Caution: Spoilers Ahead

Before you can say, “wait, I thought the new Alien movie was coming out in May…” Daniel Espinosa hits you in the gut with “Life,” an all too familiar space-monster flick. Although the acting and special effects are stellar, the film lacks the character development and originality that would have made it memorable.

We open to a star-studded crew of six aboard the International Space Station, who are preparing to receive specimens from the red planet that could contain proof of life beyond Earth. Sure enough, Hugh (Ariyon Bakare) the crew’s scientist, finds a living single-celled organism within the Mars dirt that soon begins to grow. Then, after an accident in the lab causes the young squid-like creature to go back into hibernation, these brilliant astronauts think the best idea is to poke it with a cattle prod.

Before you know it Dr. David Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his band of misfits are fighting to avoid a gristly zero-gravity death.

“Life” does have some strong points: The camera-work and special effects paint a hyper-realistic and suspenseful picture of life in space, and the alien creature ends up actually being pretty scary. There’s a pleasant chemistry between Dr. Jordan (Gyllenhaal) and Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson) that both actors execute well. The supporting cast’s performances feel genuine without overdoing it—not to mention it’s always nice to see Ryan Reynolds basically play himself.

Sadly, the best parts of the movie are parts we’ve experienced before, whether it be from the “Alien” franchise, “Gravity” (2013), or just from the trailers. The audience receives little to no backstory on members of the crew other than the blatantly obvious—the closest we get to any real characterization is learning that Gyllenhaal’s character likes it better in space than on Earth. The result? When each crew member inevitably gets killed, there’s no emotional impact.

Brian Lowry of CNN calls the film “a taut, suspenseful thriller that’s more enjoyable the less you think about it.”

“Life” is at the very least entertaining, but your best hope when leaving the theater is a halfway enthusiastic, ‘eh, that was alright.’

Check out the trailer for “Life” below: