Life 2017

     An unmanned Pilgrim 7 space probe has returned from Mars to the International Space Station.  The probe sustained severe damage during passage through an asteroid field.  The probe contains an intact soil sample from Mars that may contain the first evidence of life beyond the Earth.  There is a six-member crew on the space station and the exobiologist Hugh Derry begins to revive the dormant sample.  The sample quickly grows into a multi-celled organism.  There is an atmospheric accident in the lab and Hugh is worried that the sample has been damaged.  He revives the sample with mild electric shocks.  This action causes the organism to attack Hugh’s hand.  Events begin to spiral out of control after this attack.

     Alien of 1979 inspired this film.  Scientists are always so wide-eyed and there is never any danger from the unknown!!  The creatures are always innocent, all organisms from any other planet must be just as nice as we are and all the other Earth creatures??  I was reminded of the events in Alien when I was watching this film.  I think a list was followed of everything not to do with a specimen and everything not to do on a space station?   In the beginning, the sample looks like pink bubble gum!!  Probably, even bubble gum would attack after electrical shock treatment!!  3* (This movie is OK)       

104 min, Sci-Fi directed by Daniel Espinosa with Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Olga Dykhovichnaya, Ariyon Bakare.

Note:  Imdb 6.6 out of 10, 67% critic 55% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 3.3* out of 4* with 869 reviews, Metacritic 54 out of 100 with 44 critics 6.2 out of 10 with 372 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Halong Bay, Vietnam.  This film grossed $100.5 million with a production budget of $58 million plus advertising expenses.  Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were the writers of Deadpool of 2016 and it also starred Ryan Reynolds.  Originally, Reynolds intended to play larger role as a main character but The Hitman’s Bodyguard of 2017 forced him to take a supporting part instead.  Rebecca Ferguson was nervous about acting in her role as Miranda but after talking to the director, she changed her mind.  Some footage was reused from Spider-Man 3 of 2007.  Ariyon Bakare’s character Hugh Derry is paralyzed from the waist down.  He doesn’t need a wheelchair in the weightlessness of the space station.  The single-cell organism is named Calvin after a naming contest is held among school children on Earth.