The year is 2242 AD. Earth is in rebellion and a number of its inhabitants are leaving. The select few that have been chosen will colonise ‘New Earth’ while everyone else is left behind. Stowaways will be executed.
This is the bleak future of “Anti-Life” (which is now billed as “Breach” on IMDb) into which we follow Noah (Cody Kearsley) as he attempts to navigate life aboard an interstellar vessel heading for humanity’s new home. Naturally he has a lot on his plate; he’s going into an uncertain future, his future father-in-law Admiral Adams-King (Thomas Jane) dislikes him at best, and he’s due to be a father himself. Life on board the vessel is grueling enough; and to top it all off an alien parasite, intent on destruction, is about to try and take over. As the crew are picked off one-by-one, Noah must work with Clay (Bruce Willis) to solve the mystery of what’s happening and save humanity.
“Anti-Life” is a mixture of psychological thriller and sci-fi action/adventure but has a number of issues plot wise. The action is very stop and start during the first half of the film, and it takes a long time for the story to take off. In the beginning, “Anti-Life” builds tension mostly through camerawork and Scott Glasgow’s soundtrack. However, for the most part the thrills are few and far between.
The plot and pacing are also problems; whenever things finally start to escalate the film quickly shuts them down again. This leaves the scares relatively infrequent and the action a bit sparse. That is until the final third of the movie kicks in, in an explosion of gore, guts, and gunfire. At this point we begin to see what we have been waiting for, which is the alien menace in the flesh, and namely the rough-edged Clay starting to kick some alien hide.
A scene from “Anti-Life.” Photo: 308 Ent., 2020.
The biggest problem with the movie is the filmmakers pull it in a number of different directions. It feels like it’s not sure if it wants to be a suspense/horror, an action-packed fighting film, or a gory thriller. It has elements of all three but not in high enough doses. The script by Edward Drake and Corey Large has a number of promising elements but it is very choppy; it leaves a lot of the dialogue feeling out of place and a lot of the ideas unexplored. Ultimately this hinders the flow of the story and with very little backstory and exposition other problems arise too.
By the time we find out *spoilers* that Teek (Callan Mulvey) is responsible for bringing the alien parasite on board, we don’t feel that much about the situation. And while his motivation is briefly hinted at it doesn’t feel strong enough. Not knowing much about our main characters means that as an audience we don’t invest in them as strongly.
One good thing, however is that Hayley (Kassandra Clementi) isn’t your typical ‘damsel in distress’ and showcases a whole host of combat skills. This is very refreshing and great to watch on-screen. It’s often too easy to go back to old clichés that aren’t necessarily true; it’s great to witness Hayley being the protector of Noah at times rather than the other way around.
Thomas Jane in “Anti-Life.” Photo: 308 Ent., 2020.
“Anti-Life” does have its more promising moments too. There are some satisfying gun fights and action sequences during the last act, which will please fans of the genre. Clay has some pretty epic yet cheesy one-liners that work well, and it’s a fresh take on a classic idea. Likewise the production design by David Dean Ebert and Melissa Woods really brings the ship to life, providing the perfect backdrop for the story.
Initially the movie shows promise but it never really comes together. Part of the problem is it dances between being a serious sci-fi thriller and a lighthearted take on the genre, but doesn’t really fall in either category. It would have been beneficial to have greater character development and a lot more backstory too. Ultimately, despite its potential, “Anti-Life” feels just a little too lacklustre.
*”Anti-Life” is currently available to watch on most streaming platforms.
