Daniel Espinosa’s Life is a sci-fi horror film, with excellent visual effects, a thrilling storyline and a fantastic cast. Thus, it’s shocking that the film only earned $100 million US dollars worldwide. When you consider the film’s star power, it’s confusing as to why Life was so poorly advertized, without any real marketing efforts. While it’s just a side-thought, I can’t help but bring this up, especially when I’m gonna be discussing these great actors. After all, this list is about the best Life characters!
I recently watched Life twice, with the sole purpose of creating multiple lists, starting off with the 5 best Life characters! While it’s an obvious choice, considering the mind-blowing cast, it’s also the right way to kick it off, isn’t it? I mean, Life stars the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds, so I must dive headfirst into the characters! Oh, that sounded a bit weird, didn’t it? Anyways, enough chit-chat! Scroll below for the 5 best Life characters!
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5. Sho Murakami
Hiroyuki Sanada‘s performance is admirable, as he’s a supporting character, but he doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone! While my statement is obviously a contradiction, I just mean that he’s commanding in his role as Sho Murakami. In subtle ways, he takes control in scenes, with great line delivery and effective body language as his primary tools. Whether he’s talking to his wife or fleeing from Calvin, Sho Murakami’s character never falters. In turn, the red thread is in-tact and it shows. With that being said, Sho Murakami takes the 5th spot on my list of the very best Life characters!
4. Rory Adams
Ryan Reynolds keeps doing his schtick, which means that Rory Adams is another one of Ryan’s characters that’s equal parts entertaining and annoying! But let me explain, okay? While all of us love Ryan Reynolds for his comedy, he’s not capable of “playing” characters. He’s much like other comedians, who just play variations of themselves in every film. In turn, Ryan Reynolds gives a decent performance, as per usual. But there’s nothing special or significant about Rory Adams. He’s just another “Reynolds character”.
However, Ryan Reynolds does a great job in emotional scenes, especially when he’s fighting for his life against Calvin. Plus, he nails the comedic part, but that’s to be expected from a comedic genius of his calibre, right? With that being said, I’d say Rory Adams is the 4th best character!
3. Hugh Derry
When it comes to realistic and believable characters, look no further than Hugh Derry. He’s the exobiologist who studies Calvin, who’s motivated by personal reasons. The thing is, Hugh Derry is paralyzed from the waist down, so he’s somewhat desperate for a “cure”. Not only for himself but for others like him, dreaming of a future without crippling disease and other life-changing health concerns. In turn, his journey is the most relatable and most believable.
Ariyon Bakare‘s performance is excellent, and the only reason he doesn’t rank higher is because two characters are better! It has nothing to do with his efforts, but the writing of his character. I mean, Hugh Derry works perfectly for his role, while also dishing out exposition because of his profession (exobiologist). Thus, his rather confined into a very specific role, and thus, can’t rank any higher in my book!
2. Miranda North
Rebecca Ferguson’s consistency is downright impressive, isn’t it? Whether she’s kicking butt as Ilsa Faust or fighting against Calvin as Miranda North, Rebecca is great from the first to the last second of Life. Plus, she does it all without a single hiccup in her performance, making Miranda North come across believable. But beyond that, she nails the emotional scenes, which must’ve been challenging, considering that Calvin is CGI. In turn, it’s Rebecca’s acting that puts Miranda North over many other characters on this list.
1. David Jordan
Jake Gyllenhaal has proven time and time again that he’s one of Hollywood’s best actors. He did it again in Life. Even in this poorly marketed and under-advertized sci-fi film, Jake still manages to deliver an excellent performance. In all honesty, this was a no-brainer! Whether he’s working out in space, fighting for his life or delivering lines to his co-stars, Jake does it all with a nuance of self-awereness. In turn, he doesn’t force anything, and it all comes naturally. This makes his character, David Jordan, feel real and authentic. While it would’ve been great to learn more of him and his story, Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance was enough to put David Jordan above others. Thus, I crown David Jordan the best of the best Life characters!
