Alex Garland has been working in the film industry since the early 2000s, penning the scripts for 28 Days Later and Sunshine, crafting the source material for The Beach, and even reportedly directing much of the critically-acclaimed Dredd. Garland's steady work in the sci-fi realm makes it even more surprising that Ex Machina, his 2015 directorial debut, managed to sneak up on everyone. But that's precisely what happened, as Garland's chilly A.I. fable arrived in theaters on a tidal wave of white-hot festival buzz and a thrilling sense of topical urgency. Ex Machina managed to ride that wave to box office success and Oscar glory, becoming one of A24's biggest hits and bolstering the careers of stars Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, and Domhnall Gleeson (this was before the latter two found themselves in a little franchise called Star Wars) in the process. But for cinephiles and sci-fi fans, all eyes were on Garland- how would he manage to follow up this modern classic?
After seeing Garland's Annihilation, it's clear that Ex Machina was no fluke. Just like that film, his adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's acclaimed novel is a confounding, challenging experience, one that invites the creation of a multitude of theories and provides plenty of food for thought in its depiction of staggering evolutionary change. When I walked out of Ex Machina, I found myself admiring the film, but not entirely in love with what Garland had crafted. A second viewing proved me wrong, and I have a feeling that rewatches will leave me even more impressed by Annihilation. It's a bold and difficult movie, reluctant to provide easy answers to its cosmic questions. But on a more analytical level, it provides overwhelming evidence that Garland is growing more comfortable in his position as an auteur filmmaker. He's developing a set of structural and stylistic predispositions, creating a habit of studying broken characters and executing his narratives in a slow burn style. Annihilation is a thoroughly unique movie, and it isn't without a few odd missteps along the way. Nonetheless, Garland's surreal, hypnotic experience delivers pure cinematic thrills that will leave you breathless.
Lena (Natalie Portman) is both a brilliant biologist and a skilled former member of the military, but when this story begins, she's grieving the disappearance of Kane (Oscar Isaac), her beloved husband. Kane went on a mission nearly a year ago and hasn't returned or contacted home, which has led some of Lena's friends to tell her that it's time to move on. Suddenly, Kane returns- but he's not the same. There's something wrong with him, and that's when Lena learns the truth about his mission. She's transported to Area X, which has been dubbed The Shimmer. A mysterious object crashed into a lighthouse several months ago, and a strange force has been slowly growing ever since. Kane and his team became the latest group to enter The Shimmer, but since no others had ever returned, Lena can't help but wonder why her husband signed up for a suicide mission.
So Lena makes a bold decision- she decides to join the next team on their adventure into The Shimmer. Along with the enigmatic Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Josie (Tessa Thompson), Anya (Gina Rodriguez), and Cass (Tuva Novotny), Lena explores the unknown mysteries of this growing force. What they find is beautiful and horrifying, a rapidly evolving nightmare that they can't seem to escape. And this is just the beginning. Annihilation takes plenty of twists and turns during the course of its story, and it refuses to adhere to the constraints of any single genre. It's a hard sci-fi film with brains and big ideas, but it also features some absolutely horrifying sequences that will shred your nerves to bits. I went in expecting a combination of 2001 and Apocalypse Now, and in return, I got something that defied my expectations and pre-conceived notions at every turn. From start to finish, Annihilation is mystifying and truly puzzling.
In a movie filled with shocking twists and unexpected pleasures, Annihilation's heavy emotional core is perhaps the most satisfying surprise. In fact, the gravitas was such a surprise to me that some aspects of its non-linear narrative didn't even connect in my mind until the days after I had seen the film. When you're the guy who made Ex Machina and your movie is already drawing comparisons to the most cerebral sci-fi film of all-time, it isn't unreasonable for the audience to expect more intellect than emotion. But even as it details the perils and horrors of this trek into the unknown, Annihilation never loses sight of Lena's journey, digging into her psyche and the collective mental state of her fellow travelers. As it tells a story of evolution and grueling change, Garland slowly pieces together a puzzle of pain and guilt, shading these broken individuals with the perfect amount of pathos and desperation.
If anything, the strength of the emotional narrative comes into conflict with the uneasy surrealism of its more abstract ideas. Odd musical cues and dramatically inert sequences of ordinary discussions feel so out of place in this sci-fi/horror universe, but all of the slow burn pacing eventually pays off as Garland builds to his conclusion. And don't worry, along the way there are plenty of stomach-churning incidents to keep you invested. As the emotional angle is developed, Garland delivers a mutant crocodile, a giant bear that replicates human screams, and a grainy video of a man's rapidly moving intestines. So yeah, quite a contrast there. And that's all before the film reaches it climax, a setpiece so mesmerizing that I'm fairly certain I didn't blink for minutes. It's a mostly silent sequence that will haunt your dreams for weeks, serving as both a culmination of the film's tone and themes and an enigmatic mystery in its own right. It's virtually indescribable- you just have to see it for yourself.
And beyond its visual wizardry, Annihilation boasts a top-notch cast. Natalie Portman is as good as ever, finding real depth and complexity in this deeply guarded character. Jennifer Jason Leigh expertly plays the kind of character you can never get a read on, Tessa Thompson finds understated strength in Josie, and Oscar Isaac best exemplifies the film's tonal mixture, blending down-to-earth humanity with icy terror.
