Annihilation

Annihilation

Starring Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez

Directed by Alex Garland

The Story:
One year ago, Lena's (Natalie Portman) soldier husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) went missing, and considered killed in action.  Then he arrives back home, and seems to be totally different, and then he starts bleeding.  En route to the hospital, they're taken by the government and sent to a secret facility until the lead of Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Ventress informs Lena that Kane is in a coma, and he was the only person who ever returned from The Shimmer - a mysterious glowing border between the regular world and a world changed after a meteor crash three years earlier.  The barrier is expanding, and they fear it could envelop the whole world.

Ventress, Lena, and three other women - paramedic Anya (Gina Rodriguez), physicist Josie (Tessa Thompson) and geologist Cass (Tuva Novotny) enter the Shimmer to reach the lighthouse in the center where the meteor crashed, in hopes of finding out what it is and how it can be stopped.  They discover a whole new world inside the Shimmer, where not everything is as it appears.

The Synopsis:
Alex Garland directed one of the most thoughtful, fantastical science fiction films in recent memory with "Ex Machina," and he returns as both director and screenwriter (based off a novel by Jeff VanderMeer) with "Annihilation," another epic sci-fi extravaganza filled with more questions than answers, supplying a visually stunning work of art with high caliber actors who perform a solid, cerebral script.

Which is why I find it odd that Paramount decided to release this in the middle of the "dry spell" of films - February, when they usually unload a bunch of films the production companies don't deem as being successful.  Yes, the film is not your typical flare with an easy story, nonstop action or over-the-top effects, but it's still a very thoughtful, well-planned film that leaves the ending up for interpretation, where you will keep talking about it long after it ends - unlike other films where you just wait for it to end.

"Annihilation" is a perfect blend of powerful storytelling, spectacular effects, and capable actors.  The word "annihilation" has different meanings: complete destruction, and the conversion of matter into energy, especially the mutual conversion of a particle and an antiparticle into electromagnetic radiation.  While it's easy to dispel the film as being in the former definition, there's a deeper aspect to it that makes you re-think the purpose of the film in its entirety - there's a lot of mention of cellular regeneration and multiplicity that makes you think Garland is trying to tell a bigger story than the simple "alien invasion" trope.

Seeing the previews for the film, it only made it more intriguing to me because they didn't give a lot away, and left it wide open for interpretation.  The closest parallel I made in seeing the trailer is that of another epic sci-fi film, "Arrival."  Both films have direct parallels to each other - from the alien arrival to the mystery surrounding them, to the top-notch sound effects - and both are equally compelling and thought-provoking, although "Annihilation" leaves it more open-ended.

The world inside the Shimmer is beautiful but also deadly, as the women find out.  While the barrier is a rainbow-encrusted wall, inside there's lush vegetation, unique hybrid animals, and plants that have no business growing together.  Inside the Shimmer, the DNA of everything changes, including those of the women.  The longer they spend in the Shimmer, the more they begin to change, which is what happened to Lena's husband.  Garland's cinematographer Rob Hardy - who also worked with him in "Ex Machina" - helps to create this dangerous beautiful world making it seem like we're on a different planet altogether.  It also makes us want to stay there longer, and explore as much as the women do.  We're not gifted with future sight of what will befall them, we're right with them through this mysterious adventure.

Natalie Portman spearheads the film and gives Lena a duel sense of strength and fragility, as she is forced to act quickly on her feet and serve as the protector of the women inside the Shimmer.  Oscar Isaac (who also worked with Garland in "Ex Machina") does well as Lena's husband, who appears mostly in flashbacks.  Jennifer Jason Leigh gives Dr. Ventress a stoic, emotionless feel as she often speaks in hushed monotones and never raises her voice, while Gina Rodriguez gives a vastly different performance than we've come to know her in "Jane the Virgin."  Rounding out the stellar cast is "Thor: Ragnarok" star Tessa Thompson as a shy, introverted physicist and Tuva Novotny as the geologist who's also the closest to Lena on the expedition.  All the actors - especially the five female leads - all give great performances that sets itself apart from other films of this caliber: we know most of them are going to die somehow, but we're given enough information and depth of character from them that we actually feel for them as well.

While the film hearkens back to the likes of "The Thing," there's a special aspect to it that sets itself apart as well - and that's in the main purpose of this event happening.  It's ambiguous and open-ended, leaving you wondering what it was you just witnessed, but also in awe of the brilliance of it.

The Summary:
Mixing dazzling effects, a cerebral story, and fantastic performances, "Annihilation" doesn't spoon-feed information to you but lets you experience the adventure as it unfolds, leaving you with more questions than answers and making it a memorable film.

The Score: A+