Lifeforce

R

Now Playing

1h 40m

Sci-Fi

Horror

List

56%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

When a space mission involving American and British astronauts encounters an alien craft, the humanoids within are brought aboard the shuttle. Back on Earth, one of the extraterrestrials, who appears to be a gorgeous woman (Mathilda May), proceeds to suck the life force out of various Londoners, turning the town into a city of roaming half-dead people. When Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback), a surviving astronaut, realizes what is happening, he sets out to stop the ruthless alien presence.

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Critics Consensus

Brazenly strange and uneven in its execution, Lifeforce is an otherworldly sci-fi excursion punctuated with off-kilter horror flourishes.

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Jim M

What a Great Overlooked Sci Fi movie which hasn't aged much at all! Acting, plot, special effects, all outstanding! Enjoyed watching more than once!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/13/24

Full Review

Piper W

Only the special effects saved this barf. Pacing was rotten, acting was rotten, story was unoriginal. Full female nudity must make this a good jerk off film for horny guys. Go watch Green Slime instead. At least it's corny sf fun.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

Timothy C

The problem with Lifeforce; is all movies aren't Lifeforce.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

Alec B

Yes its quite silly but that's clearly intentional. Hooper made a big budget Hammer Horror movie and you can either engage with it on that level or not.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

DanTheMan 2

Going into Lifeforce with practically zero knowledge is perhaps the best decision I've made this month, light-years beyond any form of expectations I could have had. Tobe Hooper's absolutely incredible, and yet completely demented, tale on the dark heart of all humankind's anxieties about extraterrestrials elicited some very real and genuine chills I haven't felt in a very long time. A full-on throwback to classic British science fiction serials of old, Lifeforce is what happens when Cannon Films gives a visionary $25 million, total free rein and a copy of The Space Vampires. While Hooper shoots the film completely straight, the film's cast plays the material with an over-the-top flair that just makes the experience all the more unique, making it very hard to not enjoy. It's a genuine treat, from its wonderful visual effects from the legendary John Dykstra and horrifically frightening make-up effects from Nick Maley to Dan O'Bannon's screenplay that pairs its reverence of Nigel Kneale's Quatermass to deep roots in Lovecraft's mythos balancing horror, humour and eroticism, almost every aspect of Lifeforce delivers in some way, I love it so much.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/24/23

Full Review

Matthew D

Lifeforce is a totally insane picture. Late legendary American director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Poltergeist) directs his science-fiction horror thriller Lifeforce (1985) is an eerie quietness. I found Lifeforce gripping and disquieting with a perverse sexual lust. Hooper's leering male gaze is creepy, but I found it only adds to the eerie and unnatural atmosphere of Lifeforce. Cinematographer Alan Hume lingers and leers at Mathilda May's breasts, butt, and every angle of her naked body. It's tastefully shot, but certainly visually obsessed with her. Lifeforce feels eerie at how slow and focused the camera pans along with her or holds on a seductive shot. Editor John Grover never cuts away from May, but certainly enhances the pain of the men she's sucking out their essence with sharp cuts. Lifeforce is 102 minutes, but does not feel half that length. I can totally understand if a viewer is repulsed by Lifeforce as sexist, but the opportunity to watch May kill man after man is just too rich for me to pass by, honestly. Terry Knight's art direction for strange alien space territory to the haunting blue and red lighting is incredible. The art direction like the cinematography certainly wants to focus on May's body. John Dykstra's visual effects for Mathilda May zapping the life out of guys is awesome with powerful electrical surges in neon blue. No one feels safe at any point and the alien woman's nude appearance seeks to lure horny men to their death, while obviously seducing the audience in her snare. Lifeforce is so odd, but genuinely unnerving. Tobe Hooper's direction is frightful with a real sense of the uncanny nature of sci-fi horror. You never quite understand the depths of these space vampires, but you don't need more exposition. Lifeforce's charm is in Mathilda May's alluring and entertaining lead actress performance as she kills and feeds on every man she encounters. Casting directors Maude Spector and Ann Stanborough really cast the most beautiful actress ever in this fiercely strange villainess role. Lifeforce is all the better for it. Writers Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby, Michael Armstrong, and Olaf Pooley put a spin on Alien with a sultry young lady being the lethal encounter from space. They provide plenty of unique sci-fi concepts alongside classic horror tropes for vampires in this cold and sterile world, wherein May's Space Girl must kill to survive and escape. Original writer Colin Wilson really has a wild imagination. Tonally, Lifeforce reminds me of Firestarter, The Omen, and Alien combined into something else entirely. Mathilda May is drop dead gorgeous as the Space Girl. She moves with a possessed nonchalance and kills with a gleeful smile. I think May is very charming and cool as the sultry Space Girl in Lifeforce. She's certainly more than just walking around nude with a captivating charisma. Steve Railsback's stern Col. Tom Carlsen, Peter Firth's sarcastic Col. Colin Caine, Frank Finlay's smart Dr. Hans Fallada, Patrick Stewart's intelligent Dr. Armstrong, and Michael Gothard's clever Dr. Leonard Bukovsky all give strong supporting performances. Composer Henry Mancini's eerie film score has erratic symphonic elements with strange noises mixed into the score for an unsettling sonic palette. Costume designer Carin Hooper gives all the guys layers of military and doctor uniforms, while May gets nothing at all besides a cloak at one point. Hairstylist Patricia Kirkman gives May long, flowing black tresses that are lovely. All the guys have this disheveled look just ripe for getting zapped out of life by vampires. In conclusion, Lifeforce is a captivating sci-fi horror film with scary horror sequences and refined filmmaking from Tobe Hooper. You'll never forget the name Mathilda May after Lifeforce.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

