The film is so unashamed of its secondaryity that its title L I F E is written in exactly the same font as A L I E N. This film should not be called “Alive”, but “Alien”. It might have seemed interesting and original at one time, but it was almost 40 years late to do so. Over the decades of films on this topic came out just a mountain, of them low-budget, of course, more, but they also count. Back in the 90s, as a child, I watched many thrash films about how a tiny monster climbs into the body, grows there, then gets out, changes shapes, eats people and animals. I grew up on it, and then all of a sudden in 2017, there’s a movie about exactly the same thing. The authors did not even try to create something original, at least something unusual, they just passed a confident step on a standard set of clichés: life on Mars, a growing monster, the view from his eyes, parasitism, a gradually dying team, awesome plans of characters who do not work as they should. It’s not even spoilers, it would be a spoiler if I told you some detail of the film that you don’t know in advance, and there are no such things. And don’t say that it’s simply technically impossible to invent new stories these days. "The Cabin in the Woods" managed to do it with the horror-in-the-house genre, turning the whole movie, all expectations upside down. There is no reason why the same could not be done with the space monster genre, the problem is that the authors did not set such a goal. They're just making money. Make a movie, make money, and in a year no one will remember it. By comparison, The Something (which I don’t think is a masterpiece, just a normal movie) has been remembered and respected for decades.
Many horror movies take place mostly on Earth. Space horrors, of course, also exist, but they are much less. Therefore, I always follow with interest the release of new horror films on the space theme. In the movie "Live" all the action takes place on the space station, so it is a representative of this kind of horror.
In the story, a team of astronauts on the ISS conducts research on the surface of Mars. Studying rock samples, they find a single-celled creature, which indicates the presence of life on this planet. Trying to grow a living organism from a cell, the heroes do not even suspect what horrific events this can lead to.
What I really liked was the filmmakers’ attention to detail. I've never been to the space station, but that's how I imagined it. The zero gravity scenes look really cool, I have no idea how they were shot. I found information on the Internet that actors were hung on special cables, but still, everything looks so realistic that you can only applaud the director's team.
The life of astronauts is clearly shown. It was very interesting to see them doing research and doing anything. This is probably the only film where Russians are not shown bloodthirsty villains. On the contrary, the crew commander is a Russian woman who responds competently in emergency situations and is able to sacrifice her life for the benefit of all mankind. Although the rest of the characters are very nice characters, in terms of what they think about the purpose of the mission, and preventing harm to people on Earth, not their lives.
I also liked the technical aspects. The actors played well, special effects are also on top, camera work without complaints. I especially liked the scenes with the view from the eyes of the monster. By the way, the bloody moments also looked very impressive.
But in terms of story, I didn’t like a lot. The actions of the heroes sometimes seem illogical. And at one point, they were already preparing to die, when suddenly they remembered about the rescue capsules. How could they have forgotten about them? Deaths are also illogical, even silly.
I didn't like the ending either. It's not that I'm all that much of an advocate for all heroes to always survive, and everything in the world suddenly becomes perfect. But, endings like this, deceive the expectations of the audience, who throughout the film so much worried about the characters, and in the end got this.
In general, before us quite high-quality in technical terms horror on space themes. There are questions about the plot points, but they do not cover the overall positive impression, although they make a spoonful of tar.
6 out of 10
Actually, I'm not a horror fan. First of all, because they are only good because of the tension and elements of surprise, which are not impressive when viewed again. Secondly, because they don't strain the brain like detectives, who are very common with the aforementioned problem, but they make you think. "Live" isn't even a scary movie. And good, because I don't like that, and I watched this film to study Gyllenhaal's filmography. I was really hoping it wasn’t going to be so terrible and I’d give it 2 or 3 out of 10. But it's not that simple. 'Live' keeps much of the film under a bit of strain. So what is it about?
A group of astronauts studying the simplest organism they found on Mars, but the organism was not so simple. He begins to kill with the help of high intelligence and strong survivability.
The tension was created primarily because of at least some realism of what was happening. I don’t think it’s scientific, especially when it comes to monsters. But there's a little bit of confidence in what's going on, because it's been well explained and not gone too far beyond what's possible. So for the horror film is very good in terms of plot. The ending even surprised, I, however, predicted it, but to the end I did not believe that they would do this.
As for the characters, the cheliks are like cheliks. To worry about the motivation and characters of food for the monster did not particularly become, as always.
Tolerable horror with a good cast and a slightly unexpected ending.
5 out of 10
Probably every director who makes a horror film, which takes place in space, secretly dreams of making his "Alien". And Daniel Espinosa in some places even succeeded.
I love Alien a lot. It's a sure '10 out of 10' from me, but even I understand that Ridley Scott's classic horror had its blunders and inconsistencies. However, time has made a cult film out of the picture - and quite deservedly, because the atmosphere, the monster and Ripley performed by Sigourney Weaver have not lost their power over the years and remain standard.
At the same time, all followers are not as an example more difficult, since in the era of the Internet their creations are disassembled almost frame-by-frame, finding all sorts of absurdities and putting a stamp “cheap crafts”. However, if you turn off the film critic and include the viewer, it turns out that “Live” is a good film, and even very much.
An atmosphere of helplessness before an invincible enemy? Got it. Bright and memorable scenes? Got it. With the characters, of course, worse: none of them threaten to become a cult, but Reynolds, Gyllenhall, Sanada and the rest of the actors clearly do not drag the picture down. But the tension is present, you worry about their characters - and I'm sure very few will decide to throw the film halfway. And the scene of the first death of an astronaut in its nightmarishness and acting the actor can rival even the scene of the death of Kane from the same “Alien”.
What about the monster? Well, this is, of course, not well-known xenomorph, but also quite remarkable creature. True, I did not quite like what was made of it towards the end (the muzzle was definitely superfluous), but it is interesting to watch the first two thirds of the film for its development.
The film runs a little over an hour and a half, and the timing is spent quite wisely. Although there are a couple of dialogues in the film, from the disappearance of which the movie would not lose anything, absolutely most of the time on the screen, something happens, moving the story forward.
As a result, Espinosa got a very strong horror in space, which has all the advantages that a film of this nature should have. Not to the extent of recognizing it as genius, but enough to get one of the best representatives of the subgenre of "horror film in space."
8 out of 10
Here comes another monster-movie. With a good cast and places even a strong plot, making you look to the end with interest. There is atmosphere, there is drama, there is suspense. There's not even the much-loved moviemakers from the Hollywood Hills idiocy on a large scale. So what did I think was “average”?
When inspired by "Alien" is not bad, then there is still "Alien: Covenant". As I wrote above, there is no stupidity, it is not enough here, but it influenced the plot. Astronauts with "guests" behave like children with combat weapons. After all, in reality, no explorer will play with a creature that only finds its place with a new species for him. Here it was the starting point for the events that unfold on the screen. Otherwise, the film is not bad, but the film would not have been if the astronauts were not taken on the ad. The ending, it just killed me. It just wasn’t possible with the way things went. The feeling is that Espinoza and Co wanted a sequel with all their heart, right during the final editing.
The rest of the film is good and very good, but could have been better. About how everything looks on the screen, it makes no sense to praise the visual part of the picture. Everything was done perfectly.
In general, the "Live" film is a good idea and even a good performance, but the stupidity is obvious at the beginning and the ending taken from "out of nowhere" spoils the impression.
6 out of 10
A group of researchers on the ISS receive samples of Martian soil, on which they find, presumably, a single-celled organism. On Earth, people rejoice, celebrate the discovery and call the first in the history of mankind alien “Calvin”. In the process of development, Calvin turns out to be a multicellular intelligent organism that falls into suspended animation in the absence of oxygen. Research and laboratory experiments conducted by scientists on a living object are clearly not to the liking of the alien, and he decides to escape, simultaneously capturing the entire space station.
