Annihilation

There's really nothing I love more (at the movies at least) than a trip to the cinema that leaves you reeling a bit. 

One that makes you ponder and question and think after the credits have rolled. 

Sure, I of course love it when a superhero film is spectacular or perhaps when a film makes me laugh, or cry, or both...but...

There really is nothing else like getting your head spun around a concept or an element of some grandiose idea.

Alex Garland achieved this previously with his directorial debut, Ex Machina. A film that has aged so gracefully, I could watch it again this year and it would potentially be fighting for the #1 spot. While that film challenged the ideas around the creation of artificial intelligence, Annihilation is something else entirely, yet still in the realm of sci-fi. I hold Ex Machina in such high regard that I'll try to keep the comparisons to a minimum for the sake of my own appreciation of this new film (and because it's quite different).

Annihilation comes "based" on a book that's part of a larger trilogy called "The Southern Reach Trilogy". It should surprise no one that I read Annihilation before it hit the screen and am currently on book #2 of the trilogy. I put "based" in quotations just now because this really is a loose adaptation and it's clear that Garland was inspired by the book's premise, and took it in a totally different direction. Elements of the original story make it into the film -- things like an all-female team, the shimmering barrier, the fact that no one ever comes back from this infected environment, etc. It's interesting because I think this is the first time I've seen a film where the book and it are intertwined, but holistically separate entities. I really enjoyed the book (and am enjoying the trilogy), but it went down one path while the film chose almost an entirely different one. The fact that both came out great makes for an interesting case study of artist-to-artist inspiration. 

Dammit Natalie! You forgot your backpack again!

To say much about the film's plot wouldn't do much for you as the reader as it's basic on the surface and then gets into spoilerish territory fairly quickly. All you need to know is that a group of ladies set out on an expedition into The Shimmer, a slowly expanding infected environment that appeared about 3 years ago. No expeditions have returned and They (aka the government) know absolutely nothing about it. From the get-go, Annihilation nails the tone that it wants to achieve and sustains it, almost tirelessly. It's a film that wears you out -- in an entertaining way -- and presents a constant somber dread about its characters, their mission, and the mystery they may find. Strangely enough, this tone is purposefully undercut by the environment within the Shimmer itself as it's bursting with color, shapes, and unique plant and animal life. As our team makes their way deeper into this dangerous territory we're treated to more and more impressive and subtly creepy mutations to the biological norms that we're used to. Even displays of death are strangely beautiful with their exploding color pallets and designs.

It was here that the prank turned deadly
as she dropped the alligator jaw on her head

Natalie Portman is, as per usual, pretty much perfect in the main role. She gives her character an almost sickening level of non-emotion and by the end of it all, it's a great performance from her. Everyone else, including Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, and Tessa Thompson do well enough with limited roles. Jason Leigh holds a supremely creepy role with lots of purposefully "dead" delivery. Her character doesn't pay off in the way that she does in the book so ultimately I felt like her behavior in the film was kind of unnecessarily morbid, but Leigh does well with the role regardless. 

Where Annihilation earns big points is in its technical achievements and its ending. The former features thoughtful cinematography, creepy sound design, and special effects that are consistently strong at capturing the level of imagination that Garland and his crew bring. It's a very pretty and well-edited film, much like Ex Machina was. The original score varies from rudimentary to all-time great and that's where the ending comes in. It's sure to be divisive, unfortunately, because it kind of goes off the rails. I say "kind-of" because, as I think about it more, it does make sense as it relates to the story and the mystery the film builds, not to mention, audience members should remember that they're in a sci-fi film so...yeah that's all I'll say. What I will add is that the ending is a collection of scenes that are done so perfectly, I couldn't have torn my eyes away if I tried. Much like certain scenes from Arrival or even Ex Machina itself, they are examples of 100% vision-to-screen achievement. The visuals, music, tone, cinematography, etc. are all perfect and it's nothing short of captivating. For me personally, the final 10-15 minutes of Annihilation achieve that and stack it on top of an already great movie. 

Enter the pretty dish-soap barrier if you dare!!

Garland's second directorial effort is another mind-blowing adventure into the realm of sci-fi. It's a thrilling and quite terrifying film on the surface, but also one that will keep you thinking far after you leave the theater. And I'll be damned if those trips to the movies aren't the ones that get me excited about them all over again. 

CONS

• Slightly too slow of a burn for the first half hour. Pre-Shimmer scenes felt like they drag in comparison
• I wish the fantastic elements of the original score hadn't just been contained until the end (though it did have the intended jaw-dropping effect)
• I'm not sure Jason Leigh's character needed to have the behavior they gave her. It aligns with the book, yes, but the payoff and direction of that character is quite different

PROS

• Goes for a intensely dreadful tone and nails it. This is one that may take a lot out of you
• Fantastic and subtle lead performance from Portman. Other cast members do good jobs as well
• A shockingly scary film both with jump scares and really well drawn out scenes of tension
• The world within The Shimmer is beautiful thanks to a wondrous color spectrum and strong special effects
• A sci-fi story through and through. Well paced and will leave its mark
• The ending is so damn well done that I'll be hard pressed to find a scene (or set of scenes) this year that beats it. The film is technically brilliant throughout, but in its final 15 minutes, Annihilation achieves perfection
• And that original music though! Hot damn it was mind blowing!
• An absolute delight, if not one that's a bit unsettling, for fans of science fiction, and getting their heads thrown for a trip

Rath's Review Score | 9/10