FILM REVIEW: Annihilation (2018)

Directed by Alex Garland

* * * *

For the past four or five years, there has been a resurgence in sci-fi that aims to not only entertain, but to stimulate on both an existential and intellectual level with films like Ex Machina, Under the Skin, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049. Annihilation, Alex Garland’s tensely magnetic new film, was the first movie this year I was truly excited for, and I’m ecstatic to report that it not only lived up to my personal hype, but it also continues this beautiful trend in science fiction.

The most profound of science fiction tends to emanate from the presence of some sort of enigmatic phenomenon, one that alters our very perception of reality. Take, for instance, 2001: A Space Odyssey’s monolith or the psychic ocean planet of the titular Solaris. Annihilation centers on such a phenomenon called the Shimmer.

A lighthouse is hit by a meteor. The territory around it becomes known as the Shimmer, a psychedelic bubble that contorts and mutates the very world it comes into contact with, and its borders are only expanding. Fast forward three years. In that span of time, the Southern Reach facility has been installed adjacent to the Shimmer, dedicated to researching exactly what it is. Teams have been sent in, but nobody’s returned – not even a radio transmission can be picked up.

Enter Lena (Natalie Portman), an academic biologist who specializes in cell research. Her husband is Kane (Oscar Isaac), a soldier who left for a mission approximately one year ago. She has not seen or heard from him since his departure. One evening, he inexplicably returns home, but he’s not the same; he appears disoriented and traumatized. Naturally, Lena asks Kane where he’s been. Perhaps because of either secrecy or lack of comprehension, he cannot possibly answer.

Kane falls victim to a horrible illness. He and Lena are taken to Southern Reach, where Lena learns that her husband is the only person to have ever made it out of the Shimmer alive. Yet again, a team has been assembled to enter the Shimmer – this time an all-female group of scientists of various fields, led by Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a psychologist. Lena, seemingly transfixed by the Shimmer, volunteers to join the expedition.

Because I can’t resist my love for Stalker, Annihilation can be viewed as a spiritual precursor to Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpiece (in all fairness, there are countless parallels). Like the Zone, the Shimmer is a landscape that is quite threatening with all of its esotericism. Take, for instance, patches of beautiful flowers growing in such a dilapidated wilderness. Alex Garland has teamed up once again with cinematographer Rob Hardy, and Annihilation visually continues the claustrophobia of Ex Machina. Double impressive in Annihilation due to the expansiveness of the region, as opposed to the exclusively interior setting of Ex Machina (this is not a criticism of the latter).

As far as setting the tone goes, I would like to give an honorable mention to the score. Granted, it isn’t anything to write home about (save for a few moments, particularly during the climax), but it is rather unusual. Most notably, there is an occasional hybridization of booming-bass synths and folksy acoustic guitars also adds to the unwelcoming strangeness.

The great irony in all of this uneasiness is that it is equally captivating for the same reasons it is scary. Like the expeditioners, as scared as we are of the Shimmer, we cannot help but trek deeper and deeper within, just for some kind of answer, which you will not get…well, from the film anyway. There are no easy answers in Annihilation. It is the kind of film that will keep the audiences thinking about it for a long time to follow, and the answers to its questions will differ from person to person. I anticipate many a debate will occur on the subject on Annihilation.

Anybody who consciously distances themselves from the horror, proceed to Annihilation with caution (I absolutely refuse to say “don’t see it” – how could I possibly stray somebody from a 4/4 movie?). All of this unsettlement cultivates into some moments of genuine terror. Hybridized beasts stalk the nighttime, which brings a great sense of dread. I was reminded of the dread of nightfall in The Blair Witch Project – speaking of which, our team comes across a camcorder from the previous expedition. The footage that ensues genuinely put me on the threshold of vomiting.

I will not spoil any of the fun, but for non-horror fans, I will warn of a scene involving characters being strapped to chairs. Annihilation isn’t even a horror film, but this scene will go down as one of the most terrifying movie moments of 2018 at the very least.

What adds to the tension throughout the entire film is the vulnerability of our heroines. At one point, one of the team refers to the collective as “damaged goods”, as all of them are troubled in some way or another: a widow, a recovering addict, a survivor of a suicide attempt – we’ve already seen Lena’s troubles. Speaking of Lena, I must note that Portman exhibits some of her best acting chops since Black Swan.

The team’s weaknesses are not exploited by any means (in fact, there is some surprise to learn of their issues), but it does raise the stakes and add to the tension. But because they are brave enough to go into the Shimmer, we want to go every step of the way with them – perhaps this adds to the magnetic quality of the Shimmer?

                                                                                                                                                                   

Writer-director Alex Garland, whose previous effort was the masterful Ex Machina, proves once again that he is one of the most exciting and promising filmmakers in sci-fi. Annihilation is an experience that, frankly, will annihilate you – it is disorienting, ponderous, terrifying, mystifying, and challenging above all else. While I must admit that I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, there’s no denying that this is the first masterwork of 2018.