The whole film is a battle between the crew of the ship and an alien organism. Separately, it is worth noting how Russians are depicted here: this is one of the few foreign films where Russians are shown as heroes, not stupider or worse than Americans. The captain of the expedition Russian Ekaterina Golovkina gives the order to destroy Calvin ... but it is too late.
Astronauts are faced with a difficult choice: try to destroy the alien and escape on life capsules ... or follow the safety protocol, which states that in the case of a biological, and even more extraterrestrial threat, it is necessary to isolate the compartments of the station, which are vital to the astronauts themselves. Which is more important – your own life or the lives of seven billion people on the planet?
The creature is a cross between an alien and an octopus. Yes, the flight of fantasy in terms of depicting alien life is completely absent. Though we may have eaten. But in any case, this movie is better than growing potatoes in the movie “The Martian”.
In “Live” there are quite long dialogues, which, however, did not cause me sympathy and feelings of empathy for the characters. The ending is spectacular, and it is worth watching to the end for it. The film is for once, but given the fact that more or less normal films about space come out extremely rarely, thank you for this.
6 out of 10
Horror? No, not horror. High-quality science fiction with elements of horror or action movie.
The horror genre is far-fetched, but that's my opinion. After this film, you will not look under the bed looking for someone else, you will not write out of fear, like from real Japanese horror, but you still belong to the genre because of scenes of violence. In the recently viewed 'Elysium: Heaven is not on Earth' the characters are spread by grenades more potent than in this film, and the age rating is lower, and the genre is an action movie.
In general, if you expect a horror like the run-down 'Alien', the film does not fit a little more than completely. It’s not about that at all, and the extraterrestrial life form was not originally going to kill anyone, the acquaintance went to naught because of a mistake, first an astronaut, then a laboratory animal. The alien, faced with aggression, in fact, began to defend himself, and not to mow everyone’s faces for no apparent reason as in ' Alien', which brings this film to a completely different level, not so broadly demanded as just horror.
High-quality science fiction, taking place in our time on the ISS, without overt blunders as in 'Martian' and 'Gravity' at least here I did not notice pseudoscience, extraterrestrial life form does not count. With elements of drama. Heroes here do not soak their pants when they see danger, act logically, reason, even philosophize in the distance from the enemy.
A separate word about the heroes, there will be no long backstory as in the series 'LOST', the format does not allow, but as much as it was possible to introduce each hero individually, this time was devoted, and each astronaut here is not thoughtless fodder for the enemy, as it happens in the genre 'horror', but the character about whom is told, who is guided not only by circumstances, but also his own experience.
Special attention deserves the attitude of the American film to other nations and themselves. There will be no American superheroes, there will be no excessive patriotism, there is a Russian heroine, played by Olga Dykhovichny. A rare case for American cinema, where the Russians are not bastards, and the character is represented by a hero, where the Americans do not brag about their merits, but remember the unsuccessful launch of the Challenger.
Really rare, another such case was in the film 'Predators' 2010, where even the actor Oleg Taktarov himself noted that for the first time he had to play the role of a Russian, who is a positive character in an American film.
In 'Live' even allowed the phrase: ' This station was built thanks to Russia, and alsoUS and China'. In addition to the fact that the Russian viewer, who is not offended by his homeland, will enjoy watching and hearing all this, it is a remarkable fact that American cinema does not adhere to its usual course. Even the Russian proverb was remembered 'Slow down, then you will' which in the English version of the film sounds like: 'How do you say? Slow is fast?' That's great! Even in the original voiceover of Dykhovic Russian accent, a real Russian accent, and not in the style of Arnold Schwarzeneger.
Abstracting from the nations - it's science fiction, without film blunders, horror in the background, an even interesting plot without clichés, there are elements of drama and a relatively deep study of characters, I recommend to watch.
To be honest, we didn’t really read the description of the film, we saw a beautiful poster on the space theme, Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal on it and sat down to watch. As it turned out, it was like a horror movie. 'Type' because to call this movie scary is not going to turn my tongue. At the beginning of the film, there were several scenes that rather cause some hostility, but certainly not frightening, and then ... well, we could already insert at least a couple of screamers, since nothing else could scare.
The plot tells about a multinational team of six astronauts who dock to the ISS capsule (?), which was the first samples of Martian soil. And then right at the station (in order not to expose the Earth to danger) began the study of the soil. On it, of course, was discovered life (the title of the film ' live ' aha), which began very quickly to gain strength and develop. As a result, she breaks free, and then you understand.
If you want to see this movie in the first place because Reynolds and Gyllenhaal are playing there, then I'll tell you one thing: ' don't cost' These are not actors that are of interest. Yes, there is nothing unusual in this: in films of this type, no impressive acting can be discussed. Well, let's be honest: horror movies are not usually taken by acting (of course there are exceptions). But this movie is not scary! So what's in it? Um, just a second. It has a gross violation of the laws of physics and biology, the illogical and stupid actions of the characters are also present, the repetition of almost the same actions for an hour at once, an incredibly timely solution to the hopeless situation also on the spot, brooding philosophical poems and statements of the characters who are in the middle of the film in complete calm, when everything around is rolling into tartartararas, too here, and of course where without ... but no, that’s all. There's nothing else in the movie. And I'm not talking about the ending that just left me confused. As for Reynolds and Gyllenhaal, it seems to me that they were not going to do anything special here, the guys just came together to hang out on a green background, I can’t blame them for this.
5 out of 10
The success of the cult picture of Ridley Scott for many years does not give rest to many modern directors. The theme of space and extraterrestrial life like a magnet attracts all fans of “Alien”. Kilograms of films have shown us how beautiful and terrible the universe is. You can calm down. But. “Have you seen Gyllenhaal as an astronaut? That's what I mean. So in the cinema is not all said yet" - apparently thought Daniel Espinosa and decided that such a picture "mast heavy" in his list of works.
The beginning (and end) of this film is the story. No matter how the authors try to get out, they say “Alien” served as a source of inspiration, but their creation is just a puff without a hint of novelty. It seems that there is nothing to complain about, but you will not reconsider. A group of explorers of all races and nationalities, the alien Ono, the cosmos, in some places the lack of logic in actions - and now you already foresee the whole course of events.
It seems ridiculous and inappropriate to call the alien Calvin. Because of this scenario, in the moments of mentioning the creature by name, it seemed to me that the crew was not being hunted by a dangerous creature, but by a boy with a mental disorder.
The characters are flat. There are a couple of lines, there are two words, a little heroism and intimate conversations – this formula was applied, in my opinion, to all the heroes of this story. Everything is monotonous, without complex emotions and any attempts to reveal their individuality and importance in the team. Hence the feeling that you are sitting on the shore, looking at the calm. Everything is quiet, smooth and calm. Somewhere in the distance, ships sink one by one. But you don't want to help them.
Only a qualitative visual range saves the situation. And a couple of big names in the cast.
The box office failure made it clear that it was enough to feed what had long been boring. Change the filling or the sauce. The recipe is outdated.
And the producers are thinking, "What happens if you mix a fantastic Alien movie with a light version of Gravity?" Why, light? Because the action will take place more in a spaceship than in outer space. Make a bloodthirsty monster harmless first. And put the events of the film in the near future, where there is a connection with the Earth and so on (a la “Martian”). Something we got carried away, and on the output was the film “Live”. A fantastic thriller about an invulnerable alien creature who hates the human race and kills a spacecraft in a confined space.
