When the lights went up on Life, a colleague joked to the assembled critics that it was at least a better movie than Passengers—knowing full well he was sitting next to a bona fide (and bona fide lonely) fan of last year’s box office black hole. Passengers is ooky, dousing its beautiful cast and special effects in an unsettling rape allegory whose resolution can generously be described as morally complex. Now consider Daniel Espinosa’s umpteenth retread of Hollywood’s beloved Doomed Space Crew template (complete with a body-count story structure and hungry, unkillable critter), which offers nothing, says nothing, is nothing. Why watch this glorified YouTube compilation of scenes from Alien, Prometheus, Sunshine, and Gravity—starring an incredibly talented, attractive, and under-utilized cast? Why not revisit the works of masters Scott, Boyle, and Cuarón instead? Hell, throw Passengers into the mix. You’ll need a shower afterwards, but at least you’ll be awake.
Listen to Kicking the Seat Podcast #204 to hear Ian and Keeping it Reel's David Fowlie discuss the meaning of Life!