Review – Annihilation
Alex Garland’s directorial debut, Ex-Machina, is one of the best science fiction movies of this decade and an incredibly impressive directorial debut. It is always hard to follow a masterpiece, as there is now a level of expectation that is usually hard to repeat, let alone twice in a row.
With Annihilation, Garland shows he’s a real deal director, though fails to capture the originality, intensity, and brilliance of Ex-Machina. The movie is a visual treat with big ideas and a stellar performance from Natalie Portman, but loses steam in it’s third act and lacks character development from it’s great cast.
Lena (Natalie Portman) is a biologist and Johns Hopkins University and a former soldier in the Army. When her husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) returns home after missing for over a year, they are immediately brought in by a secret government organization after it is discovered that Kane has survived a scientific anomaly known as Area X, a mysterious entity that engulfs everything that comes in it’s path, including the humans who explore it. Lena and a group of scientists, decide to go explore Area X and find it’s origin. But what they encounter is something they weren’t ready for, which causes the group the rethink what they know.
The most disappointing part of the movie is the cast. It isn’t that the performances are bad, though there is one that I was not feeling at all, but they have little to work with in the movie. Lena is easily the most developed character and Portman seizes this opportunity to give a really good performance. Portman acts as the audience surrogate throughout the film. When we learn something new about Area X, so does Lena, and Portman conveys the emotions that we feel throughout this journey, whether it be fear, sadness, or confusion. But what makes Portman’s performance so great is the little nuances. It’s her posture, the way she holds a gun, and subtle facial cues that really elevate Portman’s performance.
The rest of the cast is a throw away, which is a shame, because there are some great actresses in here. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the government agent in charge of leading this group into Area X and she just angrily mutters around the whole movie. Rising star Tessa Thompson does really good with what she is given, but it is barely anything and her character’s arc is unfulfilling. The performance by Gina Rodriguez is not very good and one of the lowest points in the movie. Her character arc was also terrible, but it was her line delivery that really killed. I’ve only seen Rodriguez in one other movie (Deepwater Horizon) which she played a minor role in, so this was really the first time I’d seen her act and it is not a good start. I’m sure she’d be fine in a comedy, but her delivery on a lot of lines was so over the top and sometimes cringe-worthy. Where Portman and Thompson realize the subtlety in their characters, Rodriguez takes her character and makes it feel like she isn’t even in the same movie. It’s tough to watch and really hurts the movie as a whole.
The first two acts of the movie are full of tension, wonder, and visual mastery. We are thrown into Area X and continuously ask what is going on and why it is there. We see creatures that are genetically different, plants that are unlike anything on earth, and we get scenes that are horrifying and scenes of true beauty. Do we ever learn what Area X is? Well, that’s the movie’s biggest mystery and also most puzzling piece, because the third act will have you scratching your head. The third act of the movie is absolutely insane. It is filled with wild set pieces, colors, and will have you in awe. But what actually happens is insane and will be a great talking point for the rest of the 2018 movie year.
Being Alex Garland’s second film, this is an impressive feat. Yes, the character development is poor and the ending is a head-scratcher, but Garland shows that he is the real deal here with his astounding visuals and getting an excellent performance from Portman. Annihilation may not be one of the best movies of the year, but it does solidify a new and exciting voice in Hollywood.
Did you see Annihilation? What did you think? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.