Lifeforce

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Lifeforce

R

1984

1h 40m

Sci-Fi

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

58%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

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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Simon Abrams

House Next Door

Feb 25, 2011

Lifeforce is a dog.

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Nick Schager

The Screengrab

Apr 6, 2009

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

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 29, 2024

2.5/4

The mere mention of its title will trigger memories among many people of A) a gorgeous space vampire prone to walking around London completely nude, B) a pre-Star Trek: The Next Generation Patrick Stewart getting possessed by said beauty, or C) both.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 22, 2023

2/5

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.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

May 16, 2023

3/5

…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…

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Dec 2, 2022

B

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

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Jack

Oct 13, 2025

Very cheesy b-movie that’s plenty entertaining, it’s no Alien but itll do

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Ari V

@RT59419633 Oct 2, 2026

Very interesting time capsule. Certainly not without hokey and dated elements, but unafraid to explore old themes in ways that are fairly unusual and all-out epic.

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nick S

@Nick_S Sep 9, 2026

Lots of effort went into the movie, but unfortunately story coherence was sacrificed for spectacle. Hard to make much sense of it. The main character was conveniently connected via thought waves to the alien which enabled him to explain the goings-on to the audience. But I think that just made it worse. Acting was unfortunately a bit patchy, with some really wooden moments.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 2, 2026

I loved the premise of this movie, and I was glad it ended on an upbeat once the monsters from the comet were sent back home in disgrace! but they will return in another 70 years or sow as the were stranded in Halley's Comet.

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Landon J

@Minxsykitty Jul 29, 2026

Really good! At the top of my list for 80's horror. Every moment is interesting and really scores points for engagement. What a cool premise too. I really enjoy movies that waste no runtime and this one gets an A.

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Brian M

@RT43155825 Jul 16, 2026

While most people may not like this, the musical score by Mancini is absolutely awesome! Not a "must see" but a must listen.

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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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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
Producer: Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan
Screenwriter: Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby
Distributor: Cannon Films, TriStar Pictures
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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