Review of Annihilation (2018) by Alec M — 25 Apr 2018

Annihilation is basically a modern times roger corman film. It is scientifically designed to be the absolute cheapest bang for the buck you can get. It was written by someone who had the budget in mind, and in that regard this is an absolute success, since it kind of looks like a movie and it kind of has a plotline like a movie, but make no mistake: this is the best episode of LOST you've ever seen, one that has been produced by the team that makes The Walking Dead for AMC.

So, now that we've got the compliments out of the way (effectiveness, production values), let's get into how Natalie Portman sucks, Oscar Isaac is terribly utilized, the narrative structure is an absolute clusterfuck and, mostly, the film looks cheap, which ultimately is the fatal flaw that makes Annihilation almost not work.

There's a better movie in there if edited differently, one that is more linear and rid of BS shmaltz flashbackery that adds nothing and only stops the momentum of the movie dead on its tracks. It's a 2 star movie that deserves an additional star for being original, and putting every single dollar on the screen.