Life Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

By Jack Pooley /

3. The Rock Solid Acting Ensemble

Columbia Pictures

Even though the characters don't always behave believably, the cast does a damn fine job of making the movie work regardless.

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Ryan Reynolds probably gets the short end of the stick here because his character is the least rational and most bone-headed, but he still gets some fun quips and delivers where it really counts.

The best performance comes from Rebecca Ferguson, though, as the brutally practical-minded CDC officer who won't allow Calvin to reach Earth by any means necessary. She gets some great scenes opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, who gives a more subdued performance than you might expect, but he's also strong as usual.

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That's not to discount the efforts of the lesser-known actors who, of course, have smaller roles: Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare and Olga Dihovichnaya provide stellar support even though they have much less to do than the aforementioned cast members.