Annihilation (2018)
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Annihilation Movie Review
Annihilation is a 2018 science fiction horror film directed by Alex Garland and starring Natalie Portman. It is another remarkable achievement from a visionary director.
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“Almost none of us commit suicide,
whereas almost all of us self-destruct.
Somehow. In some part of our lives.
We drink, or take drugs, or destabilize
the happy job… or happy marriage“
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It follows of group of scientists, all women, who have to go to a mysterious quarantined zone full of weird looking, mutating plants and animals. The area has killed all of the previous groups who went there and is expanding so it is up to them to figure it out and stop it. This story is actually very original even though its influences are obvious. It is original in its mix of familiar ideas, but the mix itself is mostly very coherent and well put together.
So obviously I am talking about ‘Alien’ when it comes to its horror influences and the works of Tarkovsky when it comes to its sci-fi influences. You can even have the case with ‘Arrival’, but its psychological aspect is much more in line with ‘Solaris’ whereas its overall concept and atmosphere is reminiscent of ‘Stalker’. Those are some terrific influences so I admired that.
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Alex Garland truly has a knack for mixing genres and here he does it again. Whereas ‘Ex Machina’ was a mix of sci-fi and thriller elements, Annihilation is obviously a mix of science fiction and horror genres and I loved that. The horror elements are fantastic and quite creepy. That wolf-like creature sequence is easily the best one when it comes to horror – the creature is original in design and in concept and the end results are honestly quite unnerving.
But the film is more concerned with science fiction and thankfully so as I love hard sci-fi. It is actually a very psychological film as it explores the concept of self-destruction as opposed to suicide and it states how most of us self-destruct in one way or another. Very truthful. It can also be described as a cancer metaphor, but honestly the film is filled with a lot of possible metaphors that you can find on your own.
Yes, its ending is very much a mystery. The entire third act is very weird in its otherworldly imagery and impressively authentic as I have not seen anything like it before in a long-present genre. The ending itself is very mysterious, impressively ambiguous and open for many interpretations. I personally found its most easy explanation (she’s an alien) to be most probable, but then again it is the less smart and artistic explanation when opposed to cancer metaphors, self-destruction as well as imminent change.
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Annihilation is told through the eyes of Lena played by Natalie Portman and although I disliked its framing approach where she is questioned by the authorities at first, I eventually started to really appreciate it as it led to that incredibly ambiguous ending. She is a terrific character very well explored and her struggle with her supposedly dead husband is also really well done, but still it needed a bit more screen time in my opinion. Natalie Portman gave another powerhouse, truly terrific performance in a demanding role.
The other characters are unfortunately not as well fleshed out which is a shame, but still the self-destruction theme binds them all together. Jennifer Jason Leigh is quite memorable as Dr. Ventress, Gina Rodriguez is honestly quite annoying and the weakest link here but Tessa Thompson and Tuva Novotny are likable in their roles. The fact that they are all women is also very well explained and it never felt like forced feminism but a positive one.
Annihilation is visually spectacular. This is the kind of film that is bound to be appreciated on an artistic level as it truly is a work of art especially in its alien design and that third act, but also in the entire look of The Shimmer. The creatures look very unique and are so well designed, the plants are beautiful and the colors are arresting to behold. The cinematography is superb and the film is truly a feast for the eyes.
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But it also has amazing score which is incredibly creepy again in that alien scene and admirably otherworldly and strange. So well done. The dialogue is clever and many conversations here are honestly very fascinating as is the film’s entire storyline and slow approach to telling its story with perfectly relaxed pacing. The direction from Alex Garland is once again brilliant and he is quickly shaping out to be one of the directors working today.
After ‘Ex Machina’ which was a fantastic mix of science fiction and thriller, visionary director Alex Garland delivers again with Annihilation – a sci-fi horror hybrid which is influenced particularly by ‘Alien’ in the horror department and the works of Tarkovsky in its psychology/SF department but ends up being a unique mix of ideas regardless. His direction is brilliant and he is quickly becoming one of the best directors working today, Natalie Portman’s lead performance is reliably terrific and the film is very clever and artistic thanks to the arresting visuals of The Shimmer, creepy, strange and fittingly otherworldly score and many fascinating metaphors and conversations. The highlights include the creature attack scene which is impressively unnerving and the ending which is of course admirably ambiguous and open for many different interpretations.
