Life Is Suddenly a Streaming Hit on HBO Max

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I was remembering Ryan Reynolds’ fantastic turn as Deadpool back in 2017, and it reminded me of a cool sci-fi movie he did around the same time. It’s called Life, and it’s been getting a lot of buzz again – I just started watching it on HBO Max! It stars Reynolds alongside Rebecca Ferguson and Jake Gyllenhaal as astronauts on the International Space Station, and honestly, it’s a really gripping watch, even eight years after it first came out.

According to FlixPatrol, the movie Life is currently the 9th most popular title on HBO Max worldwide, even ranking higher than The Grinch. However, in the United States, it hasn’t yet broken into the top 10. Directed by Daniel Espinoza, Life was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick – the writers behind the Deadpool movies. The film’s tagline was: “We were better off alone.”

Life follows the story of Rory Adams, played by Reynolds, and Dr. David Jordan, portrayed by Gyllenhaal – two astronauts conducting research on the International Space Station. They discover a strange, intelligent ooze in the soil, which they nickname Calvin. The crew quickly learns Calvin’s dangerous nature, and a fight for survival begins as it attempts to absorb anything that opposes it. Ferguson stars as Ekaterina Golovkina, the commander of the ISS mission. The film also features Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya.

Life Writers Compare the Film to Venom

The science fiction horror film currently holds a 67% rating from critics and a 55% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It earned $100.5 million in theaters, more than its $58 million production cost. The movie, Life, ended on a suspenseful note, something that actor Ryan Reynolds discussed in a 2017 interview.

Reese explained they aimed for an unsettling ending that could potentially lead to sequels, but the script constantly shifted the upper hand between Calvin and the astronauts.

Someone asked the pair if they were working on a follow-up to Life. Wernick jokingly replied, “It’s already written!”

They suggested the recent footage could easily serve as a prequel to the movie Venom. They explained that if the creature shown is indeed the symbiote, the story of how it connects with Eddie Brock and begins its journey isn’t hard to imagine. In other words, what we’re seeing now could logically lead into the events of Venom.

The movie Life has drawn comparisons to the Alien franchise. One reviewer noted that Life explores the idea of life existing much closer to Earth than we might think. He also described the film as a blend of various movies, but ultimately praised it for standing on its own as a unique entry in the sci-fi horror genre.

Life is streaming on HBO Max worldwide and on Pluto TV in the United States.

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2025-12-10 00:08