In an upcoming movie schedule that's once again packed with sequels and spin-offs, Life really does stand-out. Not just because of its stellar cast of names, lead by Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, and Rebecca Ferguson, but also because it looks like a merging of Gravity and Alien that's set to be wholly unique, imaginative and terrifying in its own right. Back in August, I chatted with Life's ensemble about the project, and Jake Gyllenhaal explained how the true terror of the film doesn't just pose a physical threat, but a psychological one, too.
I think there are numerous third and fourth dimensions in this movie that play psychologically with these things that we fear and then, being out of control in more ways than one. Not just physically in space. Yes, we have chase sequences and things like that, where we're trying to get towards something or away from something in the midst of not having our feet underneath us. But there's also the fact this being, this thing, is a very particular thing. It poses a psychological terror that I think creates it's own non-metaphoric non-gravity in our minds. We're all trying to figure out what it means to each one of us, and it means something different. What it becomes is something different. And I think it will be for the audience, too. We're just constantly filled with question marks everywhere. So yes, physically, but also throughout the whole story it's like that.
For those of you that don't know, Life takes place entirely on the International Space Station and revolves around the first discovery and interaction with an alien specimen. It doesn't go well. Because Life unfolds entirely in zero-gravity, the characters on-board the International Space Station are unable to escape from the specimen on feet, and instead have to swim through the air. But Jake Gyllenhaal insisted that Life's villain isn't just the life-form wreaking havoc, as its dread comes in several other forms, too.
From the sound of things, the discovery of this alien life-form doesn't just put the International Space Station in immediate danger from the specimen itself, but it also begins to tear the crew apart, too, as they try to figure out how best to deal with it. Which is especially terrifying as Life's producers told us that the entire film unfolds on the ISS, so there's no chance of escape. You can get a brief taste of Life by checking out its trailer below.
As well as Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson, the cast for Life is rounded off by Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya. We don't have long until Life is with us and we get a better peak at the specimen, too, as it will finally be released on March 24.