At first glance, everything looks painfully familiar, but nothing more. Of course, there is no denying that the creators were inspired by a series of films about xenomorphs, but the attempt to perform independently counts. Here, the events of the film in the not so distant future as at the source of inspiration, which makes the picture more close and understandable, the characters do not utter themselves through chur, in scientific terms, as in Interstellar, and the actors are all pleasant and family. In some places, the film inflates a small suspense and a sense of enclosed space, which strongly plays into the hand and convey emotions during viewing.
The film is great for a pleasant time of pastime in pleasant company and friends or just alone with your soul mate. It is understandable to any viewer, perfectly conveys emotions and does not strain much. So if you want to spend a pleasant evening watching interesting, then safely turn on "Live". I hope you will not regret it.
You can talk a lot about graphics, acting or special effects, but the basis of everything is the plot, the script.
And in this film, he was either written on his knee, or deliberately left so stupid that it is difficult to believe. Seriously, aren’t writers and directors ashamed of such a scenario?
It seems that a herd of 3-year-old morons works on the ISS, all actions are illogical, the station and the laboratory do not have any protection from such situations, the monster is generally included in a cheat on Luck +100500, because the total stupidity of everyone and the surrounding events and “coincidences” create all the conditions for a great life, just bring it on a saucer, and he counting slowly collects bonuses.
I generally keep silent that if the monster was even smarter, it could multiply like nothing to do, and potentially such a risk is great, but no one stops contact with him, everyone grabs each other, fights with him, save others after contact. They openly say, fuck the protocols, there is a person eating! He grew from a single cell, didn’t he?
This film is a complete disappointment on the script, and without it to evaluate another simply does not make sense. This film with its submission does not give a chance to watch it in an easy mode and turning a blind eye to shortcomings.
4 out of 10
"Alien on Minimal Matches", "Independence Day for Six", "Faculty in Zero Gravity" or "My Favorite Martian for Adults". You can endlessly compare the next cosmo-thriller with the ageless classics of the genre, because the topic is not new. Crisis of ideas, secondary plots, boring characters, predictable denouement ... I say, watching most new movies. It's a little different in "Live."
Yes, the topic of hostile alien life has already become much boring to the viewer. But how often have we seen this notorious extraterrestrial life in the embryonic stage? See her intellectual and physical development. The new space threat will begin with this. Without excessively boring scientific and disputes about right and wrong, everything develops quite dynamically and informatively clear. Heroes meet the unknown and try to understand it. The main engine of the plot is human curiosity combined with stupidity. And the counter to that is an extremely clever and cunning alien trash. A minimum of empty dialogue, snot and other melodramatic. Although it would probably be worth adding ten minutes of screen time to reveal the characters, and then you had to worry more about only the Japanese, since his wife and child are waiting on Earth. Nothing was said about the rest, except for a couple of touching short memories from life. But the movie is about survival. This applies to both humans and the Martian organism. A struggle of minds in which the feelings and emotions of being "upright" are not an advantage. Plus, good visualization, to the extent of intrigue and unexpected solutions. Of course, this is not “Alien” Ridley Scott, and not “Something” John Carpenter, if you want, you can cling to some minor flaws and inflate them to the level of “everywhere xenomorphs”, but I will not.
In general, “Live” is a good entertaining movie with an interesting idea and not a bad implementation. Everything is evenly dosed. And thriller, and action, and drama. With the potential to continue, but better not, as the story is self-sufficient and finished. All fans of the genre are recommended.
Being a big fan of "Alien" and "Aliens" and having read a lot of negative reviews about the film by Daniel Espinosa, I started watching "Alive" with great skepticism. Another horror film about how something unearthly kills a group of people who find themselves in a confined space. What could be more banal, if besides, the director himself did not hide the fact that he was inspired to create the film by the famous Ridley Scott picture, shot almost 40 years ago?
Criticism, however, and the film was surprisingly good. There is nothing truly shocking in it, many of its plot moves are predictable, and magnificent views of the cosmos, after "Gravity", "Interstellar" and "The Martian", although they look great, but are no longer able to impress the sophisticated viewer. And yet the picture was made qualitatively and shot, obviously, with an eye on a certain audience. The one that does not harbor rainbow illusions about the possible meeting of humanity with extraterrestrial life, and for which any harmless-looking alien amoeba carries a frightening threat that makes you cramp into the back of the chair, waiting for the inevitable appearance on the screen of the first, but not the last human victims.
Espinosa does not seek to attract with his picture the viewer who likes to solve intricate intellectual problems, a la Ridley Scott’s Prometheus or at least the already mentioned Interstellar Mr. Nolan. It's pretty simple here. There are six homo sapiens and there is something that can destroy them. Not because it is initially evil and hostile to people, but because it tries to win and survive in a battle with alien humanity.
Death in the film is expected, but it is no less terrible. The place of action is not a spacecraft wandering in the depths of space in the distant future and not an unknown planet hidden by millions of stars, but the well-known International Space Station (ISS), whose crew is headed by a Russian (!) woman cosmonaut. The alien monster is also not from the depths of space, but only from Mars. At the same time, the news of the discovery of alien life becomes the main theme of the international television show, and the future monster receives a very earthly name Kelvin - in honor of the name of one of the schools, whose students, along with other children, with enthusiastic ecstasy meet the news of the contact of humanity with extraterrestrial intelligence.
Some of the astronauts behave like children at first. After all, Kelvin for the time being looks quite harmless and even beautiful, resembling either a starfish or a beautiful flower in shape. But Espinosa skillfully creates a suspense atmosphere and none of the spectators is deceived by this illusion of defenselessness and beauty, which at the right time will turn into a ruthless and completely inhuman inside out.
Compared to many similar films, "Live" is surprisingly realistic not only due to the setting and background of Kelvin's appearance on the ISS, but also due to the crew of the ship. Here, the heroes seem to be a familiar group of astronauts. There are no contrived conflicts between them, no ostentatious heroism. When trouble strikes, they don’t panic, but work together according to existing instructions to prevent a possible catastrophe. They sacrifice their lives, not in a pathetic way or in obedience to a sudden impulse, but in a deliberate and purposeful manner, and this makes it especially frightening when these sacrifices are in vain one by one.
The monster in the film is also much more “grounded” than in “Alien”, but this is no less terrible. The problem is not that the ship does not know what the creature is, where it hides and where it can get out – the problem is that knowing this, there are not enough capabilities and suitable weapons to kill it. Because the creature is tenacious, agile and smarter than humans.
Does this mean that the outcome of the fight is predetermined? Espinosa does not answer this question until the last minute. The denouement of the picture for someone will be unexpected, for someone predictable, but it will be difficult in any case. The same as the heavy and powerful musical chords in the finale of the film, capable of breaking through the protective barriers in the psyche of a sensitive viewer. The atmosphere that Espinosa creates is truly inspiring with its gloom and turns out to be unexpectedly convincing.
Of course, this film is not without flaws. After digging, you can find obvious anti-scientific mistakes, the actions of the characters are not always smart and logical, the beginning of the film for someone may seem long. And yet, in my opinion, Espinosa managed to shoot a very tense, spectacular, realistic and atmospheric space horror movie with a really powerful ending. That’s what I always want to see in movies like this.
Therefore, I highly recommend watching. And let my assessment be subjectively inflated, but I want the rating of this film to rise higher. He deserves it.
So, a new film in the genre of science fiction slasher. To produce such a picture means, on the one hand, to pay tribute to the past, on the other - seemingly to create something of their own. Why the past? Because we have already seen a lot of space horror films, where the plot is based on a scheme that has already been stuffed for so many years: astronauts (or space carriers of cargo) are in outer space, land somewhere, find some fragment of an unknown life form, take it on board. And then terrible things start to happen on the ship. As a result, only one survives, miraculously defeating a creepy and aggressive alien. It reminds me. 'Live' - a gloomy and banal picture with this plot scheme, which in the late seventies was visually drawn by Ridley Scott and his entire team in the notorious 'Alien'. At that time, this scheme was a breath of air for Hollywood, now it is a worn-out, holed cinematic technique. Astronauts do not envy, in principle, years in outer space, where anything can happen at any time. But the views of the planets are beautiful.
