‘ANNIHILATION’ Review

Alex Garland has made a place in my heart for movies that leave me unsure how to feel. As a writer, his hand in both 28 Days Later and Ex Machina left me happy, but not level. I would compare his film making to that of Nicolas Winding Refn by the way of The Neon Demon, artistic and poetic, but not for everyone. So when I heard that he would be writing and directing a new film – based on a sci-fi novel no less – I was already certain what I was getting into when I sat down.

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And the man knows his genre. Annihilation is the story of Lena (Natalie Portman), whose husband Kane (Oscar Issac) mysteriously returns after being missing for a year only to fall deathly ill and cause him and her to be abducted by the government. While in custody, Lena learns of  a top secret project to study a comet that has altered a part of the US by covering it in a strange phenomenon known as the shimmer. What’s worse – her husband is the only one to ever return – making it a necessity that she enter to find out what happened to him and how to save him.

Because Lena is a biologist, she is pared with a psychologist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a paramedic (Gina Rodriguez), a physicist (Tessa Thompson), and a linguist. They were sent in to investigate the extent and purpose of the shimmer. And while there – they learn more about life than about the shimmer itself.

The story is pretty on point and the acting is fair. I wasn’t particularly impressed with Portman’s acting, but then again what can you really expect from Queen Amidala. Rodriguez deserves major props for playing someone the exact opposite of how she is on television, and she does it well at that.

What really bothers me here is what normally bothers me about Garland’s films. I believe that film is a communication. It is made to evoke a thought or make a point most of the time. And while he makes a point – several actually – I feel that his strength in making us uncomfortable and unsettled muddies his points a bit. He is wonderful at making his audience feel the emotions he wants at the right times. His soundtracks are amazing, this one included, and his use of ambient noise is superb in emotional setting.

But when you spend so much time scaring us and making us feel uncomfortable, I feel like your points, your communications, get lost in the fray. It’s not a reflection of any one thing, but of the feeling as a whole. And this is disconcerting because on their own, each element is amazing.

The film is beautiful, the cinematography is second to none, the sound is amazing and the story is riveting with plot. But when you smash so much elements into one device, I feel like you lose some meaning. And this is where the film really falls. It’s not bad, it’s just… confusing. You feel wonderful about the film as a medium and amazing about the elements, but by the end you are so disturbed it’s just hard to take.

That said, it’s a really good use of your time and if you liked Ex Machina, you will love this movie. It’s got a lot to love, and some really great elements, even if the overall feeling is a little uneasy.

ANNIHILATION is out in theaters TODAY