Annihilation

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SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Writer/director Alex Garland returns to the big screen with Annihilation, a science fiction horror film based on Jeff VanderMeer’s book of the same name. Garland, who has had success as a screenwriter since he wrote 28 Days Later back in 2002, received widespread notice and acclaim for his directorial debut Ex Machina (2015). After the success of that film, expectations for his next directorial effort have been understandably high, and with Annihilation, Garland exceeds those expectations. Annihilation is an instant modern science fiction classic, as gorgeous as it is terrible to behold and as captivating as it is ponderous. But what Annihilation gains in ambition it sacrifices in accessibility, pushing well beyond what a casual moviegoer might expect or enjoy.

     Annihilation stars Natalie Portman as Lena, a biologist and ex-soldier whose husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) goes missing on a covert mission. Lena’s search for answers takes her to a highly secretive governmental research facility responsible for researching a phenomenon known as the “Shimmer,” a mysterious (and expanding) area of land with otherworldly, shimmering borders. The Shimmer defies all efforts to study or explain it; no means of communication can pierce its boundaries, and no team—such as the one that Kane was on—has yet returned from it intact. Hoping to find a way to save her husband, Lena decides to join a team of volunteer scientists on the next expedition into the Shimmer, not knowing what she’ll encounter within.

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     First things first: Annihilation (if you can’t tell from the title) is not something you want to take your kids to see. Annihilation is a science fiction film first, but it’s also a horror film—and a disturbing one, at that. The scares come not only from ideas, but from plenty of gory and otherwise frightening images, so you’ve been warned: faint of heart, steer clear. On the other hand, if you are a fan of the horror genre (like myself), you’ll probably get a kick out of that dimension of the film.

     Natalie Portman anchors the movie in the lead role, providing a human center to root for. Portman’s talent too often goes underappreciated; she can carry so many emotional notes convincingly. Here, however, her character tends to suppress emotion to fulfill her role as de facto leader of the team, and Portman succeeds in bringing her efforts (and her occasional failures) to life. The rest of the cast deliver memorable performances, with the all-female expedition team (portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, and Creed’s Tessa Thompson) receiving the bulk of the movie’s attention. Leigh, perhaps unsurprisingly, gives the most devastating performance of the group.

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     Behind the camera, Garland supplies the same unsettling camerawork that marked some of Ex Machina’s creepier scenes. Garland likes to build tension with slow tracking shots and slow zooms, often positioning a small subject against a vast (and probably unfriendly) background. In Annihilation’s case, those kinds of shots help increase the audience’s sense of Lena’s isolation within a hostile environment.

     One of the most interesting things about Annihilation, from a visual standpoint, is the way that it juxtaposes its horror with beauty. The movie’s beginning draws on 2016’s sci-fi hit, Arrival, for visual and storytelling cues, and its ending does the same with Alien, but most of the movie’s body is spent within the disorienting world of the Shimmer. It’s a world of wonderfully rendered natural (or, I suppose, somewhat unnatural) vegetation and animal life, presented in stunning bright pastels and dark mossy greens. And what’s more, the Shimmer’s daylight loveliness serves a purpose, highlighting the terrifying ugliness of those things which appear in its dark corners.

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     As Annihilation unfolds, it steps further into mystery and ambiguity. There’s a certain cerebral quality to the film as a whole; the first few scenes introduce the thematic ideas about life and what it means to survive, die, or reach immortality that permeate the rest of the movie. But whereas the first two-thirds of the movie embrace the illusory quality of the Shimmer while keeping one foot firmly on the ground, the final scenes lift off the ground altogether, entering into dreamlike, mythical territory with psychedelic, disorienting visuals. Not coincidentally, it’s in those scenes that the film poses its most substantial and profound questions.

     But while there’s a certain philosophical and artistic value to Annihilation’s ending, it runs the risk of alienating some viewers. It’s not nearly as straightforward or self-contained as Ex Machina—which is saying something, I suppose. A sci-fi movie like Arrival engages in unconventional storytelling while maintaining mainstream appeal, but Annihilation feels more like 2001: A Space Odyssey, which demands a certain level of endurance and interest from its audience. So although Annihilation has something worthwhile to say, it’s a good idea to know what you’re getting into before you buy your ticket. 

Watch the trailer here. 

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