Actors somehow do not show their skill - dialogues like neighbors near the entrance, they always do something. You just can’t see them in the first few minutes of the movie. The appearance of the main antagonist is not comparable in any way with the same 'Alien'. There was a huge monster, whose body looked more like a pipeline with a carburetor than the body of an alien creature - but this alien was the scarecrow. He was frightened by his quiet walk, by hiding in the details of the ship. In ' Live' the monster is more like some amphibian or famous toy 'lizun', only transparent. Again, it is not clear how such a creature could have caused enormous harm to both crew members and the ship. And all because of scientific interest, curiosity killed the cat. It's also a pretty jaded reception. And yet, strangely, a few adults, far from being stupid, can’t lock the monster and close all the holes.
The only thing that is really powerful is the ending. Here, the filmmakers tried to fame, and gave the climax. A one-time movie, to be honest.
Looking at the trailers, I really wanted to go to this movie and it disappointed me. First of all, it's a creepy cheating alien. Second, a squalid open final that looks like it won't close anymore. Thirdly, the illogicality in the cheating qualities of the alien.
But I liked the beginning of the movie. It was really science fiction with its assumptions. And then there was a dance that turned out the lights. According to the information on the page, the basis for the film was ' Alien' Ridley Scott. But the Alien had sluggish spots and didn't act so openly. The alien had clearly written strong and weak qualities. There is just some all-powerful alien who, being a cell, was able to evolve almost in an instant into a physically and intellectually developed alien individual with absolutely no weaknesses. And he does not need oxygen - he can be in airless space and feel cheerful, fire does not take him - a direct stream from the plasma burner he did not even scratch, and then it turned out that he is still versed in living planets and skills piloting rescue shuttles. Well, fire that. Where is it that a week-long burp of a sick screenwriter has such knowledge??? I'm not talking about the pressure differences inside and outside the space station. From the very beginning, this creature recognized the fire-fighting valves and with the help of the scriptwriter climbed out.
The crew of the ship is not sympathetic either. In 'Alien' although it was clear that the team is united and there are some characters. There are also some tantrums without any clear action plans in case of emergency situations.
But the finale killed me. And the twist is not a twist, damn it. At first I thought it was a prologue to Venom. Because it's very similar. In addition, Jake expressed a desire to play in a comic book about Spider-Man. But Tom Hardy has already decided to play for Venom. That’s why the finals remain open and I don’t like open finals. This again makes the film incomplete in the spirit of 'Something'. But Something was not invulnerable and, with proper ingenuity, infection could have been avoided. It's just a scam.
Moreover, first they show that the alien needs an atmosphere, and then he jumps in a vacuum. And in the end, he was led like a dog by oxygen lamps. Lights in general. . .
Only the sound and the overall quality of the picture please. With that beginning, it could have been a fantastic movie. It was a bit of a mess.
“What I feel is unscientific, irrational. I feel bad about hate. Hate this thing!
"Live" is a fantastic horror film where the action takes place in space (doesn't it remind you of anything by chance?). The director-director was the Swedish filmmaker Daniel Espinosa, known for the films “Strange Money”, “Cape Town Access Code & #34; and the failed “Number 44”. The writers were a creative duo consisting of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who worked on such films as Welcome to Zombieland and Deadpool. By the way, in “Cape Town Access Code”" and “Deadpool” the main roles were played by Ryan Reynolds, which can explain his participation in “Live”, because this time he is not on the main plan and will spend on the screen somewhere with only half an hour. In addition to Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal is involved in the film, who has already consented to the shooting in the new project of Daniel Espinosa, Rebecca Ferguson and our Olga Dykhovichnaya. The intriguing genre of "Live", not the worst director, good screenwriters and a strong cast - and we have the right to demand a good movie!
So, everything begins, as for the genre, very usually: a space expedition, everyone is cheerful, communicate with each other, joke, but meanwhile remain true professionals in their field and are distinguished by a special erudition. After one of the experiments, an extraterrestrial creature appears on the ship, which is immediately reported to Earth. And people are happy with the news, because it is finally proven that extraterrestrial life forms exist, and therefore we are not alone in the Galaxy! But scientists from the spacecraft carefully approach the find and carefully try to study it. But even complete and thoughtful caution is not a complete protection and soon the lives of all crew members are in danger, but in addition, they also think about how not to deliver a deadly cargo to our mortal planet.
I am sure that many have found similarities with the classics of the genre “Alien”. Yes, while watching “Live”, certain associations and parallels arise all the time, but still Espinosa managed to separate his film from “Alien” as much as possible. Therefore, a potential viewer wants to give a banal, but necessary advice: before watching “Live” try to completely abstract from the memories of “Alien”. I also liked the visuals in "Live", for example, the same extraterrestrial creature - a rare abomination that immediately had to be thrown overboard. But the footage of being in space for some reason inspired memories of “Gravity”, although the latter is much more powerful in terms of visual characteristics. And there is another reason to blame Daniel Espinosa – the lack of proper atmosphere. I really wanted to be overwhelmed by feelings of fear and panic, but this often did not happen. And yet, despite noticeable flaws, "Live" does not cause irritation or even rejection, looks intriguing and whole.
Now I'll speak for the actors. Ryan Reynolds has already been mentioned above, but just in case I repeat for his many fans that the actor in “Live” is not so much. Probably tired Reynolds after a mega-successful role in “Deadpool”, and even filming in “The bodyguard of the killer” passed. But Jake Gyllenhaal plays the main male role in “Live”. To be honest, I like this actor more and more recently, and I hope that the day when he will win the well-deserved Oscar is not far off. He’s a pretty good self-sacrificing scientist, but in any case, I’ll say that Gyllenhaal’s talent allows him more, but you don’t always get roles like Patrol, Prisoners and Stringer, right? Rebecca Ferguson pleased with the game in “Mission Impossible: Tribe of Outcasts”, disappointed with the picture “In spite of falling snow”, and now “Alive”. I played well, but, to confess, I wanted more from her, I wanted rehabilitation for the snow. But if we consider the tandem of Gyllenhaal and Ferguson, then there are no complaints.
Well, not every day there is a horror movie, where stars of the first magnitude take part. Of course, due to the fact that Gyllenhaal, Ferguson and Reynolds play in Live, the quality requirements of the viewer will be overstated. I agree with the opinion that not everything went well with the director of the film Daniel Espinosa, but, in general, “Live” did not cause any special criticism. However, we have to state that this fantastic horror film is a one-time spectacle and the symbiosis of “Alien” with “Gravity” turned out to be slightly above the average estimate. But I will raise it only because of the memories of the ending, when it became in my own way hurtful and really scary.
7 out of 10
The space station is the best place to show character
A large number of viewers try to compare the film with the creation of Ridley Scott & #39; Alien & #39; 1979, when astronauts face an unknown life form that poses a threat to their survival. I think that if we take on the parallels, then the film 'Live' quite easily fits into the semantic load given to us by Scott in the film 'Prometheus' in 2012. Therefore, in the modern era, directors and producers instead of professionals send real mentally and psychologically degraded personalities into space.
Producers believe that for commercially successful thrillers/horror movies, it is necessary to provide films with a large abundance of action with an increased number of violent scenes. And if the action takes place in space, then the participants will have almost no maneuvers to act other than the desire to survive in these inhuman conditions.
