Day 85 - Annihilation



Day 85            Annihilation [2018]
                          
Screenplay                    Alex Garland
Based on                       ‘Annihilation’ by Jeff VanderMeer
Director                         Alex Garland
Cinematography            Rob Hardy
Music                            Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow
Leads                            Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny
Production                     Skydance Media, DNA Films, Scott Rudin Productions

IMDb                                7.3/10*
Rotten Tomatoes                87%

Well this appeared out of nowhere onto Netflix, apparently because it was thought to be ‘too intellectual’ (?!) for box office success. I’m not sure if that is true but someone needs to be fired if it is because this was excellent. Written and directed by the man behind Ex Machina (one of my favourite films of 2015) Annihilation is a sci-fi masterpiece with a female-heavy cast. It’s a beautiful film that stimulates visually and mentally in a way that leaves you wanting to watch it again. Portman is brilliant in the lead role, as is Jennifer Jason Leigh in support, although I didn’t think the other actresses were anything special. Oscar Isaac doesn’t feature too heavily but his character is a complex one and he plays the role convincingly. The cinematography and set design is other-worldly, and so it should be. I want to describe this film in more detail, but I don’t want to ruin the plot for you. There are some chilling scenes, one is gory, and I had to cover my eyes, but it ends with the discovery of something that is both creepy and magical. Another one involves a bear that uses possibly one of the scariest hunting tactics used by an animal in any film I have seen. The music, as with any good sound track, compliments the visuals perfectly without drawing your attention away from them. Look. I know that I’m not the greatest at describing films – I’m not out here using a thesaurus to try and make my reviews sound professional – but this film has an indescribable quality to it. I think it is partly to do with the fact that Garland leaves it up to the audience to decide what is truly going on, and like Ex Machina the ending is not an ending. We are left wondering whether Portman’s and Isaac’s characters have been eternally affected by this alien occurrence. I need to watch it again, but I loved it. 

Acting                              3 / 4
Writing                          3.5 / 4
Cinematography               4 / 4
Music                            3.5 / 4
HWF rating               3.5 / 4

*This is a recently released film so this rating is likely to change. As with every rating on the blog. I can't keep track of all of them!