Life is an unnerving movie. It’s not easy for me to watch something and feel bad after. The suspense and sound design will make you cringe in terror. If I had to describe it in a few words I would call it a futuristic Greek tragedy. I was actually scared watching the story play out. A crew of astronaut scientists discover a life form on Mars and take it aboard their ship for study. Then bad things happen. That’s all you need to know.

This film had the worse marketing I’ve ever seen. The only reason I went to see this was because two of my favorite actors, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds are in it. Also because The Void was not being screened anywhere. You will find this entertaining if you are a fan of Ridley Scott’s Alien or John Carpenter’s The Thing. Lots of jump scares and suspense.

Without spoiling anything, I can tell you this ain’t your typical monster flick. The characters are all very intelligent. So there’s no, “Stick your head out and see what it is” moments. I like how self-contained the movie is. No franchise seeds or shared universe hints, just a scary ass movie that will make you uncomfortable. It has that outer space vibe of being completely isolated and helpless.

I think it’s a hidden gem among the boring movies that opened this past weekend. You won’t regret seeing this. The tension builds slowly but pays off in a big way. When the action picks up, it’s a non-stop roller-coaster of thrills. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. With that said I give Life a 9 out of 10.