Review: Annihilation Is A Coldly Beautiful Film
- Mar 14, 2018
- 2 min read
In a world where science fiction flips between vague nonsense and blunt 'subtext' Annihilation tries to do something in-between. Tries to.
When her husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) returns after vanishing for a year, Lena (Natalie Portman) finds herself rolled up in something torn from s sci-fi novel. An unknown phenomenon known only as The Shimmer has slowly been expanding across the country. Her husband was the only person who went in, who got out, albeit suffering from many serious medical conditions. In hopes of saving his life, Lena joins Dr Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and a group of scientists as the journey into The Shimmer, unaware of what waits within.
Annihilation is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, it's a beautifully designed film with some jawdropping visuals. The Shimmer is truly one of the most unique environments put onscreen, though many of the digital effects are jarringly bad. There's a strong monster movie current running through the first half, as the team tries to decipher The Shimmer, which is solidly executed. The acting is pretty good across the board, though some of it is a little over the top. But it is in its substance that Annihilation fails itself.
For much of the film, Annihilation makes for a very interesting mystery. The final third however, feels like director Alex Garland lost control and is covered with all manner of sci-fi diarrhoea. Characters babble meaninglessly about things as of yet known to anyone, the 'twist' is hopelessly vague in its execution, consisting of a bizarre light-show rather than any actual storytelling, and ultimately it all feels kind of pointless. Throw in the fact that the entire thing is centred around an interview taking place after the events of the film and you have a plethora of reasons not to care about anything that happens. It's also a very cold film, with everything placed matter of fact. There's not a lot of emotion from the main characters, and the sound design is ever so slightly unsettling, making for something that feels more dead than alive, a stark contrast to the film's setting
Annihilation could have, and probably should have, stuck to being the weird monster movie the trailers suggested it would be. Instead it comes as a nonsensical sci-fi drama that looks very nice and has some funky critters. If you like your films as vague as they are obvious, or just want to soak in the visuals, Annihilation is the film for you. If you like your entertainment a little more straightforward, give it a miss.
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