Written and Directed by Alex Garland, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Wong, Sonoya Mizuno, David Gyasi
Soundtrack: Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury
Before I even get into the movie, I think it would be helpful to contextualize it, because I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit confused going in.
Alex Garland’s Annihilation is based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, the first book in the so-called Southern Reach Trilogy. At the time Garland wrote his screenplay, only the first novel had been published; he knew that others were to follow, but his movie is based purely on the first book, and as such, as far as I can tell, the movie is a standalone story. It’s not intended to set anything else up; it’s just one movie and one movie only. Hopefully knowing this will help to properly calibrate your expectations should you choose to go see the film.
I was rooting for Annihilation, I really was. A smart, mid-budget, hard sci-fi thriller that nobody picked up international theatrical rights for because it was “too intellectual” seemed like something I could get behind, and for much of the running time I was totally on board, but, like so many “could have been great” movies, it kind of falls apart in the third act, but we’ll come back to that.
In addition to its roots as a novel, Annihilation is also a movie that, intentionally or not, appears to wear its influences on its sleeve. I may not be a sci-fi expert, but I know Tarkovsky, Kubrick, and even a little Carpenter when I see it. This is not to say that paying homage is inherently bad, but when it’s not on the same level of what it’s trying to be (or what other people are purporting it to be), that’s a bit of a letdown.
This is not to say that the movie is without merit (or that it’s a mere ripoff). The performances are fairly solid, there are some well-executed and interesting visuals (one in particular that’s virtually impossible to describe), and it does a good job at maintaining a particular mood.
That is, until the end.
It’s hard to pin down exactly what the third act problem is with Annihilation, but I think it mostly comes down to what gets paid off (and/or how much) and what doesn’t. I can’t say too much more than that without getting into spoilers, but basically there were certain moments where I wish I had gotten a little more and other moments where less would have been fine.
On the whole, it’s a solid effort, worth seeing once, but not necessarily a must-see in theaters, which is a shame. Maybe I just don’t jibe with Alex Garland that well (like I don’t jibe with Ben Wheatley), and maybe it got over-hyped for me, but, even still, I expected a little more.
Rating: ★★★☆☆