no scenes or lines of dialogue that lack meaning. Considering the efforts of numerous crew members, equipment, and actors involved in shooting a single scene, this line takes on even more significance.
Midway through the film, during a heated battle between the surviving astronauts and Calvin, a particular line of dialogue sheds light on the theme:
"Life is a creature designed to destroy. Calvin doesn't hate us, but he has to kill us in order to survive."
Here, the director reveals the film's theme, criticizing human conflicts, wars, and ultimately, human selfishness and cruelty.
In the latter part of the movie, as David executes Plan A, he tells the female protagonist,
"I don't want to go back to the awful people."
This statement portrays humans as despicable beings who revel in war. Perhaps the destruction of Mars was due to their high intelligence. They must have fought and conquered each other until they self-destructed.
Review
Upon seeing the title and poster, I initially thought "Life" would be a space-themed SF film. With a title like "Life," I imagined it would convey a hopeful message of discovering life as we venture into space. However, upon examining the genre, terms like thriller and horror stood out, rather than disaster films like "Gravity," "The Martian," or "Interstellar," or classics like "Alien."
As I began watching, I realized it was a film depicting a struggle against a hostile extraterrestrial creature in a confined space. It's similar to "The Thing" in that regard, but with the difference of taking place in space instead of on Earth. In terms of setting, it also shares similarities with the South Korean film "The Divine Move."
This movie is not just a far-fetched concept; it realistically portrays events that could potentially happen in the near future. It achieves this by consulting experts in various fields such as astrobiology, space pharmacology, and astrophysics, making the film's realistic scenes even more believable. It seems to suggest that as humanity prepares for space exploration, encountering extraterrestrial life may not be as friendly as hoped.
Even if extraterrestrial life exists, we shouldn't assume they'll be friendly to us. In fact, the likelihood of hostility is high. The instinct of any lifeform with superior power is to dominate and subjugate those weaker than itself. Looking back at human history, there has never been peaceful coexistence between neighboring powers or countries. Each nation has its own interests, as seen between us and Japan, or China. Therefore, the existence of extraterrestrial life may not necessarily be a blessing. Whether they are similar to us intellectually or vastly superior, domination from either side does not seem desirable.
After watching the movie, I found myself pondering about the title "Life" and its association with the film. It raises questions about whether life is truly a beautiful existence. Unlike other movies featuring extraterrestrial beings, this film's story isn't about evolved aliens invading Earth, but rather about an extraterrestrial "life" discovered through Mars research. Life, as depicted in the film, is heartwarming yet terrifying throughout. Unlike the monstrous extraterrestrial beings seen in films like "Alien" or squids, this life form starts from a small cell but displays remarkable vitality, reaching Earth in its pursuit of survival. The cellular division, like a unified body, disrupts the teamwork that once propelled humanity forward.
Throughout the movie, I found myself pondering why the title was "Life." Until the end, it didn't seem necessary for the movie to be called "Life," but as I reflected on the dialogues in the film, the title seemed fitting. The dialogue perfectly encapsulates the essence of life, as small cells grow and eventually earn a name. Every form of life has a mandate to survive, just as the characters in the movie mention. In particular, Dr. Jordan provides a perspective that allows viewers to approach the film in such a manner. Tired of the murderous aspects of war, Dr. Jordan emerges as someone who sets the record for the longest time spent in space, ready to sacrifice himself to journey into space. Ironically, he ends up being aboard the spaceship that arrives in space along with the extraterrestrial life form, becoming a sacrificial offering to life itself. Watching this movie on this day feels particularly heavy. It makes me think that while life is a beautiful existence, it's something that shouldn't be taken lightly—a message the movie might be trying to convey. It even extends to life from a completely "different" world, whether it exists or not. Anyway, reflecting on the themes of this movie, it's evident that it's not just a simple bizarre horror SF thriller but contains its own philosophy.
Concluding Thoughts
The movie "Life" depicts the plight of astronauts exposed to attacks from unknown extraterrestrial organisms in a confined space. However, certain aspects, such as the lack of authenticity in depicting the space station to the extent that NASA employees would laugh at it, or the presence of a character like Hugh, who is so unbelievably irritating, raised anger with each scene.
The film's tense direction within the confined space was well-executed. Throughout the movie, the chaos caused by Calvin in the space station and the astronauts' desperate efforts for survival create a thrilling atmosphere, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, wondering who will emerge victorious in the end. And the ending was shocking. While it didn't necessarily have to be a happy ending, the way it concluded was remarkable. The sound of the airlock closing as the movie ends sends shivers down one's spine.
Watching the movie, I felt a mix of vibes from films like "Alien," "The Thing," and "Venom." Despite receiving lower ratings than expected due to the annoying character and the ending, personally, I found it to be a very enjoyable and suspenseful SF thriller.
