Jake Gyllenhaal’s Sci-Fi Arriving on Netflix Is a Must-Watch for Alien Fans

Back in 1979, the first Alien movie became a sensation that set the bar really high for science fiction horrors. Its legacy still lives on, not only in numerous sequels and spin-offs, but also in films that try to ride the same hype train that Ridley Scott rode.

If you think all those attempts to make an Alien-like movie are failures, think again, as 7 years ago the world saw a decent all-star take on this sci-fi gem. Luckily, it lands on Netflix already next week, so it’d be great to see if it stands the test of time.

The plot of this flick revolves around a group of six astronauts of the International Space Station who make an unprecedented discovery: they find the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. However, the further their research goes, the more terror the rapidly evolving life-form brings to the crew, and they must fight with it to survive.

Yes, this synopsis is just like the one of Alien, but in fact it turns out to be not a parody, but rather an elaborately made homage to it.

It’s also very reminiscent of another genre’s classics, John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), and space movies like Sunshine (2007), Apollo 18 (2011) and Gravity (2013). If you enjoy movies of this kind and like the perfect mix of sci-fi and horror elements, don’t miss this one.

Despite all these similarities, this flick doesn’t get too generic, and be sure that the ending will leave you speechless. Its pace, the greatness of scary sequences and, of course, the amount of fanservice will be of much interest to any sci-fi veteran.

Overall, the 2017 film was received quite well and was praised for its visuals, well-written screenplay and acting performances. It stars the brilliant actors Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds, who are no strangers to sci-fi movies at all.

Titled Life, it’s truly a great take on the timeless gem that won’t be obviously as cultish as Alien, but, nevertheless, wins its piece of the cake in science fiction history.

“Put it on thinking it would just be background noise while I did other stuff around the house downstairs, but quickly got sucked in,” admits Redditor @atxrobotlover.

If you’re also skeptical about it, just leave this prejudice behind and give this Gyllenhaal-starring movie a chance. Life will become available for streaming on Netflix on July 1.