Review of Annihilation (2018) by Cathexisarcana — 26 Mar 2018

I like to keep my reviews brief and in list form, so I will assume the reader has a basic understanding of the movie's plot and and an awareness of the main cast. PROS:

-Interesting concept, and has at least a good sense of mystery at the beginning. I like the general idea of a phenomenon causing rapid mutations / evolution in a contained area.

-Solid cast (if not entirely accurate, ahem). Although Gina Rodriguez was weirdly channeling Michelle Rodriguez for some reason. Still, it's Jane, so it's fine.

-There was a moment with a certain mutant bear that was genuinely creepy AF. Also, slithering intestines.

CONS:

-The backstory of Lena (Portman) is slow and nuanced to the point of being boring. She and her husband (Isaac) don't really have strong enough chemistry in the beginning to make us care about their relationship and what happens to them -- or at least I didn't.

-The visual look of the "Shimmer" was not effectively alien to me. It just seemed like a soapy, rainbow-hued veneer, like something you would see in a music video.

-Portman's ragtag team were not interesting or developed (even as supporting characters), and there was very little interplay between them to provide a reason to care what happened to them.

-The ending, while visually interesting, was entirely unsatisfying and inexplicable. Then again, I'm not a fan of the pretentious "so vague it's genius" tactic that some high-minded movies aim for. But the alien mime-off was still kinda cool...