New Life

"New Life," directed by John Rosman, recalls David Cronenberg's early films like *Shivers* and *Rabid* with its blend of grotesque disease, dangerous infected, and a hint of corporate conspiracy. The story tracks Jessica (Hayley Erin), a fugitive harboring a lethal pathogen, pursued by Elsa (Sonya Walger), a fixer with ALS linked to a shadowy organization. Its slow tension builds to unsettling, Cronenberg-inspired horror, with practical effects showing bodies twisted by a primal plague.

Rosman echoes Cronenberg's knack for unease and bodily betrayal-think less *The Fly*'s transformation, more the raw paranoia of his earlier works. Jessica's flight and Elsa's fraying resolve add human weight, while the conspiracy lurks subtly in the background. The Pacific Northwest setting lends a stark chill, and a mid-film shift keeps it engaging, though it lacks Cronenberg's deeper bite.

"New Life" is an interesting watch, particularly for its nods to Cronenberg's early style. It's a solid debut with strong performances, offering a fresh take that fans of that era might appreciate, even if it doesn't fully match its predecessor's intensity.

I almost skipped this movie after reading the extremely negative reviews it got on here, certainly the ones stating I shouldn't trust the first ratings as most often those are biased, a thing I totally agree with. But a friend watched it and told me it wasn't that bad so I gave it a shot and I'm glad I did because it was entertaining. Maybe not the best in this genre but still worth a watch if you like that kind of stories. I sure do. Hayley Erin and Sonya Walger play the main characters and we're both convincing. Sure there are no Oscar winning performances, neither for the script that feels like a déjà-vu but it's just easy entertainment and sometimes that's just all that I need.

I can't see a reason why a moviegoer is gonna dislike it, i mean, it delivers what it promises. As long as you know what this is about. So, it's not a horror movie and it's mislabelled here. This is a scifi thriller movie, leaning more into drama than horror. It's not scary neither mindless fun. There are some thrilling and intense moments but it requires your patience, it's a slow burn but it didn't drag. Furthermore, it's well acted and the script was not very good but good enough to make a viewer invest.

Simultaneously, i can't see a reason why a moviegoer is gonna love it or get excited. Really low budget for this genre, a bit amateurish production and definitely a movie which almost everyone who watch it, will forget in a week max.

So, lower your expectations, know what this is about and you will probably like it, if you like this genre. I have watched many trash movies and tv shows recently, NEW LIFE is defintely not like that. It's a good movie. Still, not a MUST WATCH. There are far better movies to watch (older movies mostly) if you have not much free time to spend.

I didn't have high expectations when I went to see this movie. This synopsis sounded intriguing, however my anticipation for this movie was limited.

The start is rather slow and our protagonist (Jess) meets and older couple and through their interactions you get to know her a little better. The order couple is lovely and definitely adds some emotional weight to the movie. We are also introduced to our other protagonist (Elsa) who is trying to find Jess. As soon as Elsa arrives at the older couples place, intriguing things start happening. From that point on the movie had my full attention since I like the subject matter. The first contact with our threat is made and it was portrayed really effective and was a thrilling contrast to the slow start. A minor complained is that there is a really cheap jump scare which was absolutely unnecessary. On the other hand there are some really well made makeup effects to be seen.

However the narrative progresses and there are new characters introduced. And then the movie kinda just ends. I felt like the ending was pretty abrupt and felt a little bit unfinished. It could have been a rather big finale but instead we get a pretty short ending. Overall I really like the idea of this movie and going in without knowing what exactly this was about was a really nice decision. It's definitely not a masterpiece or a movie that will be remembered in a couple of years from now with how many movies are being released nowadays, but it was certainly a good watch and a nice way to spend not even 90 minutes. [6,2/10]

Agent Elsa Gray is tasked with tracking down Jessica Murdock, who's on the run and heading for The Canadian border. Unbeknown to Elsa, Jessica is hiding a deadly secret.

The short running time appealed to me, and that was both good and bad, good that I could squeeze it in one afternoon, bad because at times it felt a tad rushed.

The opening is simply bizarre, you won't know who's who, or what's happening, it really does take time to work out what's happening, the trouble is, when it does, and the action starts, it's not long before the credits roll.

Some good action sequences, and a few jump scares, there's nothing new here, nothing we haven't seen several times before, but there is some originality here.

The twist, when it comes it unexpected, it really did catch me off guard, a story I simply wasn't expecting.

Nicely acted, good visuals, with some rather effective makeup, overall a decent watch. I don't find myself saying this very often, I just wish it was longer.

6/10.