![]() But given that the movie is sometimes creepy and perhaps even unsettling, it sets itself up as being more of a cult favorite than a mainstream hit - it's closer to 2001: A Space Odyssey than to Star Wars. The movie is admirable for featuring five women (and no men) as the characters who embark on the journey Portman's performance especially makes it an emotional one. It then opens up like a strange, exotic flower, following different offshoots to new, unexpected points in its unpredictable world. ![]() The shape of Annihilation is nothing short of brilliant, with a linear, minimalist starting point that consists of simple, straightforward images (like a lighthouse). ![]() The film is less focused on climactic battles, instead heading toward a far more poetic, surreal ending. Like Ridley Scott did in Blade Runner 2049, Garland combines unusual, imaginative visuals, ideas, and sounds with more traditional audience-aimed thrills - but he does so far more seamlessly than Scott. Based on Jeff VanderMeer's novel, Annihilation slightly resembles Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker (1979), a highly artistic masterpiece from a much braver time, when audiences were less likely to balk at ambiguity. But its challenging conclusion could be a hard sell. Annihilation is closer in spirit to films like Stalker and 2001: A Space Odyssey than Star Wars or superhero movies, so it might not be for everyone.Īlex Garland's second directorial outing after the excellent Ex Machina, this brainy, metaphysical sci-fi is even more ambitious and more amazing. Language is strong, with several uses of "f-k" and "s-t." It's rare - but nice! - to see this type of movie primarily featuring women ( Natalie Portman, Gina Rodriguez, and Tessa Thompson star). There's also a scene of a married couple in bed in their underwear, comfortable and kissing. A woman is shown having an affair sex is implied via moaning and movement (there's no graphic nudity, and the two participants aren't shown on-screen at the same time). It has several creepy, scary, and/or unsettling scenes, as well as scenes of blood and gore, monster attacks, guns and shooting, and death. Parents need to know that Annihilation is a brainy but amazing sci-fi movie from the director of Ex Machina and based on Jeff VanderMeer's novel. It's an imperfect, but wildly original sci-fi film that still deserves attention.Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. It's wildly original, and damn it all it takes risks and we need that in our sci-fi. I really can't deny I was genuinely intrigued the whole way through, and there were some scenes (especially one with a bear) that I was completely gripped by. ![]() There is an amazing dreamlike quality captured both in the visuals and the narrative that really is amazing. One moment it'll be disturbing and awful, the next it will be amazing and dreamlike, and that's kind of the point. But on the other hand, god damn is it beautiful and spooky and horrifying and wonderful and just so much. It's weird choices like that which I can't ignore and keep this movie from perfection. To the latter, we know from the get-go that Natalie Portman is the only survivor of the expedition through a narrative through line of her telling this story to scientists, which does dissolve some of the tension. There's some weird pacing choices, sometimes for the better making you feel as disjointed as the characters and not knowing what to expect, but other times there are moments that seem to drag in weird ways or weird bits of explanation. Starting as a moody sci-fi and taking turns into horror and ending in a realm akin to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Annihilation is a weird journey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |