Review of Annihilation (2018) by Dangerfar — 03 Mar 2018

Annihilation is a captivating and slow burning fantasy/sci-fi that manages to overcome its narrative hollowness through a very strong audio-visual presentation, which especially in the last fifth of the film offers a uniquely riveting experience.

The first 4/5 of the movie are, though intriguing, fairly ho-hum. Perfectly watchable as the suspense and mystery are well orchestrated, however many of the characterizations, scares, tension, and plot directions are heavily borrowed and often non-sensical from any viewpoint tied to the real world (hence more in the fantasy realm).

It leans a bit heavily on flashbacks that don't hold much meaning, save for one which tries to explain a central theme in the story but gets the biology mostly wrong (or if being charitable vastly oversimplified), thus somewhat souring the note.

The characters can at times be frustrating as well, taking predictably rash and irrational directions plucked from generic horror or thriller movies that have been recycled over and over. The last 1/5 is what really saved the movie for me though.

It doesn't offer a particularly satisfying resolution or anything, indeed if I'm being honest the core plot itself even when brought to bare really is mostly derivative nonsense that merely pretends to offer insight and answers by vaguely making suggestions about dubious things like "refracting DNA" to move things along in a traditional sense.

However the audio-visual presentation of the climax is absolutely arresting, and so well done so as to give one an a small taste of a psychedelic experience, a chance to with the right eyes peer into the nature of creation and the self in a way that is difficult to do without the right stiumulation.

It drew me in completely during this sequence, so much so that immediately after it returned to normalcy I wanted to go back. It's a rare and precious thing in movies these days, and it was worth the cost of admission alone.

Sound editing and design, cinematography and visual presentation, and acting by the ever charismatic and engaging Portman are all top notch. The rest is well executed but fairly forgettable and uninteresting.

It is a rare experience that managed to leave me with a positive impression even as it mostly failed to deliver anything meaningful narratively. I will certainly return to those final minutes again on the smaller screen and marvel at their wonder.