A brave team of astronauts performs a mission during which they consciously encounter an unknown life form. The alien, who was affectionately named 'Kelvin', under the influence of circumstances, could not appreciate the hospitality of earthlings, so he shows character. This state of affairs does not suit the crew of the ship and launches a struggle for survival, in which people, as organic beings, experience great difficulties. The film meditative beginning of which resembles Sci-fi project very quickly goes into the category 'meat' horror. Fans of watching the madness of the crew come to a wild delight, and the audience who grew up on good fiction during what they saw on the screen have serious questions.
Flight in space has not yet acquired a mass character, as travel on public transport. For this expensive event, the best of the best are selected. Perhaps there is a fantastic reality show on planet Earth. Therefore, the best representatives were selected for the flight, under the strict guidance of which all actions will look as spectacular as possible, and the ratings of the show will grow. This explains the fact that the team was such 'deep ' experts ready for any unforeseen situations. Those who have their own opinion on any question, who believe that the instructions were invented by cowards, and taking pills for bipolar disorder is the lot of the weak.
Character ' Calvin' assessing the situation and worrying about the mental state of the crew decides to help the poor to retire. But apparently, the radiation reached not only the members of the ship, but also the team of writers, so broken souls rush around the screen, commit insane acts, forget about the goals of the mission. The audience begins to support Calvin, asking him to end the suffering of our actors as soon as possible. But the station's engineers overdid their product so much that it takes Kelvin time to fill out all the workbooks correctly and pay the due interest. The crew helps Calvin with all their might, runs around the ship, but the heaviness on the heart of the viewer with each time from what they saw more and more. I already want to go and quickly register everyone for retirement bypassing the social insurance fund, but there is only 30 minutes of the film.
Calvin is the only positive hero. Having assessed the script, the work of the actors, the lack of logic, complete ignorance of the rules of life of the space station and ordinary physics, he decides that such creators need to save the audience, which is what all screen time is doing, and then he goes for producers. A seasoned expert will argue that this is a feature film in which the liberties of the director are allowed. I assure you that a good movie is always about people, and the entourage in order to be able to show these qualities. In the film ' Live', the writers apparently decided differently, so they did not leave the director any chances.
There is an important idea in the film - the beginning of the conflict begins with the fact that a particularly advanced scientist decides that it is not boring to cause an alien reaction and violently electrocutes him, and as we know intelligent beings respond to aggression with aggression.
3 out of 10
After Ridley Scott showed the world Alien in 1979, no one could come up with a more terrifying and interesting monster from space. Probably, only John Carpenter’s Something can compete with Alien, although the action takes place on Earth.
But still there are worthy examples that the genre has not yet died, and sometimes you can see a film that can be compared above the above-mentioned paintings, "Live" is a worthy example of this.
When a group of scientists from the ISS received samples from Mars, they decided to recreate life. The discovery was stunning and proved that man is not alone in the universe. They revived the creature and gave it the name Calvin, but no one assumed that Calvin was not as friendly and kind as his new friends.
One thing is good, the film completely follows the laws of the genre. Space, a group of people in a confined space and a threat that is getting more dangerous and dangerous by the minute. It is such films that viewers love, where there is no place for unnecessary snot and conversation, where there are no hopes for a happy ending, and the alien Calvin proved that he will not show us a happy ending.
If you think about what people wanted to know when they revived this animal? He, in fact, acted according to his own laws of nature, he was revived and electrocuted. He began to defend himself, and then he was governed by simple animal instincts, namely, he needs to eat, drink, protect himself and reproduce. Man knew this, but did not take into account, man is strong, but forgets that there may be something stronger than himself.
As a result, “Live” is a great fantastic movie, with a wonderful cast. Calvin certainly does not reach the xenomorph, but still an inventive monster.
8 out of 10
'Live' is a Daniel Espinosa film in which six astronauts from the US, UK, Japan and Russia discover life on Mars. In the soil, they found a single-celled organism that is dormant. The researchers managed to wake him up, creating favorable conditions for life, but after waking up, the cell began to multiply and evolve very intensively, which led to terrible consequences.
Previous Espinosa films were not as successful (' Number 44', ' Access Code Keyputan' with the same Ryan Reynolds) as this one. The entire team of creators worked hard on this picture.
The actors (Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds and others) approached their characters very responsibly, they performed their roles magnificently, and most importantly got used to the role and were able to convey all the experiences and feelings of the characters.
The music in the film harmonizes very well with the scenes in it. Audio recordings are elegantly suited to this genre of cinema. In my opinion, this is the playlist and should be a fantastic horror movie.
The script of the film does not contain silly dialogue and some brightly distinguished shortcomings. There are minor disadvantages in the form of well-established claws, but the originality in the picture did not decrease from this. The film was interesting and not boring to watch. Lots of unexpected twists and a very good ending. This is not to say that the film is completely predictable. And throughout the timekeeping, it is not always possible to predict what will happen next, as it happens in many films.
Operator's work was high. The film was made and edited just fine. The camera on the space station showed gravity in various coups. Watching the film in the cinema, the impression was that either you are on the ISS, or you just very smoothly flip the film, and this makes you want to tilt / turn your head. Special effects were at the proper level, and the space is shown very colorful and impressive. In general, it looks quite pleasant and unnecessary details do not cut your eyes.
Throughout the viewing, you understand that the creators were inspired by all the famous film Ridley Scott & #39; Alien & #39; (1979), which is not surprising for this genre of cinema, because this franchise should serve as an example for such films.
The film was a bit heavy in psychological terms, sometimes scary and often kept in suspense, so the rating 'R'(18+) it received justified.
In general, positive emotions remain after viewing. In 2017, the film really cost money to go to, and even better in 3D. Not often on the screens comes something good, and this film is clearly from the category of those that are worth seeing in the cinema.
I remember being in theaters and I didn’t want to go to that movie. From the trailer, it was clear that this is a plot clone of “Alien” about how a bunch of astronauts fight a space infection, and we know that such films rarely bring something new, and just use used clichés. But later, I became interested in the film, got acquainted with it, and now I can say that I was wrong. “Live” is just a cool cosmohorror.
The film tells us how a group of astronaut scientists from the ISS picked up a capsule with a living organism that flew from Mars and began to study it. But the Martian was completely unfriendly and wanted to taste people. And you know, the first thing that I liked most was the heroes themselves. They all turned out well in this film, all good and they are shown by a real team. Just as we know, the cliché of any movie where there is a group of people is to show how they quarrel with each other, how they work out relationships because of a love triangle, methods of command, etc. It was absolutely everywhere, in Interstellar, in Star Trek and even in the same Alien, and we have to watch half the movie as the team sorts out relationships when someone is hunting them and it is infuriating. So in "Live" there is no such thing, here the characters are a real team and friends, they do not punch each other because of contrived conflicts, on the contrary, they work together and help each other. And it was nice to see that for some time we saw real professionals, as it seems to me, this is happening on the ISS, where astronauts are really united.
Characters also do not infuriate, each of them is good in their own way, you want to watch them, and you empathize with them all, because they are not shown as stupid imbiciles, but as people who want to survive. And yes, surprisingly, in this film, the expedition commander is a Russian cosmonaut who is also a full-fledged member of the team, a resourceful commander, and she makes one of the biggest contributions to the cause along the way. I was even surprised by this fact, we know what relations the United States and Russia are in today, how the Americans usually portray the Russians (in “Gravity” because of them and the whole disaster occurred), but now comes out “Live”, where the Russian girl leads the ISS expedition and it pleases. From Lev Andropov, so not proud of the Russian character in the movie.
As far as the story goes, he's really awesome. The film is very creepy and disturbing, due to the fact that the Martian who got to the station is practically invulnerable: fire, vacuum, chemistry, he is not afraid of anything. And it really scares along the way, in this "Live" definitely wins against "Alien", because "Alien" is just a slasher in space, there xenomorph did not cause such a feeling, well, he was stronger than the whole team, but you knew that he could be defeated. But in "Live" is not, astronauts can do almost nothing with the alien and the film looks goosebumps, because you do not know how the heroes will be saved.
