Exploring Life: A Sci-Fi Horror Homage to Alien and Hitchcock
Life, a 2017 sci-fi horror film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds, is a notable homage to Alien that also draws inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity. The film's production involved Industrial Light & Magic and Double Negative to create the vastness of outer space and zero-gravity environments. The story follows the crew aboard the International Space Station as they encounter Calvin, a highly evolved Martian creature that poses a deadly threat.
Directed by Daniel Espinosa, Life began development in 2015 and went into production in 2016 with a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal joined the cast, with Reynolds initially set to play the lead role but later taking on a smaller part due to scheduling conflicts. Rebecca Ferguson also joined the cast as CDC quarantine specialist Miranda North after initially declining the role.
The film's visual language was shaped by cinematographer Seamus McGarvey and production designer Nigel Phelps, with most of the filming taking place at Shepperton Studios in London. To simulate zero gravity, the actors were suspended on wires that were later removed digitally. The film's opening shot, created by Industrial Light & Magic and Double Negative, sets the tone for the claustrophobic and suspenseful atmosphere of the movie.
Director Daniel Espinosa injected film noir elements into the sci-fi narrative to keep audiences off balance and avoid predictability. The decision to kill off Ryan Reynolds's character early in the film was inspired by Hitchcock's Psycho. Composer Jon Ekstrand created a score reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann's work in Psycho and drew inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Life's success at the box office and with critics led to discussions of a sequel, but director Daniel Espinosa preferred to keep it as a standalone story. Despite rumors of a connection to Sony's Venom, Life remains a standalone and entertaining sci-fi thriller that pays homage to classic space horror films like Alien.