I admire how Netflix and Paramount just tossed this out there right after announcing it during the Super Bowl. I can't say I found the actual movie terribly compelling, though. (I also didn't care for 10 Cloverfield Lane, though, either.)
The lead actress was appealing, but none of the rest of the cast were interesting. Stuff just...happens, without any logical reason and often in unexplained, almost supernatural ways.
The volume of cliches, jump scares, plot "twists," pseudoscience, and melodramatic musical cues got a bit silly after two hours. It felt an awful lot like someone trying to create an Event Horizon II without the stomach for violence.
I guess it looked pretty good for a movie made on a handful of sets with lots of solid space CG. But if we can't connect with the characters, we can't care what happens to them. And throwing in a lot of pointless conflict, especially the needless monologuing at the end, just wastes our time.
2/10 would not watch again.
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Reply by cpheonix
on February 6, 2018 at 6:18 AM
It was entertaining but definitely the Cloverfield bits were shoehorned in and frankly, crap. The last scene in particular. And you could've take out everything on Earth with the husband. Seems like those scenes were only filmed to connect it to the franchise.
Life was better but this was watchable and the effects and cast were good. But this should've been a standalone film.
Reply by chilone
on February 6, 2018 at 3:23 PM
Your opinion is somehow heading downward? ;) .... wait, maybe you meant "dissenting" lol. I liked it too. Kept me interested.
Reply by Ask Me Anything
on February 6, 2018 at 4:20 PM
I knew that was the wrong word and I meant to go back and double check and forgot lol
Reply by Horus Mazinga
on February 7, 2018 at 12:50 PM
I enjoyed it. I agree with many complaints (especially the shoe-horning) but was pleased with the movie overall. I thought the acting was fine other than the fact that whatshername can't seem to learn English but keeps getting roles in American films.
What I didn't like:
Other than these things, I was pretty satisfied. I even liked the end.
Would watch again. 7.5/10
Reply by Jana
on February 7, 2018 at 5:06 PM
I would like to see both options in a near future. I know that Sean Parker with the backing of Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson among others, are involved in a project called "Screening Room" that is heavily opposed by James Cameron and Christopher Nolan. The project does not want to shut down movie theaters or make us forget the cinematic experience. Nothing can replace the sticky floors and the smell of popcorn.
But there is and always will be a percentage of people who can't make it there. And I'm one of them. I haven't been to a movie theater in almost ten years because of my arthritis. It's also for parents with young children, the elderly, for those who feel uncomfortable in crowds, or those who've had enough of cell phones and chatter etc.
If "Screening Room" falls through I hope some kind of deal can be done in the future so that Netflix or some other streaming service can offer theatrical releases within a month or so after the initial release. That way there's plenty of time for box office profits. This would be an on-demand service for a fee of course.
There are illegal sites using this technology and they are fast, new movies available the day after they premier. I must admit I have been using these sites sometimes since I can't go to the theater. If I just had the option to pay for it, I would. Movies is my passion.
Reply by volkstraum
on February 7, 2018 at 11:10 PM
What was the 'threat' in this movie? The 'other dimension'??? Well I guess it seemed lethal at select moments but then faded away to non-existent, as if the filmakers couldn't afford any more effects or ran out of red-shirts to kill off. Terrible. Just terrible.
At least Life has a coherent story and a steady build-up in tension.
Reply by write2topcat
on February 8, 2018 at 1:50 AM
Usually if you just unplug the particle accelerator for 30 seconds and then let it reboot, the earth will reappear.
Of course that would have made for a much shorter movie.
Reply by Ask Me Anything
on February 8, 2018 at 8:55 PM
The threat was that the space station was being torn apart and they had to make it back to their universe before it was too late.
Life had a lot of dumb people doing dumb things, an invincible monster with no weaknesses so I knew everyone was doomed so why should I care about them, and a terrible heavy handed ending that insults your intelligence.
This movie has flaws but it did a pretty good job of getting me to care about the lead character. The way they gradually reveal what happened to her kids, realizes her alternate version's kids are still alive, wanting to go see them, then having to choose to stay with the station in order to save it. And that message she leaves for her alternate self was great. The only real dumb parts for me were Chris O'Dowd's death and the gyroscope being in the Russian guy's body, but I can at least write that off as parallel universe anomalies.
There is no excuse why a space station dealing with potentially deadly germs from Mars doesn't have a purge button.
Reply by fan_of_films
on February 9, 2018 at 10:03 AM
This film does pay homage to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead. If you've seen Evil Dead you'll know what I mean! 😆
Reply by Heather Santrous
on February 11, 2018 at 2:52 PM
You do realize that this film and the ending of the film does not take place on the Earth that we see in the original film? They didn't time travel. Perhaps you missed the explanation that the device they were trying to get to work could possibly open a paradox across time and dimensions. This film ties in closer to what we see happening in the second film, but there are some things that are different between the two as well. The monster at the end of this movie is not the same one we see in the original film because it is so much bigger. It does explain the monster in the first film, just not in the way you apparently think it does.
Reply by Taylorfirst1
on February 11, 2018 at 4:48 PM
6/10
Reply by D-magic
on February 11, 2018 at 5:56 PM
Not every severed arm in the movies is homage to Evil Dead. Maybe it was homage to Adams Family? Don't be ridiculous. As for what I think about this pile of garbage, well, it was simply embarrassing piece of crap. Solid 1/10.
Reply by fan_of_films
on February 12, 2018 at 5:07 AM
Regarding comnents about the film as a "silly pointless mess"... I guess everyone knows it's a film industry so product has to be made to keep people employed. This is why pointless films get made. Films get made to keep people in work as much as they get made to chase profit. But yeah... this film was kinda pointless in terms of expanding the franchise! Not much link to Cloverfield.
Reply by DRDMovieMusings
on August 18, 2018 at 9:07 PM
It was not free. It's on Netflix.