“Annihilation” is a prime example of what great science-fiction looks like. Great sci-fi must take the world we exist in into its own hands and play with its reality, and “Annihilation” excels at it on almost every front, but certainly stumbles on a few occasions.
When a biologist’s (Natalie Portman) husband returns from a covert mission inside “The Shimmer,” a mysterious region of landscape brimming with mutated wildlife and plant life, she must venture with four other military scientists into the zone in order to discover its true nature.
After director Alex Garland blew away audiences and critics alike with his 2015 Oscar-nominated sci-fi thriller “Ex Machina,” he decided to go further into the realm of science-fiction with a bold adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel “Annihilation.” As I mentioned before, great sci-fi revolves around taking our reality and turning it into a sandbox for a director to play in. With “Annihilation,” it feels like Garland spent months playing in the sandbox.
Garland takes the visual aesthetic of the novel and uses it to exemplify the mystical, other-worldly atmosphere of the Shimmer. Once the scientists enter the Shimmer, Garland does an incredible job balancing the physical and the metaphysical, creating a world that is believable, grounded, and theoretical. The visuals themselves add a lot to the overall aesthetic and style of the film, evoking a sense of wonder and fascination in some scenes and a sense of terror and mystery in others. The visuals are also quite an impressive achievement when you realize the film ran on a budget of $55 million. The visuals and world-building are in many ways subtle and minor and yet explosive and extravagant all at once.
The exploration of the world of “Annihilation” is further amplified by the performances of its cast, especially Natalie Portman. As biologist and veteran Lena, Portman starts out as a bit wooden and stilted for the first 15 minutes, but she soon improves her performance once we get into the primary storyline, giving the film a head-strong, unyielding performance while also remaining subtly private and reserved.
The supporting cast also shines in their respective roles as the other scientists joining Portman on the expedition. Tessa Thompson gives an intelligent, timid performance as Josie, Tuva Novotny acts with tenderness and strength as Sheppard, and Gina Rodriguez goes all out as Anya, who begins to delve into insanity the deeper the scientists travel into the Shimmer. Jennifer Jason Leigh rounds out the supporting cast as Dr. Ventress, playing the most focused role in the movie. It was rather disappointing, however, that Oscar Isaac gets very little screen time in the film, even though his character is important to the story.
The sci-fi aspects of the film are further exemplified in the overall narrative. While it may seem as though it’s a straightforward storyline where the team is searching for the cause of the Shimmer, the story actually goes deep into numerous themes and messages that revolve around the nature of humanity and the predicaments we face in regards to our own mortality and our vulnerabilities. But what the film succeeds in doing is it’s able to take those messages and add much needed ambiguity that promotes discussion. This is a film that throws a lot of concepts and ideas at you and can be a little overwhelming on a few occasions, but it’s a story that’s designed to allow different people to have different viewpoints and perspectives on what the overall message of the film is.
But while the film excels at providing such thought-provoking concepts, while it excels at invoking them on some occasions, there were times where the film does become too ambiguous to get a complete grasp of the film’s goals. It definitely left me on the sidelines as I fell behind a bit on what they film is trying to tell, and while I was trying to piece together what was going on, I missed some moments of dialogue and story.
The story also takes it time to begin. For the first 15-20 minutes of the film, the pacing drags to the point where I did lose interest. However, once the women enter the Shimmer, the pacing picked up and the story finally started.
Overall, “Annihilation” proves even further why Alex Garland is a talent in the science-fiction genre. Garland creates an experience that strikes a perfect balance of what’s conceptual and what’s practical, creating a film that’s bold, imaginative, and risky in many levels. With “Annihilation,” Garland creates a vast, ethereal realm brimming with imagination and ingenuity bolstered by strong performances and breathtaking visuals and cinematography. While it may stumble on occasion and never fully succeeds in translating its complex messages and thematic qualities, it’s still an engaging sci-fi thriller that’s sure to get the masses talking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89OP78l9oF0&t=1s&w=585