Life

After mission specialist Rory Adams's (Ryan Reynolds) risky retrieval of a damaged capsule containing valuable soil samples from Mars, the crew of the International Space Station's Pilgrim 7 has reason to celebrate, as astronauts Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson), David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), Sho Murakami (Hiroyuki Sanada), Ekaterina Golovinka (Olga Dihovichnaya), and Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) are concluding their eight-month exploratory mission. When the science officer isolates a microscopic single-cell organism in a petri dish and feeds it glycerin, it becomes the first proof of extraterrestrial life. Satellite viewers from Earth cheer, and a group of New York children name the specimen “Calvin” after Calvin Coolidge School. Resembling a translucent, star-shaped octopus, Calvin begins to grow, quickly adapting to its environment, becoming stronger and smarter. Before long, Calvin escapes containment, becoming a multi-tentacled predator, extinguishing members of the crew one-by-one, despite their often foolhardy attempts to save one another. Stylishly directed by Daniel Espinosa, with Seamus McGarvey's sweeping cinematography capturing the claustrophobically cramped containment of the eerie space station, and Jon Ekstrand's score enhancing the sinister suspense, Life's scientifically plausible futuristic concept breeds nail-biting horror. (Full disclosure: my son, Don Granger, is executive producer). Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “Claustrophobic Terror: Creating a Thriller in Space” (8 min.), “In Zero G” (7 min.), “The Art and Reality of Calvin” (7 min.), and “Astronaut Diaries” (3 min.), as well as deleted scenes (6 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an entertaining sci-fi thriller.] (S. Granger)