Love him or hate him, Alex Garland has become popular in the sci-fi and horror community for penning thought provoking films for a number of years. While some of his works have been masterpieces (28 Days Later), others have been commercial and critical bombs (Sunshine). Garland’s latest work, Annihilation, falls somewhere in between.

The film follows Natalie Portman (Black Swan, The Star War Prequel Trilogy) as Lena, a biologist and former Army vet who embarks into what is called the Shimmer. The Shimmer is a mysterious area that appears to reflect light from the outside akin to the colorful patterns you’d see when light shines through a bubble. The entity landed 3 years prior to the film in a southern region of the US and is slowly growing. Every team, electronic device, and animal sent into it has never been heard from again. That is, until Lena’s husband was sent in and returns after being thought dead for a year. Soon after his return, Kane, played by Oscar Isaac (X-Men Apocalypse, Ex Machina), is rushed to the ER after acting extremely strange. He is then transported with his wife to a hidden base just outside of the mysterious environment. In an effort to find out what is wrong with her husband, Lena heads out with a new team in the hopes of unraveling the mystery of the Shimmer.

As the team sets off on foot into the bubble (which perplexed me as to why they did not use some sort of tank or hovercraft), they see that the Shimmer is changing the flora and fauna in dreamlike (or nightmare-ish) ways. Literally, everything that the Shimmer has touched, even abandoned homes and shacks which grow a strange type of mold or moss, have been modified. Flowers that stem from the same root systems will bloom in various flower patterns, and animals feature new defensive and terrifying features to the point they are barely recognizable. In addition to this, the team keeps experiencing a severe loss of time as well as vivid dreams which may be hallucinations, but the film never is clear on this. While we only get insight into the ones experienced by Lena, the rest of the group does mention experiencing similar situations. These story devices are used sparingly and typically offer more insight to Portman’s character, but also cause the film to lose momentum here and there.

The CGI visuals depicting the changes are acceptable and occasionally stunning, although certain creatures, especially those at the end of the film, look somewhat dated. Others, such as one featured heavily in the midpoint of the film, look downright terrifying. The worst part of the visuals are very much like recent episodes of The Walking Dead; a green screen method is used for a backdrop in almost every scene, giving most of the film a “soap opera” look. While it does paint a pretty picture, it’s often a bit too distracting.

The opening of the film hurts the overall story quite a bit – seeing Lena in the facility wearing what looks like prison garbs gives away a lot of the film, since the remaining team’s fate is put out there for the viewer within the first few minutes. The omission of these details would have given the film a much needed boost to the tension, as it does lull at times. The acting pushes the characters outside of the token roles found in the genre, but knowing the rest of the team will die makes it hard to grow attached to them.A

Much like the opening, the ending will divide or disappoint many viewers as it leaves the fate of a few of the surviving characters open to interpretation. Like many of Garland’s other works, the film questions what it is to be human and if some of our worst traits are by choice or incorporated into our DNA, and whether we are self-destructive by nature or if we are this way due to our environment. I found the ending to be fitting, while my wife was a bit let down. Much like the recent Mother!, which I loved and my wife (along with most of the world) hated, the ending will probably define your thoughts on the film.

With a few pacing issues and occasional poor CGI, Annihilation doesn’t break new ground for the genre, but it does ask some thought provoking questions about what it is to truly be human. If you’re a fan of the horror sci-fi genre, this film should not be missed.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Stunning Wildlife
• Unique Premise
• Complex Themes About Humanity
• Respectable Acting

Cons

• Some Poor CGI
• Opening Gives Away Story
• Ending is Non-Conclusive

Annihilation was written and directed by Alex Garland. It was released theatrically on February 23rd, 2018, and is available internationally on Netflix. The film was not provided to us for viewing.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth your time, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great movie that you can feel confident about paying money to see in theaters or at home. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate movies, please let us know.

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