[Editor’s note: I have no hard and fast rule about spoilers, but because I believe spoiling Annihilation hurts the film, this review will be spoiler free]
Annihilation is a lot of different things but there has never been a movie like it. The film “behaves” like no other I’ve seen in a movie theatre. It’s a clever anxiety attack of a movie, ricocheting between heart-pounding horror, survival thriller, sci-fi mystery, and romantic drama. It’s ambiguity and slow pace may throw off some viewers, but those willing to be patient will find an unforgettable film here.
Written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex-Machina) the film follows Lena, a Veteran turned Biology Professor trying to unravel the mystery of her husband’s disappearance and sudden reappearance. She finds herself retracing her husband’s footsteps into the mysterious and government guarded area known as “The Shimmer”.
The most impressive thing about Garland’s follow up to Ex-Machina is how massive it is in scope, and yet how intimate it remains. Behind all the special effects (of which they are jaw-droppingly gorgeous) is a story about a broken marriage. About a deeply flawed woman coming to grips with the marriage she has destroyed.
For all of the huge philosophical questions posed, Garland uses Lena and The Shimmer as a jumping point to tell a story about our own tendency to self-destruct, our own, very human need to ruin all the good things we have. Our need to Annihilate.
It's very easy to get lost in all of these heady topics, but Garland (like in Ex-Machina) smartly narrows them down, scene by scene, building on each idea as we see the team go deeper into The Shimmer. The film cranks up the tension and unravels the mystery with such a skin-crawling suspense. By the end, our characters have changed so deeply, that the final reveal isn’t even that important.
Lastly, the design: The Shimmer is gorgeous, but towards the third act, the film reaches such a macabre length that it becomes hypnotic.
Natalie Portman is at her best here, she plays Lena with a cold, angry edge to her. A liar and manipulator, she acts, not like a villain, but like a villain in disguise. Portman has really honed her ability to bottle her character’s darkness behind a kind smile, as we saw in Black Swan and Jackie. Oscar Isaac is always impressive, although he is by far, the least intriguing character in the film. The film is bogged down by slow clunky exposition and flashbacks, all centered around him. Jennifer Jason Leigh is the standout; either she’s out of her mind, or really hell-bent on solving the film’s central puzzle. I don’t care, either way, she’s a showstopper in this film.
In the end, apart from a slow buildup and a few needless flashbacks, Annihilation is a sharp as hell, heart-pounding mystery/thriller that asks you to be patient with it. If you are, you’ll find a relentlessly clever take on how our fears, weaknesses, and flaws reflect and refract in those around us and in our actions. Maybe the best thing about Annihilation is how human it is.