The individual feature is the ending. How wrong I was when I thought this movie would repeat all the clichés, including the happy ending. I can not describe, but believe me, the ending is very creepy and awakens the anxiety and desire of the sequel, which seems not to be. One ending is worth watching the whole movie.
Conclusion: "Live" is certainly not a revolutionary film, it does not bring something new. It won’t surprise you with incredible visuals like Blade Runner 2049, it won’t show beautiful panoramas of space like Interstellar or some swirling action movie like Alien: Covenant. But “Lives” is just a very cool thriller, watching which, you really will be on the creeps and watch it to the end, which I guarantee, you will just surprise. Personally, I think that “Live”, if not the best, then one of the best films of 2017.
10 out of 10
A lure for fans of science and space fiction. But, such films are not shot according to the canons of a third-rate horror film, when the main characters and the plot of the film, contrary to the laws of logic and common sense, do everything possible to drink out faster. Saved on consultants. The ISS flies in geostationary orbit, easily losing contact with the ground. No duplicate systems or backup channels. The fuel's close. About the docking with the Union and subsequent events in general will be silent. Astronauts take only idiots, hysterics and suffering from post-traumatic syndrome. The only thing that pleases, decently showed the Russian cosmonaut, who did not drink vodka, did not wear a cotton jacket and a Ushanka hat, did not express loyalty to the precepts of communism, and at the cost of her life tried to save the rest and not let someone else back to the station.
Horror lovers will also be disappointed. The alien isn't scary at all. A cute, translucent jellyfish. Well, yeah, he's kind of dangerous, killing everyone on the mission and potentially all life on earth. But, all this he does absolutely without tear and drama. By and large, no one is sorry. I don't know why he's such an extremophile. Fire, ultraviolet, cosmic radiation, weightlessness, vacuum - for him seeds. In suspended animation can experience adverse conditions for thousands of years. Yeah, but there's not enough acid for blood. Tardigrades smoke nervously on the sidelines. Not otherwise, he was genetically brought out by a crazy robot-android to be friends with a stranger from another franchise. There is no other reasonable explanation. It is equally incomprehensible how a brainless, primitive creature can act in such a systematic and rational way as opposed to crew members. The ending is just as crazy as the whole movie. The filmmakers did not bother to explain the castling of rescue capsules.
The sky under the feet, bubbling with death silence
This is classic creep. As the father of Uncle Fedor from Prostokvashino said – “live and real”. Live and real creep. It’s as if the underbelly monster of your childhood nightmares suddenly comes to life in adult reality and makes you admit that you are – and were. From the beginning. And that’s because the technology has come to this.
Horror attracts attention with its banal realism. In principle, a monster is possible. Here it is, millions of miles away from your face, and here it is at your nose, or breathing down the back of your head. Not really. Not even breathing. Just silent behind your back. You don't know. You don't know yet.
We are shown the life of the crew of the space station - quite real, these days. Six men hovering in an iron box high above the sky. For us, the blackness is below, under our feet, and the sky above our heads, they have the opposite – the sky under our feet, the blackness above our eyes. A kind of natural unnaturalness that a century ago was unnatural and unattainable. And when you look at them floating in zero gravity, you begin to believe in a miracle. And a movie about such a miracle. But not the miracle you usually expect. This is a miracle that has become so material that it has turned into a monster.
Airless space is the best for soullessness. And also for hopelessness, for meaninglessness and, of course, where there is a place of soullessness, hopelessness and meaninglessness, demons find refuge. And often we come into these spaces without anything, and when we get tired of it, we really want to catch something. And then they are ready to attract something into their lives. Not even dead.
A movie about flirting with the universe, with mystery - a game of hide-and-seek with an unknown and terrible expanse, where you are just squeezing atoms in the palm of blackness embracing you from all sides. Let's play with a billion years of evolution in our hands, let's stick a stick at it. What happens? Dostoevsky once said that people should be treated either as children or as sick. Perhaps better treated like sick children. The name of the disease is boredom. The cure is curiosity. But, as everyone knows, often the medicine is worse than the disease.
So, six crew members of the space station. Unlucky number. Not good. We need a seventh. The film is about the seventh crew member. Like anyone new, they don’t take him seriously. They are amused as entertainment; they point fingers and sticks at him to check what he is like. Is that good? For me, the film is primarily about how useful it is to not make any assumptions about what you don’t know. Nothing but the worst. No, this new guy isn't your friend. He's from another neighborhood. This area is very far away. You haven't even been there in person.
Many people compare the living with the alien. I won't. For that matter, it's better to compare it to something. And outwardly, the monster has more resemblance, and the scene is closer to home.
For me, the Living is the personification of a cancer cell conscious of itself. Or not? Or maybe it's just a little scared alien kid who thinks humans are toys? Or does he just want to protect himself and, as it happens, our weapons are like the bites of cold snowflakes on this baby's delicate skin? Maybe this is a teenager who decided to open a couple of bugs and see what they have inside?
The whole essence of the film, in my opinion, can be conveyed in two words – the naivety of evil. Or the banality of evil. Or the simplicity of evil. The devil is simple. He doesn't breathe fire, he doesn't even see it. He doesn't growl, he doesn't. He doesn't want to kill you, it's not about will, no. He's just killing you. He doesn't even know it. This is just the form of his existence. That is what he is.
That creep is beautiful. Beautiful in its simplicity and realism. Beautiful for its beautiful shootings, where everything is presented equally aesthetically – both life and death. And something in the middle, on the other side of the scream in a vacuum, so strikingly contrasting with the delicate blue haze floating under the feet of the sky.
8 out of 10
While the universe of “Alien” was bent from philosophical reflections on the meaning of life and stupid script errors, the spiritual heir to the very first film of the legendary franchise came out on the screens.
Charge - "Better late than never"
Review of the film "Live"
How did it all start?
The story begins with the fact that a group of astronauts-researchers “Pilgrim”, working on the ISS, takes on board a capsule that arrived straight from Mars. Inside the capsule are soil samples and, more importantly, a single-celled “something” – the first evidence of extraterrestrial life. Proof is proof, and safety comes first! Therefore, the creature is immediately quarantined and given the name Calvin, in honor of the 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge.
The creature demonstrates unprecedented ability to grow, building muscle mass and growing tentacles at a Stakhanov pace. A closer look reveals that the Martian “something” has a much more complex organism than previously thought. On the joys of the local biologist allows the depressurization of the research chamber, and poor Calvin falls into suspended animation. But as the opening of the century looms, the same crew member decides to wake up baby Calvin with an electric shocker... bad idea!
Actors are good and sound nothing.
In addition to Jake Gyllenhaal and Rayne Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai), Rebecca Ferguson (The Girl on the Train), Erion Bakare (Rogue One) and, pleasantly, our compatriot Olga Dykhovichnaya (TV Series Money) play in the film. The latter got the role of the captain of the group. The character, like others, has a lot of screen time and is infinitely far from the cranberry fantasies of Michael Bay - and this is undoubtedly pleasing.
On acting questions only to Ryan Reynolds. Even here, he doesn’t get out of the typical prankster role we’ve seen in Deadpool and Killer’s Bodyguard. The behavior of his character can be explained either by the fact that it was intended by the writer, or by the fact that the “jokes” were added by the District himself. In both cases, Ryan could have made adjustments to play a character different from Deadpool. Your main image should be protected so that it does not bother the audience. Yes, and try yourself in a different role should try any actor - such a profession.
There is no sound or effect. Music tries to keep tension, the picture does not cut the eye.
To hell with science, what about drama?
