LIFE (2017) Movie Review
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" -NLT
Life
is a thrilling and suspenseful story about the dangerous potential of alien life. Such a discovery is both exciting and dangerous. Thus, it should be handled with absolute caution, because there is simply no way of knowing the extent of its abilities. The most basic job of the ISS is to take every measure to protect Earth from this alien.
The ISS is a symbol of international peace on Earth. Each member of the crew hails from a different part of the world. Each of them plays an important role on the ship. Each contributes to the overall welfare of the ship. Only if they band together can they protect Earth from the hostile alien. They must communicate. They must work together. They must ALL agree upon a strategy. They must be willing to sacrifice everything, including themselves, to protect humanity.
The ISS serves as a “firewall” between the alien and humankind, but is the firewall strong enough?
Is the crew strong enough?
This battle between Earth and Mars ultimately boils down to a battle between rationality and emotions. It is described as "all muscle, all brain, all eye." Therefore, it is strong, intelligent and insightful. It is always watching, always learning, and always hunting. It lacks all capacity for compassion or love. It has no feelings whatsoever.
The capacity for emotion is the difference between the alien and the crew. While the alien's only concern revolves around survival, members of the crew are compassionate enough to lay down their lives for others. Such an act is in clean contrast to the alien's need for survival. It cannot learn love. It cannot learn sacrifice. It cannot learn selflessness.
1 John 3:16 says, "We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." -NLT
However, human emotions have the potential to make the crew weak, very weak. The danger of their emotional investments become evident within the first ten minutes, and emotions continue to flair throughout the film. The more emotional the crew becomes, the more the alien gains the upper-hand.
It begins with affection. Which turns to fear. Which turns to aggression. Eventually, hate. The more they succumb to emotions, they more they lose sight of their goal. They fail to think.
Who wins in the end?
Will pure, cold intelligence succeed?
Or will compassion prove to be an asset?
