A visually stunning adventure, Annihilation also delivers a great science fiction based story, a very unique addition to the genre.
“From the director of Ex Machina comes “A NEW SCI-FI CLASSIC.” Biologist and former soldier Lena (Natalie Portman) is shocked when her missing husband (Oscar Isaac) comes home near death from a top-secret mission into The Shimmer, a mysterious quarantine zone no one has ever returned from. Now, Lena and her elite team must enter a beautiful, deadly world of mutated landscapes and creatures, to discover how to stop the growing phenomenon that threatens all life on Earth. Experience this visually stunning film critics hail as a “BOLD AN INNOVATIVE THRILLER””.
Annihilation follows Lena, a biologist who is in the midst of putting her life back together trying to get over the presumed loss of her husband, Kane, who has been missing in action since his last classified mission. Overcome with guilt from cheating on him shortly before he departed from his mission, she is overjoyed when he unexpectedly returns out of nowhere, with no memory of where he’s been. Shortly after their reunion, Kane becomes violently ill and is taken away by government officials and quarantined. After learning about her background, they tell Lena about the Shimmer, this strange area that has been growing over the past several years in which no one has ever returned, and Kane was part of the last expedition inside of it.
As Lena agrees to be part of the next team to go into the Shimmer searching for answers, she meets the rest of her team composed of four other women. Once inside the Shimmer, things aren’t at all as they seem. The team wakens in a campsite with no memory of how they got there, or the past few days they can tell have passed due to the decrease in their rations. As the team makes their way close to the source of the Shimmer, a meteor that has crashed into a lighthouse near the coast, they encounter all sorts of strange creatures and things that they cannot explain.
Without giving anything away in the third act, I’ll just say that it is rather surreal, but that’s what I enjoy about the genre, and the director, as I enjoyed his last film immensely. Annihilation is very much in the same vein as the hard science fiction that Ex Machina is, but also has relevant themes that explore certain facets of humanity and what makes us who we are, and what happens if those identities change.
Annihilation is based on a book of the same name in a trilogy. Not having read the book myself, I can only imagine the difference between them, as the film does its best to convey all this information as best it can, but some things can be missed or misunderstood as the film progresses. Not that a lack of picture perfect clarity is necessarily a bad thing, because you are definitely able to interpret things in different ways. In fact, I welcomed a second viewing of the film after my initial viewing, and discussing different theories about the ending. The film itself doesn’t follow a traditional linear timeline either, so if you enjoy science fiction, and having to think instead of having everything neatly laid out for you, odds are you will enjoy Annihilation.
The best thing about the film is definitely the visuals. In the Shimmer are wild new creatures and organisms, and the film showcases the vast imagination of the author in bringing these to life. Things get even more impressive visually as the film progresses toward the end, and even though you might not understand everything that’s happening at first, the appreciation of the beauty of it all is what is most captivating. What I enjoyed about the film is the theme of the destruction of humanity. We’re often drawn to stories of the end of our world from alien contact by war, or physical destruction. The end that is featured here is something beyond our comprehension; a force that doesn’t destroy, but consumes, in more ways than one. It’s a unique tale that will cater to science fiction fans for sure.
Video
Annihilation is presented in 2160 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1. This film is visually breathtaking, and 4k is definitely the way to go given the choice. The Shimmer is color, everything inside the Shimmer is bright, vibrant, and alive. The HDR highlights all of this with its superb brightness and vivid color. You’ll see a wide variety of color range, with levels looking very impressive. No defects were noticed.
The Blu-Ray is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos, another one of the highlights of the disc. The first half of the film is mainly dialogue, however, when the characters enter the Shimmer and some of the action starts, the surrounds are utilized very well. Audio levels sound good, with a powerful center channel that’s never overpowered by the rest of the surrounds. Another great thing about the film is the soundtrack, including a great selection from Crosby, Stills & Nash that compliments the scenes its placed in beautifully.
Special Features
Given the questions of the film’s ending and the nature of the Shimmer, these extras as well worth checking out. Extras are located on the Blu-Ray disc and include:
- Refractions: Story Origins
- For Those That Follow: Casting Annihilation
- Shimmer: Shooting on Location
- Vanished Into Havoc: Visual and Special Effects
Though Annihilation may not appeal to the average movie-goer due to its interpretive ending and story driven by science, for those that enjoy that sort of thing this is right up your alley. It may take multiple viewings to fully understand everything that’s going on, but I found that I discovered something new each time I went through a particular scene, a mark of a unique film and entertaining experience. There are two additional books in the trilogy, and hopefully we will get to learn more about this unique world and the meanings behind it.