Yes, watching a movie often raises questions about the scientific component and, even worse, logic. However, we will not find fault with these aspects of the film, because the main thing is dramaturgy. And that's not all right with her here.
In the movie “Alien” alien predator frightening species hunted absolutely not ready for combat people. The same thing happens in the movie, but there is a difference. In the first Alien, we singled out two strong and interesting characters: the creepy and ruthless xenomorph on one side and the brave officer Ripley on the other. Unfortunately, this film does not have such characters.
Calvin - the creature is quite original, analogues do not immediately remember - a jelly-like amoeba over time turns into a slimy "under-octopus". The creature is not impressive, does not frighten and, as a result, does not remember.
The characters opposing the creature from Mars are as faceless and transparent as their opponent. The confrontation between researchers and Calvin does not create the necessary tension - there is a lack of a clash between two heavy-weight personalities. It was hoped that a worthy conflict, like a volcano awakened after a long hibernation, would erupt between the crew members, but alas. Those rare tensions that arise between crew members simply do not develop and do not reach a boiling point.
In general, the script is based on the familiar to us from the first “Alien” design and several plot twists, the strongest of which falls on the end of the picture.
Better than the last Alien.
Instead of the spiritual heir to the classic “Alien”, we have a movie about how a jelly-like creature from Mars plays mouse cats with characters deprived of charisma on board the ISS. The movie “Live” is certainly better than the last creation of Ridley Scott, but is this an achievement?
Verdict - Passage, not evoking emotions cinema in the genre of science fiction horror.
I wanted to go to this movie when it came out, but somehow it didn’t work out. I had a free moment and watched this movie. I’m not interested in space movies, especially horror movies. But I wanted to see something new and maybe discover space blockbusters. Famous actors were also attracted in the lead roles: Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson and Jack Gyllenhaal.
Directed by Daniel Espinosa, director of such films as: ' Cape Town Access Code ' and ' Number 44 ' The plot tells us how a Martian probe with soil samples returns to the International Space Station. In soil samples, a cell is found that can only mean one thing: there is life on Mars. With the cell begin to experiment in the laboratory. And literally on the third attempt it can be revived. The cell turns out to be just miraculous. In the nutrient medium, it begins to multiply and soon turns into a mysterious organism and literally moves its flippers. And then during one of the experiments, the grown-up organism breaks free and we watch it catch one after another crew members and deal with them.
As we see the similarity with ' Alien ' Ridley Scott, visible to the naked eye. And Daniel Espinosa himself admitted that when creating his tape, it was Alien who was inspired.
And now the movie itself. With the pluses can be noted: well-designed interiors of the ISS, the visual part of the picture, which is beautiful (except that the space itself is not so much) and a good performance of the actors.
Now to the minuses. Despite the fact that I literally watched only a few films from this genre (for example, The Martian with Matt Damon), I could see the secondary nature of this film. You can see that he is ordinary in his genre and does not shine with originality.
I also didn’t like the ending of the movie. They wanted to make it unusual. But it came out incomprehensible (it is seen that it was made only to confuse and surprise the viewer). If you hint at it, you can remember the words of the hero Gyllenhaal:
I don't want to go back to 8 billion of those bastards.
This is not an insult and disbelief in humanity itself.
As a result, a good scientifically-fantastic thriller came out. Yes, let it have a predictable plot and some stupidity of the main characters. But still it came out atmospheric, albeit slightly cruel.
' Live & #39; came out good such a strong middle peasant, except that the ending as for me failed, but so :
What Americans are good at is interpreting the Bible, and therefore almost any of their creative efforts is associated with the problem of the hero of the nation - American Adam and the next combination in answering the question of whether Adam was sinful initially and should pardon sins, or whether he was innocent and someone abused his still unsettled childhood consciousness. It is on the second variant of forgiveness of American weakness for adventures on the fifth point that most of the typical fantastic films are built, so that the viewer sympathizes with the aggressor, who somewhere someone offended in childhood. This does not take into account the destruction of alien worlds and universes.
So America's remote hand is felt in space and challenges the unknown. The genre of fiction is unique in that it allows you to go as far as possible from the canonical text of the Bible, even go beyond the biblical universe and be banal - on Mars, really - in Iraq (in our case, the characters are trying to learn Japanese, sometimes we are talking about Russia ...) to tickle the nerves of the local population and try to convert to their faith. The main argument is the image of a modern crusader, conqueror and dear scientist, who must fail the diplomatic mission and cause the necessary aggression from the outside, so that it is possible to inflict a crushing blow to the heterodox under applause of the viewer.
Attempts to test this theory in American cinema are wild and their replication and polishing are associated, first of all, with the study of the audience’s reaction to a particular democratic attack.
Daniel Espinoza's "Live" is not an exception to this pattern, but another mission to conquer a ghostly enemy under the guise of diplomatic assistance and missionary posture.
The story. In the vastness of the universe, the crew of the spacecraft manages to shelter an extraterrestrial creature, which initially can only be seen through a microscope. The creature has some hairs on which it is actively stroked to caress. The inhabitants of the ship (creators of the new universe) breed a plume of snot about how with the help of the universal Friend they will save humanity. The baby grows, he is given a human name similar to Cain, fed with oxygen, continue to stroke the coat. As soon as the baby falls asleep, the earthly father begins to wake him with a shocker. Naturally, the baby fights back, thereby becoming the main enemy of the human race. All love instantly turns into hatred and confrontation, the struggle of one’s own and others.
Having recognized the enemy in the face and seen him in anger, the surviving crew members breed demagoguery that they must in every possible way prevent the entity from entering the Earth. In their power to save the entire human race and blah blah - religious plot from the first frame to the final. As a result of their panegyrics (as one of the heroes called scant monologues in favor of the poor) in defense of humanity, the crew members decide to take the full blow on themselves, thereby again finding Adam’s innocence and forgiving the audience behind the scenes for the subsequent aggressive onslaught. In the fight against the enemy through unshed tears, the heroes gradually destroy their ship, symbolically the Earth, even more specifically America, in order to again evoke the sympathy of the viewer and expand the sphere of their influence in the religious orbit. So a small household quarrel acquires world and universal scales, only Espinoza is not an American, and therefore metamorphoses the template of ending the missionary conflict familiar to American cinema.
Espinoza focused all his attention on the meeting of earth heroes of space with the Martian enemy. Fear and awe are the main weapons of this film landscape. The Martian entity does not arrange a show carnage, when the camera itself becomes frightening, that it begins to jitter, and uses Chinese “sweet embraces”, gently, maternally, enveloping another American and gradually squeezing his body to complete destruction. It is this tenderness that slows down time and allows each actor to show his or her vision of death. Another option of a Martian attack is to get the hero in his mouth to earn more disapproval from the viewer.
In the confrontation with the universal evil, the most touching is the hero of Ryan Reynolds, who assumed the image of Christ and served as a catalyst for the conflict. Steady Jake Gyllenhaal clings to the scene with all his talents and tries to be a preacher of a new faith, only his image is more suitable for a more impressionable young talent, and so we have some Moses. Female images are deprived of their sexual essence so much that there is no one to mourn the dead. Men could shed a couple of tears to show great panic and assure the viewer of the reality of evil, but due to rapidly developing events, no one has time to cry.
In many ways, the film repeats the canonical pattern - "Alien" Ridley Scott, but also brings the effect of modernity in small details. In particular, evil changed its face from black to white and turned into a fishy gray-transparent Optimus Prime, devoid of a mucous trace and cast-iron body, but endowed with an immovable mind and able to present unpleasant surprises. This essence is shown only from the negative side, so that the viewer can raise a mental axe on it and strike his innocent blow in solidarity in defense of the crew and all mankind. Thus, the viewer is in every possible way trying to make an accomplice to the conflict, convert to a new faith and make believe in the God-chosen American nation.
