ANNIHILATION (2018) Review

When it comes to the science fiction genre, Alex Garland’s name is always quick to my mind. His style of soft and simultaneously tense work is vastly praised for knowing its genre, while pushing boundaries all the same. Garland’s latest installment, ANNIHILATION, is no outlier. Garland manages to create a synthetic world filled with complex characters, thrilling sequences, and beautiful visuals, once again.

Lena (Natalie Portman), a biologist, has lived her life for the past 12 months believing her husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) passed away in a covert operation. However, when he appears suddenly at her home, Lena is grateful and curious of his abrupt and absurd return. This prompts the biologist to embark on a mysterious and dangerous expedition with fellow scientists (Jason Leigh, Rodriguez, Thompson, Novotny) to uncover the secrets behind an enigmatic zone.

Absorbing itself entirely into its genre, ANNIHILATION makes for a heart-stopping out of body experience. The technical aspects of the film left nothing to be desired. The designs and cinematography were beautiful, and accented the tragic tone with grace and fitting juxtaposition. While our storyline followed a rather gloomy sequence of events, the colour scheme and electrifying visuals enhanced a beautifully tragic atmosphere. It was a very picturesque movie to look at, and the score worked solely to enhance the tone set by the cinematography. Intense when the movie needed it to be, and the same with the lighter side of the score. Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow create an intensely new feeling, creating emotions and exuding an uneasiness I have never experienced.

The movie’s thriller aspect does not disappoint. Garland’s main source of edge stems from not knowing; however, you are left feeling uneasy even after you are privy to an answer (in a good way). As the audience is as unenlightened as any character in the film, emotions and tension are felt easily and in the core, as if we were experiencing this expedition right there alongside these scientists. While there are plenty questions derived from this film (as there would be in any science fiction), it does not feel the need to answer every single one. The beauty of this film is in how much we do not understand about the almost accidentally unapologetic nature of human connection, and Garland captures that all perfectly in theme.

The characters are very easy to care about, and were developed beautifully over the course of the film. Although they all had very different personalities, the film did not let me distinguish them to one quality. As Novotny’s character utters the line, “we’re all damaged goods here,” I felt comfort in the fact that their personalized self-destruction is realized. Personally, Thompson and Rodriguez shined. Thompson’s reserved physicist created a sense of warmth in this somewhat cold world, and worked very well with other characters. Rodriguez’s manic turned paranoia further delivers pre-determined plot-points very tastefully, and she delivers an amazing performance as described.

This movie is particularly mind-bending and had the most bizarrely breathtaking 20-minute sequence I have ever experienced. Garland manages to create a caring and beautiful world that touches on human destruction and the all-knowing default nature of our species.

Score: 9/10

Jade