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Life
Movie

Life

2017 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

The six-member crew of the International Space Station is tasked with studying a sample from Mars that may be the first proof of extra-terrestrial life, which proves more intelligent than ever expected.

Overall Series Review

The movie follows the multinational crew of the International Space Station after they retrieve a sample from Mars containing the first proof of extraterrestrial life. The organism, named Calvin, rapidly evolves into an intelligent, ruthless predator. The plot functions as a claustrophobic sci-fi horror thriller focused entirely on the crew's escalating struggle for survival and their desperate attempts to prevent Calvin from reaching Earth. The film’s narrative does not rely on contemporary political or cultural commentary, instead focusing on universal themes of scientific hubris, peril, and self-sacrifice. The crew is highly diverse in gender, race, and nationality, but their professional roles and subsequent fates are dictated by the horror scenario rather than identity-based hierarchy. The film avoids political lecturing, presenting a straightforward and brutal survival story.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The six-person crew is racially and nationally diverse, including White, Black, Asian, American, British, Russian, and Japanese characters. The mission commander is female. The Black male character is a paraplegic, but this fact is a personal trait and not a source of grievance or special power. All crew members, regardless of background, are highly competent professionals in their field, and their deaths or survival are determined by the immediate threat and their individual actions, not by their immutable characteristics.

Oikophobia1/10

The central dramatic goal is the selfless effort and eventual sacrifice of the astronauts to prevent a non-human entity from reaching and destroying life on Earth. There is a strong sense of protecting humanity and the planet. Western or national institutions are not framed as corrupt; the ISS is depicted as a place of international collaboration and last-stand heroism. The threat is purely external, a natural predator.

Feminism3/10

Two of the six core astronauts are women, and one holds the rank of Mission Commander. Both female characters are depicted as highly skilled and capable, but they are not portrayed as instantly perfect 'Mary Sues.' The men and women share high-risk roles and exhibit a mix of competency and human error. The male medical officer volunteers for a sacrificial act to ensure a female colleague's escape, indicating a complementary dynamic. The family unit is briefly and positively referenced when one of the male crew members watches his wife give birth.

LGBTQ+1/10

Alternative sexualities, queer theory, and gender ideology are not present in the narrative. The plot is strictly focused on the man-versus-monster scenario. The brief mention of family life adheres to a traditional structure.

Anti-Theism1/10

The movie is grounded in scientific reality and a survival horror setting. Religious or anti-religious commentary is entirely absent. The core moral law is the objective imperative of survival and the heroic sacrifice for humanity's greater good, not moral relativism.