Beware of “The Shimmer.”

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                                   By Tom Pacak
Alex Garland’s "Annihilation" based off the book by Jeff VanderMeer, is a new addition to the great sci-fi films of the 2010s. Whether it’s an ambitious film “Blade Runner 2049” or a small-time movie “The Cloverfield Paradox” the sci-fi genre has been busting out film after film that keep trying to change the game. A lot of the directors doing these films owe their blood and sweat to the great Stanley Kubrick “2001: A Space Odyssey” or Ridley Scott “Blade Runner.” “Annihilation” was a film so big Paramount had no idea what to do with it. They kept critics away from it until the final week and released it on Netflix internationally due to fear of being a box office failure.  Alex Garland intended to have this movie viewed on the big screen and I strongly agree that’s how it should be viewed.

“Annihilation” opens up with Lena (Natalie Portman) a biologist and former soldier being interrogated by men in hazmat suits. Why is Lena being quarantined?  Natalie Portman is tremendous as a woman who wants to search for the truth about the unknown.  Lena was the sole surivivor of an expedition with four other women into “the shimmer.” ‘The shimmer” is a mysterious anomaly that looks beautiful but is full of terror. Kudos to cinematographer Rob Hardy for creating unforgettable and breathtaking images that make us want to explore “the shimmer” with caution.

The film cuts back to a flashback where it revealed that Lena is mourning her husband (Oscar Isaac) who hasn’t returned home from war in over a year. Nobody has heard from him or know his direct whereabouts. One day, he randomly returns home and rejoices with Lena. After a while, he starts throwing up and coughing up blood. Government officials barge in and take Lena and her husband to a secure location.

Lena’s husband was revealed to be on another expedition in which he was the sole survivor. Lena wants answers to what she is doing and so does the government. Lena is then recruited by Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to explore the unknown and find the truth about “the shimmer.” Lena and Dr. Ventress are joined by three other women named Anya (Gina Rodriguez) a tough paramedic, Josie (Tessa Thompson) a young physicist, and Cass (Tuva Novotny) an open-minded geologist. All of the female protagonists are really well developed and have great character development once under pressure.

Alex Garland’s films lean heavy on thought-provoking ideas than action. His great 2015 directorial debut “Ex Machina” questioned Artificial Intelligence and what makes us human. “Annihilation” is a film about searching for the truth, what we know, and what we shouldn’t know. There has been several criticisms about the film. Whether it’s the whitewashing controversy with actresses Natalie Portman whose character was Asian in the book and Jennifer Jason Leigh whose character was Native American. Many audiences have even found the film too difficult to understand.  Discuss these ideas with your friends. This is what movies were made for!

Note: Now playing in theaters  

4 out of 4 stars



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