Annihilation (2018)

Review

115min

Genre:       Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Sci-fi, Thriller

Director:    Alex Garland

Cast:         Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac…and more

Writers:     Alex Garland and Jeff VanderMeer

-Synopsis-

A team of female scientists embarks on a dangerous mission to unlock the secrets of a mysterious and isolated wilderness where multiple previous expeditions have disappeared—but what they find is beyond even their comprehension in this adaption of the popular environmentalist sci-fi novel brought to us by the writer/director of ‘Ex Machina’.

After transitioning from novelist and accomplished screenwriter of films like ’28 Days Later…’ and ‘Sunshine’, to dealing with themes of sentience and man’s playing of god in his 2014 directorial debut ‘Ex Machina’, sci-fi and horror devotee Alex Garland returns to his storytelling wheelhouse and ups his cinematic ambition with a striking and mind-expanding environmental parable, and self-destruction allegory.

Natalie Portman stars as biologist, former soldier and current academic ‘Lena’, reeling from the unexplained fate of her husband ‘Kane’ (Oscar Isaac) while investigating an isolated US wilderness covered by the ‘shimmer’—a mysterious other-worldly biosphere from which no one returns. Determined to unravel the mystery surrounding her husband and this ominous phenomenon, she joins a the latest mission unto the breach by an all-female team of scientists; physicist ‘Radeck’ (Tessa Thompson), geomorphologist ‘Sheppard’ (Tuva Novotny), paramedic ‘Thorensen’ (Gina Rodriguez), and team leader psychologist ‘Dr. Ventress’ (Jennifer Jason Leigh)—but what they find ominously defies the known laws of nature, as they struggle to keep the team together . . . and their sanity intact.

For anyone looking forward to Garland’s second feature as director, much of the shine may have been taken off by the monumental misfire by Paramount surrounding its release, resulting in a limited theatre run in North America and none for the rest of the globe, after the studio sold the international distribution rights to Netflix—robbing UK audiences of the chance to see this extraordinary spectacle where it was meant to be seen . . . the cinema.

Yet despite a development which we sincerely hope does not become industry practice, and the Paramount infighting which resulted in a lack of faith in both audiences and the filmmaker, not to mention too much stock being put in test screening feedback—those already indoctrinated by the streaming giant or willing to take the plunge will be treated to a gallant sci-fi extravaganza to remember.

In an adaptation of the first novel in ‘new weird’ author Jeff VanderMeer’s ‘Southern Reach’ trilogy, Garland often departs from the book in terms of narrative and tone, crafting a more existential affair than the suspenseful thriller that is the original material, and more of a standalone story than a set up for a trilogy. ‘Annihilation’ follows in a long line of stories of every genre and description about a team (often militaristic) sent into the unknown to unravel a mystery and perhaps conduct a rescue, facing threats from the environment and from within—and it includes the associated tropes of shifting group dynamics and deteriorating mental welfare.

Garland then adds to the intrigue and suspense by throwing in tense horror elements which include some truly graphic and gruesome moments, with clear echoes of the ‘Alien’ franchise and other familiar fare. But what separates this film from the horror/sci-fi pack is its core allegorical and parabolic nature, exploring profound human themes as well as self-reflective personal ones—putting it in the company of philosophical sci-fi classics like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, ‘Solaris’ and ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’.

Anchored in science but sprinkled with fantasy, ‘Annihilation’ is essentially a striking and mind-bending metaphor for mankind’s destructive nature. Not only is it a parable about our devastating effect on our planet, equating us to a disease which ravages its host and beckons a reckoning, but it’s also a more personal allegory about the impulse for self-destruction that exists in all of us to some degree . . . and which seems hard-coded into our very makeup as a species.

It also has something to say about the very nature of life on Earth and how it all came to be. Cleverly using the extra-terrestrial element in the story to draw parallels with the outside forces which influenced the formation of cellular life on our planet—changing our conception of how that life is categorised and what it could become, while shaking up our self-centred view of how we fit into and seek to control it.

The performances from an eclectic group meanwhile are all accomplished, with the choice of a small principal cast of five female characters (plus Oscar Isaac) allowing the actors time to flesh out complex characters who are high-achievers but carry deep emotional scars, volunteering for what seems like a suicide mission. But Portman is undoubtedly the star of the show, delivering another layered performance which proves to be the stoic and emotional heart of the piece, and one of the finest in an impressive career.

The sheer fact that almost the entire principal cast is made up women also makes ‘Annihilation’ a film truly of its time, and it could be seen as a hopeful (albeit naive) metaphor for a society led by women which can avoid and overcome the millennia of mistakes made by men, on the way to building a better world.

Yet this film does much more than ride the current wave of social change sweeping through Hollywood, and it’s no box-ticking studio affair wrapped in a bow either. Garland somehow manages to pack together true grit, tension and introspective human drama into a mesmerising visual wonder which lasts less than two hours, while pondering profound themes about humanity and our place in the world—keeping it all tied into a cohesive plot which gives the audience a payoff while maintaining an air of mystery, and delivering an ambiguous mind-bending third act that Kubrick himself might have been proud of.

‘Annihilation’ takes Alex Garland’s cinematic ambition to new heights and raises his status as fully-fledged filmmaker to a level beyond his debut ‘Ex Machina’—which although slickly executed, was far less profound or captivating than the critical consensus suggests. We sincerely hope that critical reception translates to an audience appreciation which makes ‘Annihilation’ at the very least a modern cult classic, perhaps becoming a key ingredient in a tonic to alleviate a spreading Hollywood ailment—the allergy to taking risks.

The Bottom Line…

Bold, mesmerising and existential sci-fi which leaves a mark. Garland sacrifices neither spectacle nor message and expertly combines multiple cinematic and literary influences, on his way to crafting a memorable mind-expanding film experience which straddles genres while pondering the nature of life on our planet—and which deserved so much more than the mess of a release that it got.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Alien: Covenant (2017)

When the crew of the colonial ship ‘Covenant’ land on a an uncharted planet which seems ripe for the picking, they soon discover its unlikely and fearsome inhabitants who unravel the dark mystery and troubling history of their new home, in this the latest chapter of the ‘Alien’ saga and Ridley Scott’s much anticipated sequel to his prequel ‘Prometheus’.

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston and Billy Crudup among others.

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