The Horror Show
Annihilation
by Alex Garland
Annihilation is Alex Garland’s most recent release that sports an impressive cast of talented women like Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Tuva Novotny. The men in the film were pretty great, too, but the main cast of women do nothing but shine from start to finish. It’s no mystery that this film would be done well with Garland at the helm as he’s no stranger to horror and science fiction with films such as 28 Days Later, Ex Machina, and Sunshine under his belt.
Loosely based on The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer, the film takes us on a journey to a base called Area X that borders an area taken over by an inexplicable alien force called “The Shimmer.” Main character, Lena (Natalie Portman), gets involved in the whole mess when her husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac), suddenly returns from a top-secret mission after she feared him dead. Something isn’t right with Kane and after a 911 call, the ambulance is stopped by military who take Kane and inject Lena with a sedative. When she wakes up, she finds herself at the mysterious base and greeted by a stone-cold Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Ventress tries her best to explain that The Shimmer is slowly expanding and she fears it will only be a matter of time before the entire Earth is engulfed. After several teams have entered and failed to exit The Shimmer (until Kane), she has decided to put together her own team and head straight for the source. Lena, on her own personal quest to discover what motivated her husband to take on such a mission, joins the squad and the team of five women enter The Shimmer.
That’s all I’ll say regarding the plot because this film is such a pleasure to watch. Discovering each piece of the puzzle as the story unfolds is an adventure and the visuals and sound are breathtaking, making Annihilation an absolute treasure.
The nature of self-destruction in humans is a theme throughout the film and it blends well with the horror and sci-fi elements. I mean, self-destruction, often unavoidable, is a horror in and of itself, wouldn’t you agree? The film, sporting a plot grounded in a dark sadness combined with striking cinematography and terrifying special effects, has a specific grace to it.
With a runtime of nearly two hours, you do have to manage your patience as it’s a slow burn. However, I feel if the events had been rushed even a bit, or things revealed too soon, it would have ruined the film entirely. I will warn you though, if you typically close yourself off to theories or if you prefer a more simpler film that doesn’t force you to ponder the bigger picture or ask questions, I would shy away from this one. But if you can keep an open mind and you’re wanting to see some seriously goosebump-inducing adversaries, then go for it.
Two things that will surely haunt me, plot aside, are that damn bear and the final act. So, even if you watch this film just for those two pieces of the perfect puzzle, I feel it would be worth it. I also enjoyed the focus placed on strong women in this film. That being said, the almost all-female cast does factor in to the bigger picture in a wonderful way. Throughout the film there are subtleties that, upon an initial viewing, could be missed, so keep your phones tucked away and your eyes on the screen.
I can’t stress enough how much I adored this film. Initially, I was left with a feeling of strange sadness, but after much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that this is one of the more beautiful stories I’ve experienced on the screen. Guillermo Del Toro and Darren Aronofsky often come to mind when I think of thought-provoking, beautiful horror, and Alex Garland has definitely gone next level with Annihilation. You should, without a doubt, experience it for yourself.
Stevie Kopas, HMS
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