‘Life’ Is Not Your Typical ‘Alien’ Ripoff
The Scoop features personal essays on movie-centric topics.
By Elliott Cuff
There’s something to be said for how a great horror movie is stitched together. It doesn't necessarily need to have the most original components, so long as those individual parts seamlessly come together in a powerful way.
Take Ridley Scott’s Alien, for example. Though it might not have originated the space-based horror formula—with both It! The Terror from Beyond Space and Planet of the Vampires predating the 1979 classic—it did corner the market. Scott knew how to effectively manage tone, and coupled with the unique style of H.R. Giger, Alien became the gold standard by which all subsequent space-oriented horror films were to be compared.
But naturally, that places undue pressure on subsequent films to walk a narrow narrative tightrope. Typical audiences don’t want to see pale imitators of their favorite genre pieces, but they also don’t want to see something so divorced from the expected conventions that it becomes unrecognizable. It’s all well and good asking for complete originality, but that’s far easier said than done.
One modern film that pulls it off is Daniel Espinosa’s 2017 sci-fi horror film Life. It certainly borrows components from Alien, as well as Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, but its whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.
Singular, space-based survivalist thrills
Set almost exclusively within the International Space Station, Life follows a six-person crew of five astronauts and one cosmonaut who appear to be on a mission to collect exobiological data. Espinosa opens with an impressive oner, which follows the crew scrambling to retrieve a space probe from Mars that contains soil samples.
Within these samples, the crew discovers a tiny organism of extraterrestrial origin, whom they affectionately name “Calvin”. Grown in a petri dish, Calvin initially resembles little more than a minute piece of bleach-white kelp, but it quickly adapts and takes on an ever-growing, translucent, squid-like form. It’s not nearly as physically imposing as Scott’s Xenomorph—at least not initially—but it rapidly becomes an antagonistic force to be reckoned with.
Launching into chaos a little over half an hour from the start, Life has a much more aggressive pace than most of its space-based contemporaries. It’s far less concerned with crafting compelling characters with rich interpersonal relationships and more focused on delivering singularly effective survivalist thrills. It has a stacked cast of recognizable movie stars too, but their star power isn’t able to guarantee them safety from the murderous tentacular monstrosity on the loose.
Espinosa uses the inescapable, contained setting of the ISS to superb effect throughout the film, especially in tandem with how imposing Calvin becomes. Hallways appear to elongate and create larger corridors between safe spaces as Calvin’s menace grows, particularly given how aggressive the organism is, and that contrasts with the more stealthy and tactile approach taken by the Xenomorph.
It’s also fascinating to see how the type of fear the characters experience changes as Calvin adapts to the environment around him. Initially the creature is small, quick, and physically invasive (as we see during its brutal, difficult-to-watch first kill), so the fear stems from not knowing where the danger is coming from at any given moment. But as it grows, it becomes much more sinister and seemingly unstoppable, adding a whole new layer of suspense as the characters become aware of the creature’s capabilities.
Zero-gravity body horror
Life was scripted by screenwriting duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick of Zombieland and Deadpool fame, and it’s evident they couldn't have shaken the Alien influences during their writing process. That isn’t to say the two films march in lockstep: Life has its own strengths—stunning visuals and camerawork notably—as well as narrative twists that are deceptively strong.
One particular component that allowed Espinosa to show off his directorial proficiency was the film’s constant use of zero-gravity—incredibly convincing effects that play a vital role throughout the movie. There’s also noteworthy attention to detail regarding the physical strength and flexibility of Calvin, aspects that make his every appearance all the more disconcerting, while the death sequences are much more psychologically torturous than you might expect.
Espinosa combines those two aspects—zero-gravity and grotesque body horror—to deliver set pieces that aren’t completely unfamiliar, but that have enough flair to bypass unwarranted comparisons. Jon Ekstrand’s superb score further accentuates the dread felt throughout the film too, skipping between haunting space symphonies and booming crescendos of alien terror.
Despite moving at breakneck speed, Life repeatedly shows restraint when tension is at its highest point. Espinosa revels in the spectacle of the piece, knowing exactly when to hesitate and for how long before biting down for maximum effect. It’s that level of understanding and appreciation of the rhythms of the genre that sets Life apart from your typical Alien rip-off.
Shudder-inducing cosmic terror
If James Cameron once described Aliens as “forty miles of bad road”, Life is a similar excursion across troublesome terrain. It’s a relentless exercise in shudder-inducing, cosmic terror, provocatively played out through explosive set pieces and intricately crafted genre storytelling. Despite the familiar narrative beats and the wafer-thin characterization, Life is palpably unnerving all the way up to its horrifyingly brazen conclusion.
Non-IP sci-fi films aren’t the easiest to come by anymore, especially ones that are conceived and produced this skillfully, so Life more than deserves its moment in the sun.
Elliott Cuff is a writer, journalist, and film enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter @CuffWrites and Instagram @elliottlovesmovies.