Annihilation (2018)

Director: Alex Garland

Screenplay: Alex Garland (based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer)

Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac

Music: Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow

Time: 115 minutes

Bottom-line: A superb blend of science, suspense, violence and human life

Almost none of us commit suicide, but almost all of us self-destruct. 

My friend recommended this film to me, saying, “The last scene will make you question what you saw the past two hours!”, and I immediately knew I had to watch it. Alex Garland’s sci-fi horror-thriller stars Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac in the lead roles, with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Tuva Novotny in the supporting roles. If you are one for a straight, clean film, fair warning: Annihilation is far from that. 

Fear what’s inside.

Lena (Portman) is a cellular biologist, whose husband is an Army Special Force Soldier, Kane (Isaac). He had gone on a mission over a year ago, and one day, suddenly returns home. He does not seem to remember anything about the mission, and also starts coughing up blood. Lena comes to know that he went to a government facility named “Area X” – where a large bubble-like structure called “the Shimmer” is expanding – and was the sole survivor. Lena volunteers to join a group of female researchers – psychologist Dr. Ventress (Leigh), scientists Josie (Thompson) and Cassie (Novotny), and a paramedic, Anya (Rodriguez) – who plan to go into the Shimmer to find out its nature. Once inside, they discover weird growth phenomena among plants, and are attacked by vicious, mutated animals. It is only a matter of time before they slowly start becoming insane, exactly like the earlier expedition.

 

Portman as Lena, and Isaac as Kane

Annihilation combines the science from films like Arrival, and the visceral imagery from films like 28 Days Later (also written by Alex Garland) and Alien, to give a thriller that gets your pulse racing. While many themes seem old or stale initially, you find yourself having a whole new experience as the film progresses. With regular jump scares and plot twists, this film requires a careful watch to catch some of the subtle hints, and more importantly, to understand the climax. Of course, there are numerous websites just waiting for a chance for films like these to come up with “The ending: explained” articles, and some such theories for this film are pretty intriguing.

 

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Ventress

With most science fiction films, there is a high expectation with regard to the visuals. Annihilation does not disappoint. From dazzling use of colour, to heinous imagery of skeletons, monstrous animals, and (lots of) blood, you will be awed and shocked at the same time. There’s a thin line which distinguishes sci-fi from the supernatural, and how you interpret the last few incidents in the lighthouse is up to you, but the special effects are superb. The other aspect that boosts the film is the acting, especially the powerhouse performance by Natalie Portman, aptly supported by Jennifer Jason Leigh. I like how the movie has minimal dialogue – there are several long stretches of time without anyone talking, but you are so immersed in the film by just watching what’s going on in the screen that you don’t even feel that something is missing.

 

The crew of researchers

The story is confusing - and even more so with the timeline shifting back and forth - and as mentioned earlier, the ending is a cliff-hanger. But if you are one for open-ended films, this is a must-watch. A few questions will definitely remain unanswered, but that’s when you take the “science” part of the science fiction with a pinch of salt. All that said, if you just want entertainment, add this to your watch-list.

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 88%