Annihilation (B or 3/4 stars)
'Annihilation' (based on a Jeff VanderMeer novel & written/directed by Alex Garland, of Ex Machina) is one of those heady, artsy, deliberately-paced sci-fi flicks that "blows" cinephiles away, yet makes regular movie goers say: well, this "blows". Hop-scotching around various narrative framing techniques, we meet our protagonist, biologist Lena (Natalie Portman) as she is mourning the recent loss of her soldier husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac). Depressed beyond measure, she is given a shock one afternoon when the seemingly dead Kane shows up in her bedroom. Lena is elated. But he doesn't look well and, more than that, is disoriented & not appearing to be himself. Before long, he begins bleeding from the mouth & convulsing.
Off to the hospital they go. But en route to the hospital, they're intercepted & whisked away to a top secret government facility called Area X. There, Lena learns that Kane was part of a secret group of volunteers who had entered an eerily mysterious area called "The Shimmer"; a nebulous, rainbow-tinged force field that surrounds a large perimeter of land and is scarily spreading. All efforts to enter "The Shimmer" have failed; no one has ever come back alive ... except Kane. Another party of 4 women is now going in and, Lena wants to be included. In addition to Lena - a biologist with military training - they are: Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a psychiatrist with a secret; Anya (Gina Rodriguez), an amiable paramedic; Cass (Tuva Novotny), a genial anthropologist; & Josie (Tessa Thompson), a timid physicist. Hoping to save her ailing husband, solve The Shimmer's mystery, and survive ... what Lena and co. find inside is beyond their wildest imaginations.
Alex Garland's 2nd sci-fi film is even more ambitious than his 1st outing in Ex Machina. Ambition is good. Rich themes are good. The film's visuals are scintillating. And the performances are astute. But the daring & demanding conclusion will be a hard sell to general audiences. And thus, a perfectly commendable film enterprise can be viewed as a negative. While watching 'Annihilation', I was reminded of the challenging nature of the Blade Runner films; the moodiness of 2016's Arrival; the jungle adventure of 1987's Predator; and mercurial curiosity like 1997's Contact. Alex Garland combines imaginative visuals, strange ideas & jolts. Problem is: those 'jolts' - while terrifying - come rarely and disappear for a more poetic, surreal conclusion.
The Shimmer world of 'Annihilation' is astounding; we follow these women as they encounter all manner of bizarre, exotic, menacing dangers at unexpected points throughout this unpredictable setting. The sets/visual effects (some of the odd flora & fauna, mutated creatures) are wondrous. The sound design - PARTICULARLY during the eye-&-ear popping climax - is incredible. I love that this movie features 5 strong women who embark on the perilous journey. Natalie Portman's performance of a woman navigating an emotionally turbulent time of her life is one of her most natural, relatable & very best. Each of the 4 other female actors are strong. And Oscar Isaac - while not utilized as much as his role in Ex Machina - is still integral, here.
'Annihilation' makes you think -- whether you're in the mood to think or not, haha. The film makes you think about the laws of nature; about evolution & fragility of DNA; about what happens to our mind when our body starts failing; about coping with startling changes; about the nature of self-destruction; and it explores the damaging power of guilt.
Viscerally, 'Annihilation' contains several scary, hair-raising & unsettling scenes {most include gore} -- one such petrifying sequence that ratchets up a near-unbearable level of tension involves a 'monster', the shriek of a woman & blood galore. Mass audiences would want more of that. For me, I found the 'sci' in this film's sci-fi to be too opaque & down-the-rabbit-hole for my liking. That said, 'Annihilation' embraces its large ideas & demands its audience to be attentive. I admire that greatly, even if I think the execution of its ambitions could've been better.
Off to the hospital they go. But en route to the hospital, they're intercepted & whisked away to a top secret government facility called Area X. There, Lena learns that Kane was part of a secret group of volunteers who had entered an eerily mysterious area called "The Shimmer"; a nebulous, rainbow-tinged force field that surrounds a large perimeter of land and is scarily spreading. All efforts to enter "The Shimmer" have failed; no one has ever come back alive ... except Kane. Another party of 4 women is now going in and, Lena wants to be included. In addition to Lena - a biologist with military training - they are: Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a psychiatrist with a secret; Anya (Gina Rodriguez), an amiable paramedic; Cass (Tuva Novotny), a genial anthropologist; & Josie (Tessa Thompson), a timid physicist. Hoping to save her ailing husband, solve The Shimmer's mystery, and survive ... what Lena and co. find inside is beyond their wildest imaginations.
Alex Garland's 2nd sci-fi film is even more ambitious than his 1st outing in Ex Machina. Ambition is good. Rich themes are good. The film's visuals are scintillating. And the performances are astute. But the daring & demanding conclusion will be a hard sell to general audiences. And thus, a perfectly commendable film enterprise can be viewed as a negative. While watching 'Annihilation', I was reminded of the challenging nature of the Blade Runner films; the moodiness of 2016's Arrival; the jungle adventure of 1987's Predator; and mercurial curiosity like 1997's Contact. Alex Garland combines imaginative visuals, strange ideas & jolts. Problem is: those 'jolts' - while terrifying - come rarely and disappear for a more poetic, surreal conclusion.
The Shimmer world of 'Annihilation' is astounding; we follow these women as they encounter all manner of bizarre, exotic, menacing dangers at unexpected points throughout this unpredictable setting. The sets/visual effects (some of the odd flora & fauna, mutated creatures) are wondrous. The sound design - PARTICULARLY during the eye-&-ear popping climax - is incredible. I love that this movie features 5 strong women who embark on the perilous journey. Natalie Portman's performance of a woman navigating an emotionally turbulent time of her life is one of her most natural, relatable & very best. Each of the 4 other female actors are strong. And Oscar Isaac - while not utilized as much as his role in Ex Machina - is still integral, here.
'Annihilation' makes you think -- whether you're in the mood to think or not, haha. The film makes you think about the laws of nature; about evolution & fragility of DNA; about what happens to our mind when our body starts failing; about coping with startling changes; about the nature of self-destruction; and it explores the damaging power of guilt.
Viscerally, 'Annihilation' contains several scary, hair-raising & unsettling scenes {most include gore} -- one such petrifying sequence that ratchets up a near-unbearable level of tension involves a 'monster', the shriek of a woman & blood galore. Mass audiences would want more of that. For me, I found the 'sci' in this film's sci-fi to be too opaque & down-the-rabbit-hole for my liking. That said, 'Annihilation' embraces its large ideas & demands its audience to be attentive. I admire that greatly, even if I think the execution of its ambitions could've been better.