Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds. Rated 14A.

Answering the age-old existential question of whether or not we are alone in this universe has been addressed in numerous ways in science fiction. In its attempt to take on that proposition, the sci-fi horror-thriller Life, directed by Daniel Espinosa (Safe House) and written by Deadpool screenplay writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, raises the prospect of an intellectual path, but quickly resorts to a physical route that draws upon elements from the Alien franchise and Gravity.  

The premise is an intriguing one: what would happen if scientists were able to retrieve a specimen of life from Mars? That's what happens when six astronauts aboard an international space station extract a cellular being from soil samples obtained on the Red Planet.

The international crew consists of U.S. senior medical officer Dr. David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal), British quarantine officer Dr. Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson), British biologist Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare), Japanese systems engineer Sho Murakami (Hiroyuki Sanda), Russian commander Katerina Golovkina (Olga Dihovichnaya), and U.S. pilot Rory Adams (Deadpool, otherwise known as Ryan Reynolds).

An introverted Dr. Jordan expresses finding solace in life on the space station, while Murakami watches his wife give birth on earth through a tablet. Yet bereft of imminent danger, the low-key characters, although well performed, offer little to empathize with. Conversely, while Reynolds' mechanic with a mouth is more suited to the action, he's the odd one out here; his smart-ass quips lack any chemistry with the amidst the scientific dialogue of the rest of the cerebral crew.

Yet one of the film's strengths (in addition to convincing depictions of weightlessness) is its ability to convey the awe and wonder of discovering a new life form. The alien being is a cross between a translucent starfish and a 1980s octopus tumbler toy with the speed of silverfish. "Calvin", as it's named, turns out to be highly adaptable and fast growing. Unfortunately for them (and possibly for us), it also turns out to be a sociopath.

As a metaphor for contagion, the film raises interesting questions about what sacrifices must be made for the safety of others. What works well is how the threat begins on a small scale, progressively expanding to encompass the crew to eventually even life on Earth.

More a thriller than a horror, it's light on scares and leans more heavily on stress-filled situations that the crew has to scramble to find solutions to in a race against time.

The promise of ethical questions arising about scientific research and the quest for knowledge, supported by the studious nature of the characters and their technical-oriented problem-solving, points to the possibility that the film could have benefited from pursuing a serious drama storyline. Instead, what results is serviceable entertainment that may leave many audience members wondering if there's more to Life than this.