Make no mistake, Annihilation is not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination. It's truly confounding in every sense of the word, never providing answers or settling into a recognizable groove. But just like Ex Machina, it's an undeniably unique cinematic experience, bold and distinct and unafraid of challenging its audience. I saw the film a few weeks ago, and I still feel like I'm writing this review too soon. I'm confident that Annihilation has some flaws, but I'm also confident that I'm far from done with this film. Garland has crafted something profoundly memorable with this sci-fi odyssey, a film that has been rattling around in my brain ever since the credits rolled. Ambiguous, frightening, and maybe even brilliant, Annihilation is an impressive follow-up for a rising directorial star.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (8/10)
Images courtesy of Netflix
Poster- Paramount/IMDb
After seeing Garland's Annihilation, it's clear that Ex Machina was no fluke. Just like that film, his adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's acclaimed novel is a confounding, challenging experience, one that invites the creation of a multitude of theories and provides plenty of food for thought in its depiction of staggering evolutionary change. When I walked out of Ex Machina, I found myself admiring the film, but not entirely in love with what Garland had crafted. A second viewing proved me wrong, and I have a feeling that rewatches will leave me even more impressed by Annihilation. It's a bold and difficult movie, reluctant to provide easy answers to its cosmic questions. But on a more analytical level, it provides overwhelming evidence that Garland is growing more comfortable in his position as an auteur filmmaker. He's developing a set of structural and stylistic predispositions, creating a habit of studying broken characters and executing his narratives in a slow burn style. Annihilation is a thoroughly unique movie, and it isn't without a few odd missteps along the way. Nonetheless, Garland's surreal, hypnotic experience delivers pure cinematic thrills that will leave you breathless.
Lena (Natalie Portman) is both a brilliant biologist and a skilled former member of the military, but when this story begins, she's grieving the disappearance of Kane (Oscar Isaac), her beloved husband. Kane went on a mission nearly a year ago and hasn't returned or contacted home, which has led some of Lena's friends to tell her that it's time to move on. Suddenly, Kane returns- but he's not the same. There's something wrong with him, and that's when Lena learns the truth about his mission. She's transported to Area X, which has been dubbed The Shimmer. A mysterious object crashed into a lighthouse several months ago, and a strange force has been slowly growing ever since. Kane and his team became the latest group to enter The Shimmer, but since no others had ever returned, Lena can't help but wonder why her husband signed up for a suicide mission.
So Lena makes a bold decision- she decides to join the next team on their adventure into The Shimmer. Along with the enigmatic Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Josie (Tessa Thompson), Anya (Gina Rodriguez), and Cass (Tuva Novotny), Lena explores the unknown mysteries of this growing force. What they find is beautiful and horrifying, a rapidly evolving nightmare that they can't seem to escape. And this is just the beginning. Annihilation takes plenty of twists and turns during the course of its story, and it refuses to adhere to the constraints of any single genre. It's a hard sci-fi film with brains and big ideas, but it also features some absolutely horrifying sequences that will shred your nerves to bits. I went in expecting a combination of 2001 and Apocalypse Now, and in return, I got something that defied my expectations and pre-conceived notions at every turn. From start to finish, Annihilation is mystifying and truly puzzling.
In a movie filled with shocking twists and unexpected pleasures, Annihilation's heavy emotional core is perhaps the most satisfying surprise. In fact, the gravitas was such a surprise to me that some aspects of its non-linear narrative didn't even connect in my mind until the days after I had seen the film. When you're the guy who made Ex Machina and your movie is already drawing comparisons to the most cerebral sci-fi film of all-time, it isn't unreasonable for the audience to expect more intellect than emotion. But even as it details the perils and horrors of this trek into the unknown, Annihilation never loses sight of Lena's journey, digging into her psyche and the collective mental state of her fellow travelers. As it tells a story of evolution and grueling change, Garland slowly pieces together a puzzle of pain and guilt, shading these broken individuals with the perfect amount of pathos and desperation.
If anything, the strength of the emotional narrative comes into conflict with the uneasy surrealism of its more abstract ideas. Odd musical cues and dramatically inert sequences of ordinary discussions feel so out of place in this sci-fi/horror universe, but all of the slow burn pacing eventually pays off as Garland builds to his conclusion. And don't worry, along the way there are plenty of stomach-churning incidents to keep you invested. As the emotional angle is developed, Garland delivers a mutant crocodile, a giant bear that replicates human screams, and a grainy video of a man's rapidly moving intestines. So yeah, quite a contrast there. And that's all before the film reaches it climax, a setpiece so mesmerizing that I'm fairly certain I didn't blink for minutes. It's a mostly silent sequence that will haunt your dreams for weeks, serving as both a culmination of the film's tone and themes and an enigmatic mystery in its own right. It's virtually indescribable- you just have to see it for yourself.
And beyond its visual wizardry, Annihilation boasts a top-notch cast. Natalie Portman is as good as ever, finding real depth and complexity in this deeply guarded character. Jennifer Jason Leigh expertly plays the kind of character you can never get a read on, Tessa Thompson finds understated strength in Josie, and Oscar Isaac best exemplifies the film's tonal mixture, blending down-to-earth humanity with icy terror.
Make no mistake, Annihilation is not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination. It's truly confounding in every sense of the word, never providing answers or settling into a recognizable groove. But just like Ex Machina, it's an undeniably unique cinematic experience, bold and distinct and unafraid of challenging its audience. I saw the film a few weeks ago, and I still feel like I'm writing this review too soon. I'm confident that Annihilation has some flaws, but I'm also confident that I'm far from done with this film. Garland has crafted something profoundly memorable with this sci-fi odyssey, a film that has been rattling around in my brain ever since the credits rolled. Ambiguous, frightening, and maybe even brilliant, Annihilation is an impressive follow-up for a rising directorial star.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (8/10)
Images courtesy of Netflix
Poster- Paramount/IMDb
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