Parents' Guide to

Life

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Lots of violence, some language, in well-told alien story.

Movie R 2017 103 minutes
Life Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 10 parent reviews

sara_parrott
sara_parrott Parent of 11 and 15-year-old
July 2, 2021
age 15+

Just don’t

This movie is super scary and suspenseful AND has a terrible ending. B grade horror with a horror ending that will keep kids and parents awake at night after.

This title has:

Too much violence
Meredith0506
Meredith0506 Adult
April 25, 2021
age 17+

Good space movie

See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In LIFE, six astronauts are aboard a satellite orbiting Earth as part of the Mars Pilgrim Mission. They retrieve a probe from Mars that contains a microscopic life form from the Red Planet. Biologist Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) excitedly studies it, changes atmospheric conditions, and watches it grow at an alarming rate. Then it attacks and escapes, wounding his hand. Another crew member jumps in to intervene, but the creature, called "Calvin," kills him. It's up to the rest of the crew -- including Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson), David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), and Sho Kendo (Hiroyuki Sanada) -- to try to contain the monster. If they can't, they'll never be able to return to Earth.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10):
Kids say (24):

This sci-fi creature feature doesn't really do anything we haven't seen before, but its execution -- including smooth camerawork and tense editing and music -- makes it reasonably gripping. In Life, director Daniel Espinosa glides his camera along the corridors of the satellite as if it, too, were weightless, and the crisp editing and the intense score provide plenty of nervous suspense. It's not as dark and shadowy as the similar Alien, but the lights are used to interesting effect.

The characters are also interesting. Not only do they represent a diverse cross-section of cultures and sexes, but they're treated like smart people. No one wanders off alone to check something out, and no one splits up. Generally, the movie avoids the kinds of cliches the genre routinely falls back on. Plus, no one is an invincible hero stepping up to save the day. Even the creature is given credit for being clever -- a worthy adversary. Overall, Life is pretty basic, and it's a familiar story, but any story can feel fresh again when it's told well.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Life's violence. How gruesome is it? How much blood is shown? How does the movie use violence to generate suspense? Does exposure to violent media make kids more aggressive?

  • Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of scary movies/monster movies?

  • How did you feel about the diverse cast? Did they feel like real people? Were any of them stereotypes?

  • Do the characters show courage? What makes someone a hero? What role does sacrifice play in the movie?

  • What did you learn from the movie about the International Space Station and its history and goals? How does it encourage collaboration across nations?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate