While Alex Garland’s latest science fiction thriller, “Annihilation” brings together an outstanding cast for an intelligent allegory about the self-destruction of humankind, it ultimately aims too high for its own good.
“Annihilation” is Garland’s second official credit as director, having previously directed the mind-bending science fiction thriller, “Ex Machina.” Even though both films exist in the same genre, they are different both visually and narratively. Garland also wrote the screenplay for “Annihilation,” which is an adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel of the same title.
The film tells the story of Lena, played by Natalie Portman, who is a biologist and former Army soldier. When her husband, Kane, played by Oscar Isaac, suddenly comes back from a military mission with an illness, Lena joins a team of scientists who journey into the Shimmer— a strange bubble that hangs over the land— to study it and investigate why it is killing people.
As Lena’s team ventures further into the Shimmer, they realize that something about it causes people to become disoriented and eventually go insane. They encounter bizarre animals with the genetic build up of various organisms; the most frightening of which is a bear-boar that can mimic the sound of a human scream.
One of the strongest themes of “Annihilation” explores genetic mutations and the body’s natural deterioration, which is seen through the way that Lena studies cancer cells.
This theme is carried throughout the narrative and builds to a final sequence that is haunting and outlandish. The final 20 minutes of “Annihilation” is fodder for any big science fiction fan.
While Garland’s film satisfies on a flashy aesthetic level, it does not quite deliver the gut punch that it is trying to achieve. This is primarily because of the choppy storytelling and narrative ambiguity.
The story is nonlinear in that Lena’s story starts after she has survived the Shimmer, but it also flashes back to before she entered the Shimmer.
This would not necessarily be a problem if it did not interrupt the momentum of the story, but the interruptions make the film feel disjointed and it is often unclear exactly how these flashbacks contribute to the overall story.
Garland tries to position everything under the theme of self-destruction. Because of this, “Annihilation” tries to tackle too much and therefore does not deserve its enthralling and shocking finale.
However, even though the film lacked clarity and focus, Portman gives a solid performance that is distinct from her previous films. “Annihilation” also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson, who make for a dynamic and believable team of scientists.
Even though Garland’s film does not deliver on all fronts, it still offers a vision that is both entertaining and challenging for viewers.