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Tobe Hooper

Director

Steve Railsback

Colonel Tom Carlsen

Peter Firth

Colonel Colin Caine

Mathilda May

Space Girl

Patrick Stewart

Dr. Armstrong

Michael Gothard

Dr. Bukovsky

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Lifeforce: Official Clip - Totally Dangerous

3:06

Lifeforce: Official Clip - The Fall of Fallada

1:51

Lifeforce: Official Clip - Back From The Dead

1:56

Lifeforce: Official Clip - Explosive Zombies

3:12

Lifeforce: Official Clip - Vanquishing An Alien Vampire

1:40

Lifeforce: Official Clip - She Wants Me To Hurt Her

2:02

Lifeforce: Official Clip - Space Girl Escapes

2:38

Lifeforce: Official Clip - Space Vampire Sacrifice

1:47

Lifeforce: Official Clip - Her True Form

2:51

Lifeforce: Official Clip - They Look Bloody Dead To Me

2:09

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Simon Abrams

House Next Door

Lifeforce is a dog.

Feb 25, 2011

Full Review

Nick Schager

The Screengrab

Frequently outlandish and far from profound, it's nonetheless a box-office bomb that, like its horror-maestro director, deserved quite a bit better.

Apr 6, 2009

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

There's a version of this that has a more cohesive vision of what it wants to be, though the actual theatrical release ends up a confusing mess that never knows what it wants to be.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 22, 2023

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…Lifeforce is a simultaneously awful and yet kinda brilliant sci-fi opus that offers plenty to unpack to the casual cineaste with a taste for the silly…

Rated: 3/5

May 16, 2023

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

What’s left is still loopy enough to make it worth a peek.

Rated: B

Dec 2, 2022

Full Review

Alan Jones

Starburst

Lifeforce takes a rapid turn for the worse and becomes deliriously awful.

Jul 8, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

When a space mission involving American and British astronauts encounters an alien craft, the humanoids within are brought aboard the shuttle. Back on Earth, one of the extraterrestrials, who appears to be a gorgeous woman (Mathilda May), proceeds to suck the life force out of various Londoners, turning the town into a city of roaming half-dead people. When Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback), a surviving astronaut, realizes what is happening, he sets out to stop the ruthless alien presence.

Director: Tobe Hooper
Screenwriter: Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby
Distributor: TriStar Pictures, Cannon Films
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, Cannon Group, Easedram Limited, Golan-Globus
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2016
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Dolby, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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