Life
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: March 24, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 44 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
24
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMar 23, 2017
If you lower your sights a few pegs and go in looking for a solid, tight B-movie that builds right until the final shot, there’s a lot to like. Read full review
76
The VergeTasha RobinsonMar 24, 2017
It’s a sleek and effective thriller, often scary and usually visually impressive. But too often, its reasons for doing absolutely anything amount to “because this is the way Alien did it.” Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 25, 2017
Just don’t expect this to be a light, escapist excursion into outer space. Even by sci-fi/horror standards, this is dark, gruesome, intense stuff. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedMar 23, 2017
Life is not a great film, but it has its thrills. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanMar 23, 2017
Life has cool effects, real suspense and a sweet twist. It ain’t rocket science, but it does what it does well — even, one might say, with a kind of genius. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Mar 23, 2017
Life is a B movie on an A budget, an old-fashioned creature feature that delivers its cheap thrills expensively. Read full review
75
The PlaylistDrew TaylorMar 19, 2017
Movies today are too long and overstuffed; Life is lean, mean, and terrifying. It doesn’t have much to say beyond “hold up, maybe we shouldn’t poke around uncharted terrain so much,” but with actors this committed, set pieces this exciting, and direction this confident, it doesn’t really matter. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaMar 27, 2017
As a final-girl structured horror film, it has plenty of imaginative moments. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMar 24, 2017
Life is efficiently constructed to unsettle audiences. It demonstrates both the pleasures and the limitations of doing a skillful job with familiar genre material. Read full review
70
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeMar 23, 2017
Life never reaches greatness, but it’s solidly good, from its earned scares to a spot-on ending. (Don’t let anyone ruin it for you.) The film’s tight spaces and layered audio will work best on the big screen; see it with someone whose wrist you can grab. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekMar 23, 2017
This is an effective and unsettling piece of filmmaking, partly because Gyllenhaal has one of the most sympathetic faces in movies today--it's haunted and haunting. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 18, 2017
Life’s a thrill when it’s smart, but it’s even more exciting when the characters are dumb — which is ultimately a paradox the film wears proudly, to the possible extinction of the human race. Read full review
67
MTV NewsAmy NicholsonMar 30, 2017
Like life itself, the film is unemotional and cruel. It hides its own nihilism behind grotesqueries that force the audience's stomachs to clench. We can't help feeling things. After all, we, too, are just collections of cells, and Espinosa plays our nervous system like a flamenco guitar in concert with head-pounding drums and nauseous trombones. Read full review
67
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMar 23, 2017
Espinosa overcomes any shortcomings in originality and logic with one of the most satisfying finales in recent memory. First impressions are important but a clever last impression makes Life worthwhile. Read full review
67
The Film StageJordan RaupMar 23, 2017
Despite a layer of derivative blandness with the formation of its characters and cribbing from sci-fi greats, there’s something downright invigorating about a film without loftier ambitions than providing slasher-in-space pulp. Read full review
63
USA TodayBrian TruittMar 24, 2017
It’s far from perfect, but Life’s worth living for two freaky hours. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 23, 2017
A grim and fairly effective cross between "The Martian" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"? Read full review
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