Lifeforce

Name: Lifeforce
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: June 21, 1985
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Aubrey Morris, Frank Finlay, John Hallam, Mathilda May, Michael Gothard

1985

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Ratings

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Lifeforce

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Movie Details & Credits

The Cannon Group | Release Date: June 21, 1985 | R

Starring: Aubrey Morris, Frank Finlay, John Hallam, Mathilda May, Michael Gothard, Nancy Paul, Nicholas Ball, Patrick Stewart, Peter Firth, Steve Railsback

Summary: A race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, beginning an apocalyptic descent into chaos.

Director: Tobe Hooper

Genre(s): Action, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 116 min

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Critic Reviews

Chuck Bowen

Watching Lifeforce now is to be reminded that even big-budget films were once allowed to be adventurous and idiosyncratic, even in the 1980s, and that American horror movies were once capable of being fun, sexy, and subversively empathetic. Read full review

IndieWire Drew Taylor

It has everything a growing horror freak needs: extreme violence, tons of nudity, vampires, mummies, and apocalyptic bedlam. The movie is slyer and smarter than people give it credit for, and absolutely gorgeous-looking. Read full review

Gene Siskel

In film circles there's a name for pictures like Lifeforce. Film Comment magazine has dubbed them guilty pleasures, movies you're embarrassed to admit you like. Maybe somebody spiked my popcorn, but I can't deny that I liked Lifeforce. Read full review

Bill Cosford

Although we see many strange things happen (and some of them are seen through wondrous-looking special effects), we never have a clue as to what's really going on, and why. [24 June 1985, p.B6]

Jay Scott

Silly, moronically entertaining horror film. [25 June 1985]

Cleaver Patterson

As a piece of extraterrestrial-tinged whimsy, Lifeforce occasionally shows weak signs of life, but in the end it falls well short of achieving classic status. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

The film is a mess from start to finish with several main characters who appear and disappear throughout. No character development, no thematic development, no narrative development. No life. No force. No dice. Read full review

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User Reviews

Kai82

Oct 9, 2020

A combination of science fiction, horror and an apocalyptic scenario garnered with much nudity in finest B-Movie style. For me it is in the so bad that it is good (or entertaining) category. Some use the term guilty pleasure. The movie is mainly know for its nudity as the vampires and mainlyA combination of science fiction, horror and an apocalyptic scenario garnered with much nudity in finest B-Movie style. For me it is in the so bad that it is good (or entertaining) category. Some use the term guilty pleasure. The movie is mainly know for its nudity as the vampires and mainly the female one have no need for clothing (I am not making this up). It is however no pornography and had no explicit scenes. The story begins with an exploratory mission to Halley’s Comet. There the crew discovers a spaceship hidden in the trail of the comet. Inside they found three human looking bodies and a decayed and mummifying looking alien. They take the bodies with them and then the story or disaster unfolds. I already said it is finest or some would say silliest B-Movie material. This is actually a perfect description for the movie. The movie gets rightfully criticized for both story and acting. If I take the movie for what it is it would be at max a 4/10. But it has some kind of appeal that I cant explain. The best description I have read was “Its so bizarre that it is fascinating” which is a good enough explanation for me. Overall a silly and enjoyable movie. It is the hit or miss experience of a “So bad that its good movie”. Remark: I found out that even Siskel & Ebert called it a guilty pleasure with a 3 out of 4 rating.… Expand

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Broyax

Sep 27, 2020

L'un des... non, le tout premier film de Mathilda May... non, avec Mathilda je veux dire, la preuve en est qu'au générique, il est écrit "Introducing Mathilda May"... hein, quoi ? bande de pervers ! on introduit en ce moment même... Mathilda May ! putain, t'es sérieux, c'est où que ça seL'un des... non, le tout premier film de Mathilda May... non, avec Mathilda je veux dire, la preuve en est qu'au générique, il est écrit "Introducing Mathilda May"... hein, quoi ? bande de pervers ! on introduit en ce moment même... Mathilda May ! putain, t'es sérieux, c'est où que ça se passe ? je veux en être !...

En attendant d'introduire Matilda, on peut l'admirer sous toutes les coutures et c'est là la principale attraction de ce nanar... assez haut de gamme pour un nanar, car les effets spéciaux ne sont pas aussi pourris qu'il en ont l'air ou pas totalement ! on ne s'y ennuie d'ailleurs pas du tout (dans ce nanar) même lorsque Matilda n'est pas de tous les plans, bien entendu mais c'est mieux quand même quand elle est là, si, si.

Sauf grosso modo dans le dernier tiers parce que le scénar du nanar commence vraiment à nous prendre pour des canards sauvages mais ce n'est pas de sa faute, car il s'est embrouillé et a perdu le fil de son prétendu récit depuis pas mal de temps déjà... alors qu'il tente de rebondir sur ses pieds en équilibre très précaire...! Donc effectivement, ça ne tient pas debout tout ça, mais vraiment pas... heureusement que Mathilda est là, magnifique !… Expand

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