Annihilation: An Ambitious and Mind-bending Experience

Alex Garland’s, Annihilation is unlike any sci-fi film I’ve ever seen. It’s unlike any film I’ve ever seen. Period. I thought I’ve seen it all after genre films like Blade Runner 2049, Under the Skin, Enemy, and Upstream Color.

And going into Annihilation, I knew a little bit about what to expect. I knew it was a film that challenges you and makes you think. But none of this prepared me for what I experienced watching Annihilation.

This movie caused the total annihilation of my brain. And I was floored by it from start to finish. Annihilation is an ambitious, challenging, mind-bending experience that people will be analyzing and talking about for years.

Based on Jeff VanderMeer's best-selling novel series, Annihilation is about a team of all-female scientists who go on an expedition to explore a mysterious dome that appears dubbed, “The Shimmer.” For everyone who ventures beyond The Shimmer, it’s believed that something inside either kills them or they go crazy and kill each other. Only one person has ever made it out alive. Natalie Portman’s husband played by Oscar Isaac. But he’s deathly ill and not himself. So Natalie Portman’s character (Lena, a successful biologist) tags along with the other female scientists to get some answers about what lies at the heart of The Shimmer.

Do we get those answers? Sort of. It mostly depends on how you engage with the film and interpret it.

Annihilation is definitely an ambitious film that challenges you and makes you think. It leaves you with questions rather than answering them. And it opens the door to many different interpretations. Some will be completely mesmerized by the film and up for the challenge of connecting the pieces. Others will totally reject the movie without trying to understand it. I experienced the latter first-hand at the theater I went to.

The few people that made up the audience that fateful night didn’t seem to enjoy themselves at all. Half-way through the movie, a man at the end of my row had fallen asleep and was snoring audibly. Eventually, he was woken up when the drink wedged between his legs crashed to the floor.

In the last act, which is by far the most challenging part of the entire film, a couple sitting directly next to me had apparently become too overwhelmed. They voiced their confusion aloud. “What the f*** am I watching?” The guy asked. “I have no f***ing idea.” The girl responded.

The exchange was so unexpected, yet so perfectly timed. And it mirrored my exact thoughts in that moment, along with everyone else’s—I’m sure. I just burst out laughing. Rather than ruining my experience, it honestly made my entire night. And I was laughing about it all the way home. Those two, poor, innocent souls had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. And it was probably their first time with a movie like this. It was the perfect response to that moment in the movie.

The experience I had at the theater that night was one of my favorites. I love witnessing other peoples reactions to movies. And the reactions that night were eye-opening and hilarious. Especially with a film like Annihilation. At the same time, the reactions made it abundantly clear that not everyone is going to enjoy this film. And not everyone will give it the thought it deserves.

At first, it might be difficult to fully wrap your head around. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure how I felt about it right away. I had no idea how to comprehend what I experienced. But I knew there was more to it under the surface. And I was completely mesmerized.

The best part about Annihilation is that its bizarre, mind-boggling, and unlike anything ever brought to the big screen. It doesn’t spoon feed you everything and reveal it’s mystery. Yet, it gives you all the clues and pieces to the mystifying puzzle. All you have to do is put them together. And once you do, you'll see something truly amazing and unique.

I love movies that dare to be different and stretch your imagination. And the more I think about Annihilation, the more I begin piecing everything together. And the more I began to appreciate it and love it.

Annihilation is one of the best sci-films of all time. The experience along with the mesmerizing imagery and the incredible and utterly bone-chilling score, will continue to linger in my mind and haunt me for years.

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