Annihilation (2018)

[MisterGlass]

As background, Annihilation was adapted and directed by Alex Garland.  It debuted theatrically in the U.S. February 23, 2018.  In most countries, the movie rights were sold to Netflix, and it will not have a theatrical release.  While it is a small ensemble cast, all the main roles are played by women: Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tuva Novotny.

I saw the movie today, and it's a really well made film.  I haven't read the novel.  I wanted to see it opening weekend because I like Alex Garland's past work, like 28 Days Later and Dredd, though I remain a little divided on Ex Machina.  This latest is most similar in tone to Ex Machina, but there are some more overt horror touches in this.  I can see influence of past scifi horror masterworks on this movie. 

The special effects inside the shimmer were beautiful and terrifying.  The main characters played off each other well, and it was hard to know what would happen next.  I haven't quite decided what I think of the ending, but the movie was well worth seeing.

[jcin617]

I’m not sure what the ending was trying to say... so Kane was a copy?   And she was... changed?

[galaxygirl76]

For those who read the books, how close is it to them?

[peridot]

I liked this movie, it had a lot of creepy moments.  That bear was terrifying.  The scene near the end made me almost jump out of my seat - the score was very unsettling.  I was expecting for something to jump out of the shiny blob and attack Lena.

There were some things I didn't get:

• How did Kane's copy get out of the Shimmer in the first place?
• Why did they make a point of showing the bruise on Lena's arm, and the sneaky look of the woman behind her?
• Why did Kane get sick and how did he get better at the end, after the lighthouse explosion?
• Was the Lena who escaped the original version, or was she the alien copy?

[MisterGlass]

The Kane that left was a copy, based on the footage.  He had at least some memories from the original.  I think he was an amalgamation of human and alien.  Maybe the alien part of him had trouble in the world outside the shimmer, and that's why he was sick.  Or maybe the human and alien parts were not completely compatible.

I think it was Lena that made it out rather than the copy.  However, she said that her cells had been changed by being in the shimmer.  Maybe there is no alien residue left in her, or in the Kane copy, but their cellular make-up may still be altered.  Earthly, but not entirely human.

[snickers]

3 hours ago, peridot said:

There were some things I didn't get:

• How did Kane's copy get out of the Shimmer in the first place?
• Why did they make a point of showing the bruise on Lena's arm, and the sneaky look of the woman behind her?
• Why did Kane get sick and how did he get better at the end, after the lighthouse explosion?
• Was the Lena who escaped the original version, or was she the alien copy?

1. I think the copy Kane just walked out?

2. You talking about the weird tattoo symbol thing on her arm? I think they made a point of showing us that to show that she didn't have that before, that's why i'm confused as to whether or not the Lena at the end was the real Lena or a copy Lena because of that tattoo looking thing that was on her arm

3. I personally think copy Kane got sick because the alien organism couldn't adapt outside of the shimmer, but for some reason after the shimmer was destroyed and came down could, again my guess is because it was constantly adapting and by merging it's cells with Lena's it got stronger perhaps

4. I personally think it was an alien copy, but it could have been an changed version of her...for one she didn't answer when copy Kane asked her and second, that weird tattoo thing on her arm

 

I really enjoyed this movie, it's definitely not for everyone, but I don't get the whole "it was too intellectual for general audiences" thing....a lot of sci fi movies can be confusing and to me this was no more confusing than arrival...I was actually expecting this movie to be weirder than it was and i thought it offered enough closure, at least for me it did

 

and that scene on the video ( that all 5 of them watched) and then what they saw at the bottom of the pool after...I don't think i'll ever be able to get that scene out of my head :|

that was all levels of creepiness

 

I think what i found very disturbing about this movie was, it wasn't that much out of the realm of possibility....as far as alien movies go....similar to what the director did with ex-machina

[jcin617]

The tattoo she had was the same tattoo Gina Rodriguez’s character had; so maybe they all had them?  Or the whole “refracting” aspect of the Shimmer copied it to her.

Edited February 26, 2018 by jcin617

[shrewd.buddha]

We saw this over the weekend and really enjoyed it.  It had a lot of sci-fi 'realism' and interesting concepts and themes (and no pew! pew! laser guns or other over-the-top, just-go-with-it, sci-fi stuff). 

What stood out for me were the special effects/cinematography and the way the film managed to build an atmosphere of dread and suspense. 

What stood out as odd to me were the mutated creatures that attacked but didn't eat what they killed.
I liked that the movie didn't  turn into a typical action movie with characters being picked off one by one  (not in the usual way, at least). 

After talking, we were okay with the ending - it made sense, considering what the alien substance was doing : refracting, duplicating - - so that when it encountered what Portman's character  'gave' it - - it replicated its own self destruction - - which was a theme of the film. 

The other refreshing concept was that the alien substance wasn't necessarily a creature or being with a purpose or agenda - - it could have easily been a compound or element that just happened to crash onto Earth. 

Edited February 27, 2018 by shrewd.buddha

[Zoe]

23 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

For those who read the books, how close is it to them?

Not close at all.

[MisterGlass]

23 hours ago, snickers said:

2. You talking about the weird tattoo symbol thing on her arm? I think they made a point of showing us that to show that she didn't have that before, that's why i'm confused as to whether or not the Lena at the end was the real Lena or a copy Lena because of that tattoo looking thing that was on her arm

I didn't realize that she didn't have the tattoo earlier on.  The soldier's body in the swimming pool had the same one, so I thought it was meant to be a unit or division insignia because she had also served.

Tessa Thompson didn't have the tattoo as I recall but she had tendrils growing out of her skin in the same area.

[galaxygirl76]

4 hours ago, Zoe said:

Not close at all.

Thank you. I was wondering if I should read the book again to refresh my memory but now I'll just enjoy the movie as itself.

[MisterGlass]

I was not familiar with a whitewashing concern for this movie, so I googled and found this article as well as others with similar content.  They should have researched the main character's background.  In spite of that mistake I think they made an effort to have a diverse cast.  The main five characters were all female scientists, including one black woman and one latina, and the primary male supporting roles were played by non-white actors. 

[Zoe]

How stupid. The movie was optioned before the first book was even released, and none of that was mentioned until the second book which wasn't used at all.

Edit: And the mention was very "blink and miss it". 

Quote

The biologist’s hair had been long and dark brown, almost black, before they’d shaved it off. She had dark, thick eyebrows, green eyes, a slight, slightly off-center nose (broken once, falling on rocks), and high cheekbones that spoke to the strong Asian heritage on one side of her family.

She was also described as tall and muscular shortly after which doesn't match any names being tossed about.

Edited February 27, 2018 by Zoe

[snickers]

While it was strange the director didn’t bother to read books 2 or 3 before moving right along with this movie, you can’t blame him about getting the ethnicities wrong. Apparently the first book doesn’t even give these characters names let alone mention races....again dumb on his part not to bother finishing the trilogy but from what I hear he pretty much killed the trilogy with this movie anyway. And the movie came in 4th....not too bad

[shrewd.buddha]

I did not get the impression that this movie was expected to do blockbuster number$$. At the multiplex where we saw it, it was only showing on one screen and at limited times. Meanwhile, Black Panther was showing on four or more screens during its second week. 
In some countries, this movie was not going to be released in theaters. 
It seems that it was expected to have a more limited appeal - and be more of an "art-house" type sci-fi movie. 

I was not even aware of the source material, so I can't really speak to any of the issues of how the movie didn't stick to the original concepts or characters. I actually wondered if the limited appeal was expected because all of the main characters were women. 

Edited February 27, 2018 by shrewd.buddha

[snickers]

It has limited appeal because the studio decided to release this to Netflix in 2 weeks! 

 

I guess had alex garland changed the ending like the studio had asked it wouldn’t be in this mess...

[Athena]

The movie will release on Netflix in all countries other than USA and China where it will continue its limited theatrical release. The dispute was between Paramount and Producer Scott Rudin who backed Alex on not changing it. The Netflix international streaming was a compromise. 

[afterbite]

I don't know what the studio wanted for the end of the movie, but I kind of wished something had been changed. I loved 85% of this movie and then we got to the part where it looked like Portman's character crawled into an anus, slid down a rectum, and encountered CGI gone wrong vomiting light everywhere. Said CGI then turned into an early Windows screensaver, and a woman in an iridescent foam suit danced around mirroring Portman. I did not care for the aesthetic at all, in case that didn't come through. The shimmer world was beautiful and then, inexplicably, we found ourselves in the middle of something that could have been in The Abyss back in 1989. If they'd toned it down and stuck with the creepiness of the film up until then, I think it would have been much better. (They could have lost Isaac's weird Southern accent, too. I don't know part of the region he was going for, but it wasn't good.)

Other than that, I was riveted. It's one of the creepiest films I've seen in a while. The scene with the mutant bear calling out 'Help me' had me frozen. In a way, it reminds me of Danny Boyle's Sunshine. Gorgeous to look at. Hauntingly creepy. Went off the rails in the final act.

I wonder, too, about the symbolism of the HeLa cell line. Portman's character was seen reading "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." She worked for Hopkins, where Lacks' cells were taken without her consent to create the cell line still used today (she had cervical cancer). Portman's intro lecture with the students was about cervical cancer cells. Lacks' cells created the first immortalized cell line - one that will reproduce continuously in the right conditions. Was the Shimmer no different than a continuously producing cell line? Wanting nothing, thinking nothing, just reproducing?

Edited March 4, 2018 by afterbite

[Anela]

I found this online, the other night, because it was out of our local theatre fast, and when I checked others, it had all but disappeared there, too.

The scene near the end was SO familiar to me, and I've never read the book. The part in the lighthouse. Even the part earlier, with the woman explaining that they all had a huge loss, they were all grieving somehow. Was that sort of thing used in another horror movie? The lighthouse. The beach, everything, the bear before. It's been bugging me.

[benteen]

I saw Annihilation and immediately regretted spending money for it.  It was awful, slow-moving and confusing.  They set up an interesting situation here and then don't bother to explore it to its fullest potential.  The movie has a very talented cast but I have no idea what they saw in this film that made them interested in it.  There's very little there.

[Vermicious Knid]

I just saw this. Have the omnibus of the whole trilogy but haven't read it yet. Based on the reviews I was expecting something way more bonkers. Didn't mind that it was slow but it really could have benefited from about $10 million more dollars because they were making decisions to save money that really irked me. The bear creature was only seen in the dark, the character who was turning into a plant literally walked off stage so they wouldn't have to show her transformation, Ventress becoming a painfully bad animatronic. I guess they spent the money on the set pieces, the CGI at the end and Natalie Portman's salary.

[Chaos Theory]

This was a weird movie with good actors.  Not sure if I understood it or not especially the ending.  Some of it was riveting but some of it was too confusing.  Still not a horrible movie if you get the DVD on Netflix 

Edited August 10, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[Bruinsfan]

On 3/4/2018 at 3:52 PM, afterbite said:

I don't know what the studio wanted for the end of the movie, but I kind of wished something had been changed. I loved 85% of this movie and then we got to the part where it looked like Portman's character crawled into an anus, slid down a rectum, and encountered CGI gone wrong vomiting light everywhere. Said CGI then turned into an early Windows screensaver, and a woman in an iridescent foam suit danced around mirroring Portman. I did not care for the aesthetic at all, in case that didn't come through. The shimmer world was beautiful and then, inexplicably, we found ourselves in the middle of something that could have been in The Abyss back in 1989. If they'd toned it down and stuck with the creepiness of the film up until then, I think it would have been much better. (They could have lost Isaac's weird Southern accent, too. I don't know part of the region he was going for, but it wasn't good.)

Other than that, I was riveted. It's one of the creepiest films I've seen in a while. The scene with the mutant bear calling out 'Help me' had me frozen. In a way, it reminds me of Danny Boyle's Sunshine. Gorgeous to look at. Hauntingly creepy. Went off the rails in the final act.

Pretty much in total agreement with you here. I really liked most of the movie, thought the mystery and weirdness of the Shimmer was intriguing and Lena's personal issues compelling. I'd have much preferred it if Lena never found the crevasse in the lighthouse and what came after. Just finding Kane's remains and the videotape and never anything more tangible to offer even a partial explanation of the cause of it all would have been better.

[Macbeth]

I loved this movie.  Not something to watch at 9:00 at night when you have to wake up early the next day to work.

It had beautiful cinematography, great plot and acting, suspenseful, creepy as all get out, and poses interesting questions.

Having said that this movie did have the exact opposite problem that "The Abyss" had.  Abyss was great on the light show but sucked on the organics (spaceship did not look real in the light of day).  For this movie, the light show at the end did not work well with the organic look that was shown during the rest of the movie (which was spectacular).  I think the budget and the fighting with the studio about the ending resulted in the movie not sticking the landing for me.

Mind you - I have no problems with the way the movie ended.  The alien life form creates a human-like being and that being's self-destruction impulse ends up destroying the shimmer.

That bear is going to haunt me for a long, long time.

[Macbeth]

The animals were truly great. The combination of an alligator and a great white shark is epic. It's a dream scenarios for great whites to be able to walk on land and grab humans. 

And the bear I believe was combined with a cow.  The way it shook its head when it was standing between the tied-up women reminded me of a cow. Could mean why it hesitated when it had one of the woman's shoulder in its mouth.   It gives a whole new meaning when its victim cried for help through its mouth. Maybe the cow was crying out for help as well.

This movie makes me think in a good way.