Annihilation (2018) – Film Review
Critics are calling it a fine addition to the roster of “the smart man’s sci-fi.” Honestly, I kind of like that moniker.
Like his previous film, Ex Machina, Alex Garland makes some great, grand statements about humanity, what it means to be alive, and our place in this unimaginably-huge and complex universe. A niche film, definitely; this isn’t a film one just says, “Oh, we got time to kill today. Babe! Let’s go see the new Natalie Portman movie.” No…this is a thinker. I’m still trying to piece together what it means. Remember when I reviewed Paul W.S. Anderson’s Event Horizon way back, and called it a “gem of a film” that reminds me why I love sci-fi? Yea, that goes doubly for Annihilation, here.
I get into Lovecraft a lot, when I talk sci-fi. Plenty of that here, too; I should read the book(s), see how it’s different. Quite, apparently—some of my more learned co-workers intend on reading it, now that they’ve seen it. Back to Lovecraft, though, and, as I said before, this film asks some lofty questions, like its certain inspiration.
It speaks to the “Earthling condition”; what exists beyond our very small (and very literal) sphere of knowledge may be totally irrelevant to the rest of the cosmos. Therein lies the horror of this non-horror piece: Everything “out there” is so much bigger than we are, and we’ll never be able to fully understand it. The Shimmer—as it’s called in the film—and what controls (or birthed) it is unknowable to us; we seek a why from it, to understand, but not everything has to have a reason for being. Some things just…are.
The performances, delivered by some of the finest people in Hollywood, these days, give us some kind of anchor to cling to through all of it. Natalie Portman is very Ripley-esque. All of the main, female-driven cast is, for that matter—all very capable, level-headed individuals with backstories and personalities. Very refreshing from those cardboard portrayals we get in giant fighting robot movies (not you, Pacific Rim…can’t wait for March 23rd). Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewellyn Davis, Ex Machina) plays enigmatic very well, as he’s so opaque when given the chance to be that his character here is…well, really, a mystery to solve.
Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful 8, Dolores Claiborne) delivers a great performance, as well. Hers is a beaten-down character, torn between survival and facing down the inevitable end. She was one I knew I’d miss, as soon as her story came to light. Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok, Dear White People), I felt, was a little under-used; maybe because she was such a big part of Thor, I wanted to see more of her here as a quieter, brainier type. Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange, The Martian) has very little screen-time, as well, to my dismay… And, last but not least, we have Gina Rodriguez of Jane the Virgin fame, whose portrayal reminded me of a character I created for my own writing not too long ago. Would’ve liked to have seen more of her, too, or at least had her character fleshed out a bit more other than “flirty lesbian who goes crazy half-way through”.
I feel like this movie was marketed wrongly. I’ll include the teaser down below, beneath the rating. It’s made out to be some kind of horror-mystery, but Annihilation is…so much more than that. It’s not like last year’s Life, where the trailer gave everything away in two minutes and thirty seconds, but directors like Garland shouldn’t have to worry about such things as box office recoupment—just make art for art’s sake, and the right people will see the film. Granted, the studio probably had something to do with the final teaser; I’d like to give Garland as much credit as he’s due, so I’m not pinning this all on him. I won’t… His vision had an incredible end result.
The score and soundtrack are equal parts unnerving and amazing. The score relies on huge swells and synths to get this alien feeling across to the audience, while the soundtrack set-list employs more familiar tones. Visually, this is a beautiful film. Some of the CG backgrounds were a little wonky, but that can be overlooked if one is as drawn into the sci-fi and the spectacle as I was. All the on-site cinematography was gorgeous—lush, vibrant, creatively-imagined as the mutation of the Shimmer became more and more pervasive. Blinding moments of stark-white and unnecessary lens flares aside, I would definitely go for a second viewing. A lot of the flashbacks and nuances may make more sense in round two.
Some quaint moments of humor—before stuff goes south—offset the dire seriousness a bit, and that’s not a bad thing.
Annihilation’s first official trailer does it better justice—gives the bare-bones, without spoiling anything. Makes you wonder at what the film is, but gives you enough to be hungry to learn more. Set up perfectly for a sequel, too. That ending!
Final ‘Risk Assessment: *****/. I second that opening critique. Proudly. The smart man’s sci-fi, indeed. There’s a difference between pretentious and intelligent, films that make me think versus a film that thinks it’s smarter than me.
Next review: Red Sparrow (Mar. 2nd)