For a long time I waited for the release of this picture, how I wanted to get acquainted with this alien life & #39; And waited... I went to the movies, and I kind of liked it, or longed for 'genre' or did not want to be upset because of the money spent, as it usually happens. But overall I was even satisfied, space, unknown creature and popcorn, what else do you need? It turned out to be necessary... After reviewing at home, carefully and after a while, I threw off all illusions about this picture. So much so that I wanted to write this review.
Plot... Well, everything is simple, the plot is quite banal, the researchers investigated, and suddenly stumbled upon what they could not dream of. A single-celled organism, native to Mars, is not a simple organism, but an organism capable of life. That's all.
Next, the writers opened the textbooks, and began to look for how to write a script for a sci-fi horror, in ' Closed' Space. Then the classics of the genre, as a template, in the form of a film ' Alien', the writers did not advance ... But Alien, this is the quintessence of sci-fi horror, it is literally the ancestor of the genre, with which it will be very difficult to compare, and even more so to compete, and in which the actions of the characters are if not perfect, then very logical. And in 'Live' on the contrary, the writers prescribing the characters completely deprived them of common sense, well, at least that part of the characters that was destined to die.
Scientists just began to incubate, in a closed station, an extraterrestrial creature and that’s all. And this is against the background of an attempt to give the picture realism, an attempt to show us the ISS of the near future. In the Alien, at least there was an android programmed to secretly deliver the creature to earth. Well, at least thought to explore the body in an isolated environment. And even after the single-celled creature showed the ability to live, and literally before our eyes ceased to be single-celled, this did not stop the researchers, but only fanned their imagination, and it is good when you explore things, in ' habitual & #39; environment, but when it comes to space, it does not seem such a good idea. In general, ignoring all possible consequences, scientists continue to grow a creature previously unknown to science, from the world about which humanity knows almost nothing, in an environment in which people have mastered less than a century. Not knowing how much this creature can grow, and how much artificial deterrents will be able to restrain it. Among other things, the crew feels attached to an alien organism, gives it a name, everyone behaves like teenagers who tamed a guinea pig or a selected chick. ' We have an alien in the incubator', ' Ura-Ura', 'O! he acquires a complex life form, and anomalous abilities, and special perception!' If you exaggerate... In general, it becomes clear that nothing good, it will not lead, except to a fiasco. And the fiasco, not long in coming, one of the scientists in the heat of feelings, unhealthy curiosity or God knows what, decides to touch an alien organism, (ignoring the golden rule, look but not touch) to establish contact with him. Well, it is clear that the inevitable had to happen, after all, not a melodrama. But how it happened. . .
And so everything... After the creature breaks out, thanks to in my opinion to ridiculous coincidences, including the design features of the ship (physics clearly pumped up), which has never been in real life, and I hope will not be, the observer knows exactly who will die and who else will fight. Characters just do not want to empathize, and on this, no matter how plausible it may seem ' Monster', no matter how fantastic his abilities are, if he hunts the crew, which you as a viewer, well, not sorry at all, horror will not work... Heroes do not cause any emotions, despite quite obvious attempts to inspire these emotions.
In general, I would make the review red, but still cool camera work, in general, good scenery, this is not a fantastic spaceship of 10,000 square meters. It's a pretty cramped space, like modern space station modules. The creature itself is a concept of Martian life (until its final stage). It’s a great soundtrack and atmosphere that probably made me not as upset in the theater as I was after watching it again. And the finale, I liked it... (but no more, so many spoilers)
One decade replaces another, and the theme of aliens does not lose its popularity – the more accessible to us space, the more often the directors turn in their stories to extraterrestrial life, so captivating our imagination with its inaccessibility and absolute unknown. And if sometimes aliens are shown like us – humanoids – from time to time there are such bizarre creatures as in the movie “Something”. However, coming up with something new is getting harder and harder, which Daniel Espinosa has been able to prove especially well.
As if in Alien, an alien enters the space station and begins to terrorize its employees. The already unoriginal plot is spoiled by both predictability and despair of the director, who, on the one hand, was afraid to swing his hand at the creative impulse, and on the other hand, tried to cling to his own imagination so that the picky viewer did not see in "Live" any very obvious borrowings from other films.
What happened on the way out? Slurred, concise and too implausible fiction, the focus of which is a guest from Mars. But this is not a xenomorph with toxic blood, nor a predator with ruminants. No, it's something special. It’s so special that you never believe what’s happening. With an emphasis on the unusualness of the creature, nicknamed Kelvin, went overboard. And the point is not that it looks like the "trilobite" from "Prometheus" - it is in its essence. Obviously, the alien is intelligent, but what is the purpose - and remains a mystery. He doesn’t want to eat people, and attacks to get to Earth? But for what? Too much unsaid, undisclosed.
The same flaw applies to the characters. Did anyone know that Kelvin existed? What a conspiracy was established by the organizers of space explorers, for which they needed an alien organism - all this in the film is given a few hints, but they are all limited. There is no intrigue at all.
But you can, despite a lot of shortcomings, and praise “live”. The acting is pleasing, in particular I want to note Erion Bakare and Hiroyuki Sanadu. Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebekah Ferguson cause restrained impressions - try to "good". Space is shown in the film colorfully and attractive – this is also a separate praise. If the plot had been more carefully thought out, then the delight would have been at least enough. And so the film gets its seven points, mainly only for the disturbing finale.
7 out of 10
The filmmakers ' Live' were definitely inspired by a series of films about ' Alien' deciding to do something very similar. But we have already seen this, the viewer will not be surprised by this, and if we compare both films, then even in all articles the good old & #39; Alien & #39; beats the modern analogue. Even if you take an alien killer - the modern is much inferior to the old ' Alien', against which it looks like a fad.
I can’t say that the film was a failure, but I expected much more from it. The script is quite simple, as you can already see, but looks quite easy in one breath, not having time to get bored by the end of the film, despite its predictability.
For fans of alien horror films, the film may seem very good, so fans of this genre of course should pay attention to this film, but for the average viewer, ' Live' will not cause a storm of positive emotions, so you can certainly watch it once, but you are unlikely to want to see this film again.
6 out of 10
Having come out in front of the sensational and more popular sequel to the space classics ' in the person of ' Alien: Covenant', this creation, as for me, received not quite deserved criticism and very weak advertising. The similarity of their main theme, willfully compels the picture 'Live', then and then mentally address a more eminent brother.
The main plot is as simple as two pennies: a small international team of space explorers one day discover a cellular substance that comes from such a close but unexplored planet Mars. Further research leads to new discoveries in changing cell structure and behavioral response to an external stimulus. Gradually, the substance becomes a serious threat to the lives of crew members. Given that they are in outer space, the chances of survival are rapidly reaching zero. . .
The cast of this tape is very, very strong. Here and Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal, Hiroyuki Sanada male company which organically diluted Rebecca Ferguson and Olga Dykhovichnaya. In their acting, the most important thing was believed, and they were quite interesting to watch. The story and visual component itself is at a very high level. However, in the second half of the picture, as for me the plot sags slightly, maybe it was done for artificial stretching of timekeeping, but the first half of the film was undoubtedly more dynamic.
As I mentioned earlier, stylistically the film ' Live' very similar to the picture ' Alien' and there is no avoiding comparison with the final part of ' the saga about xenomorphs' unfortunately not succeed. However, as for me ' Live' I liked much more, due to better prescribing and revealing characters, as well as much more skillful pumping suspense, and a cool ending. Of course, such an ending could be predicted, but unlike the painting by Ridley Scott (in which with a clear dose of pathos literally read: ' wow now there will be an unexpected turn!!!'), it looked really powerful.
8 out of 10.