Annihilation
Biologist and former Army soldier Lena (Natalie Portman) finds herself thrust into a government coverup and investigation of an alien phenomenon. It would seem a shimmering “thing” is spreading out over the woods and coastline in a semi remote part of the country; inside that region the laws of nature somehow seem to be warped, re-written, and re-born. Now on a personal quest, Lena, and a team of other scientists including psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and physicist Josie Radek (Tessa Thompson) set out into the shimmer to reach its point of origin and investigate further, hopefully explaining the disappearance of all else who have entered.
Written and Directed by Alex Garland, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, this delve into the prismatic world of the unknown is a further solidification of Garland as one of the new greats of Sci-Fi. Carefully crafting plausibility via elements of religion, psychology, sociology and science, the feasibility of what transpires in Annihilation seems completely within reason and Garland successfully plants the seed of “what if?” this time to flourish into a beautiful nightmare, a truly inspired and inspiring take on a genre that often angles to the cheap and easy way out. Meanwhile, the ensemble, which also includes Oscar Isaac, Tuva Novotny, and Gina Rodriguez successfully sell the dream of this ornate illusion with just enough answers to keep us, the viewer, on the hook up to the bitter end, only to be filled with a thousand more questions with room for discussion. A think piece to keep you on edge, Annihilation is rated R.