Anthony's Film Review - Annihilation (2018)

It's good to see Natalie Portman again, this time in a dark sci-fi movie...

The concepts in the 2018 science-fiction movie Annihilation aren't anything new. If I were to tell you that you can expect this movie to present extraterrestrial matter crashing onto Earth, strange phenomena, bizarre lifeforms, and life-and-death situations involving grotesque creatures, chances are that you can identify other movies that also have at least one of those elements. This is a major reason why Annihilation cannot be rated very highly for me. At the same time, the movie has plenty of good moments and therefore should not be called a bad movie. It also benefits, at least somewhat, from the presence of a seasoned actress as the star.

As shown in the film's introduction, an object traveling quickly through space crashes into a lighthouse on Earth. Since then, government authorities have observed a shimmer that surrounds a state park. But that shimmer is slowly expanding outward, and it is feared that whatever is constantly growing will ultimately annihilate all things in its path. Furthermore, a small military team had been previously sent through the shimmer to investigate, but none of its members had ever returned.

Natalie Portman plays Lena, a woman who had served in the army and is now a biologist. A series of strange events, starting with the sudden appearance of her husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) whom she thought died in military combat overseas, takes Lena from her home to the government facility that is observing the shimmer. She then learns that Kane, who now falls ill, had been part of the military expedition into the shimmer. Therefore, she joins another investigative team going into the shimmer: an all-female group consisting of Lena the biologist alongside psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), physicist Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson), geologist Cass Sheppard (Tuva Novotny), and paramedic Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez).

It's interesting that each of the five women go into the shimmer with both career expertise and military firearm training. It makes you wonder when they will handle situations with their minds or with their machine guns. At the beginning of the journey, the movie has the feel of a sci-fi adventure and mystery, with the characters wandering through a strange setting and observing things that are out of the ordinary. In fact, things don't seem too bad at first, especially as the only really unusual sight is a single plant with many different kinds of flowers.

But Annihilation isn't only a sci-fi mystery adventure. It's also, and mainly, sci-fi horror. As Lena and her team head deeper through the forest, they come across some frightening sights, such as video footage that reveals a man with a very sickening affliction. From that point on, the adventure, mystery, and horror become more intriguing. The tension is especially palpable with the scenes that take place at night.

All of it builds up to the climax when Lena reaches the lighthouse where the shimmer originated. What follows is a sequence that leaves the audience feeling both fascination and fear. This is where we are satisfied to know what was kept a mystery, then scared about what we now know. That feeling then keeps the audience on edge, as the film presents how it all ends. It's definitely not a disappointment.

The only other thing I'll mention is Natalie Portman. If you've seen her past movies, particularly her most acclaimed ones, you know she's a good actress. She continues to be that skilled actress here, whether her character Lena is showing fear in dangerous moments, toughness while firing a gun, or even sadness in the film's early scenes. This is not to disparage the four supporting actresses or the rest of the cast, because I enjoyed seeing them in action, too.

Annihilation is a sci-fi horror movie that is decent and intriguing. It's not a very scary and unforgettable horror spectacle, but there are enough frightening moments to keep the audience holding its breath. On my 1-to-10 rating scale, it's a 7, meaning it's good. Certainly, fans of sci-fi horror will enjoy this one. So will fans of Natalie Portman, if they don't mind being scared while watching a movie.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Annihilation, visit the Internet Movie Database.