Annihilation in 500(ish) Words: Movie Thoughts

Minor Spoilers Ahead

The team (Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez and Tuva Novotny) prepare to enter Area X a.k.a. the Shimmer

Well, that was weird.

Annihilation (based on the book by Jeff VanderMeer) is one of the better science-fiction movies to come out in the last few years, presenting us with incredible, unsettling visuals and a great story that poses thought-provoking questions on various aspects of our own humanity and pushing our understanding of it to the absolute limits. Throw in some of the trippiest, surreal set-pieces I’ve ever seen and really solid performances by the cast and you got one hell of a movie.

Alex Garland’s second directorial run is absolutely stunning, focusing on our protagonist Lena (Natalie Portman), a botanist/former soldier who embarks on a dangerous expedition to get answers to the mysterious disappearance and sudden reappearance of her husband (Oscar Isaac). Lena and a small team of experts enter the Shimmer, a mysterious extraterrestrial field that has unpredictable mutagenic effects on the flora and fauna within. As the team ventures further into the Shimmer for answers about the previous expeditionary team, they encounter all manner of nature-defying phenomena, mysteries deeper then they could’ve anticipated and dangerous hybrid animals that both mesmerize and terrorize (including a mutant bear that’s involved in some of the film’s most haunting moments). The movie is absolutely dripping with atmosphere, offering sights and moments that are simultaneously beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. The film’s climax is a completely engrossing experience and I’m hesitant to spoil any parts of it here. It really must be seen for yourself and seen on the big screen if possible (the VFX/soundtrack are worth the price of admission in and of themselves). Overall, it’s a somewhat familiar story if you’ve seen or read any science-fiction before, but Annihilation is executed so well that I’m sure it’ll be seen as one of the best examples of the genre over time.

Sadly, not everyone seems to be going for this one. Annihilation’s box office numbers aren’t looking great at the time of this writing (grossing only $26.1 million with a production budget of roughly $45-50 million) despite receiving many positive reviews from critics and movie-goers alike. This isn’t a unique occurrence either, with Blade Runner 2049 experiencing the same thing last year. Cerebral science-fiction is definitely a niche genre for the general population and sadly, it’s not always profitable enough to convince the bigger studios to take a chance on story-telling like this. Thankfully we live in the Netflix-era of media consumption, so even if a movie doesn’t pull the biggest box office numbers, streaming services and word-of-mouth helps to ensure interest in high-concept films like this stays alive and well.

In closing, Annihilation is a great movie and one of those fantastic science-fiction stories that stick with you days after you’ve seen it. If you have even a passing appreciation for good stories and visuals in the genre, it’s definitely worth your time.

What’d you think of Annihilation? Let me know in the comments below.

More to come!
O.N.