Annihilation - from Ex Machina writer/director Alex Garland

[Man in the Suit]

Alex Garland on adapting Annihilation :

 

[moviedoors]

Does anyone here have an view of that ending?

We're all ****ed.

it wasn't until it was over how much I realized it got under my skin.

Likewise. It's not until I had the totality of it in my head that it really struck home. I sat in an empty theater thru all the credits and then sat there some more after the lights came up.

 

[Kane52630]

My review

Spoiler

It's a bizarre/fascinating scifi film that doesn't completely work like they wanted. This is pretty much if the director of Under the Skin did a remake of the John Carpenter's The Thing. Although, I have to say, the movie starts out very slowly in not a good way. The first act just meanders before they get into what the movie is about. Once Natalie Portman and her crew goes into the Shimmer and explore, it becomes very interesting. As the story unravels, it gets weirder and weirder. It has some great body horror and great creature designs as it goes from the 2nd act to the final act. As for the final act, it's definitively fascinating to see, but I don't think it was nearly as deep or thought provoking as people make it out to be. Overall though, it's good scifi film, but it's not Alex Garlands best.

8/10


And honestly, it's a movie that I would be okay with watching it at home.

 

[SomeOldGuy]

Final box office numbers:

ANNIHILATION
$11.07M Weekend (Actual)
2,012 Screens / $5,502 Avg.
Weekend 1 / New
$11.07M Total (North America)
#Annihilation #BoxOffice

Disappointing, but at the same time a little bit better than was projected. Given how Paramount basically abandoned the movie that has to be seen as a (very) small victory.

 

[Mysteryman]

Final box office numbers:

ANNIHILATION
$11.07M Weekend (Actual)
2,012 Screens / $5,502 Avg.
Weekend 1 / New
$11.07M Total (North America)
#Annihilation #BoxOffice

Disappointing, but at the same time a little bit better than was projected. Given how Paramount basically abandoned the movie that has to be seen as a (very) small victory.

I have a strong feeling that it won't feel like any kind of victory after next weekend.

 

[antsman41]

So good... I look at this film like The Prestige. Both different from their respective novels, but both fantastic and down-right gorgeous.

The ending for this gave me some Under The Skin vibes.

Garland is amazing, I could never let one of his films go-by without seeing it in a theater.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I really liked this. I can't stop thinking about it, and it actually managed to frighten me at one point.

 

[Asr]

Just caught an 11 AM matinee showing of this that was nearly sold out, which was unexpected. Went into it with high expectations based on this thread, which were largely met, but I was also a bit...underwhelmed. It didn't quite hit me as hard as I was expecting it to, but it was still easily one of the best sci-fi movies that I've ever seen, and I'm saying that as a huge fan of sci-fi in general.

What I loved most about the movie were the visuals, underlying themes/messages, directing, the homages to both The Thing ('82) and Alien ('79), and basically that ending, which was chilling in its implications. As I thought about Garland's previous movie (Ex Machina), there's a definite Outer Limits vibe to his work (based on the 90s series and not the 60s one, which I haven't seen), and if that series ever comes back for another run in the future, it'd be natural fit for Garland's style. He clearly has a knack for delivering the kind of chilling endings that the 90s Outer Limits episodes tended to have in spades.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the music. Just wasn't feeling that acoustic guitar style, and I think some sort of ambient electronica would've worked better as the score. And as a fan of Portishead since their first album Dummy in the 90s (I noticed that Geoff Barrow did the score), I honestly would've expected something more musically interesting than what the movie actually had.

Really liked the movie, just didn't love it, but that said, I'm still a huge fan of Garland and will always be excited to see his work.

 

[antsman41]

Yeah... the music wasn't getting me until the Lighthouse.

The song was a good choice, but trying to use the acoustic guitar part here and there was weird.

 

[Kane52630]

The song was a good choice, but trying to use the acoustic guitar part here and there was weird.

Yeah... it reminded me of The Last of Us.

 

[flickchick85]

Loved this. Definitely worth seeing on the big screen, imo.

 

[jmc]

Too bad most of us won't be able to view it that way.

 

[redhawk23]

Solid article on the films themes. Refeshingly breif by FCH's standards.

https://filmcrithulk.blog/2018/02/27/annihilation-the-horrors-of-change/

 

[flickchick85]

Too bad most of us won't be able to view it that way.

 

[Luigi]

The score and sound design in the third act make it worthwhile to go watch this on the big screen.

 

[flickchick85]

Solid article on the films themes. Refeshingly breif by FCH's standards.

https://filmcrithulk.blog/2018/02/27/annihilation-the-horrors-of-change/

That's the first thing I've read from him in quite some time. Glad to see he's no longer typing in caps. I always enjoyed his insights but they were just so unpleasant to read because of that stupid "stylistic" choice.

 

[MagnarTheGreat]

Having seen the movie now, it's more inspired by the book than trying to be the book. Which has its pluses and minuses: a plus for me is that I got a pretty fresh experience though I read the book years ago. I quite enjoyed what I got as the characterizations and backgrounds were better in the movie. I'd give it about an 8.75 out of 10. The beginning is slower than it needed to be and the VFX backgrounds were a bit too obvious at times. It was worth the over 35 miles I had to go out of the way to see it because of the limited distribution.

 

[LoganGambit87]

saw this tonight and i was blown away the last 15-20 minutes was a damn acid trip

 

[Doctor Jones]

That's the first thing I've read from him in quite some time. Glad to see he's no longer typing in caps. I always enjoyed his insights but they were just so unpleasant to read because of that stupid "stylistic" choice.

I dislike this new Hulk. He can still write well, but I miss angry ALL CAPS Hulk when he used his anger to form constructive, entertaining criticism while ripping movies like ASM2 a new one. That was part of the fun schtick. Now he's self loathing and talks about how he cried when he hugged Chewbacca and sounds like a teenage girl on Twitter. It's like he got pregnant.

 

[redhawk23]

I dislike this new Hulk. He can still write well, but I miss angry ALL CAPS Hulk when he used his anger to form constructive, entertaining criticism while ripping movies like ASM2 a new one. That was part of the fun schtick. Now he's self loathing and talks about how he cried when he hugged Chewbacca and sounds like a teenage girl on Twitter. It's like he got pregnant.

Hoooooo wow your reaction and phrasing in regards to that Chewbacca story just kind of totally prove his whole point with the Chewbacca story.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I didn't realize there were so many feelings about Film Crit Hulk.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Hoooooo wow your reaction and phrasing in regards to that Chewbacca story just kind of totally prove his whole point with the Chewbacca story.

You mean he's pregnant?

 

[Broseph44]

I have never read the book, didn’t know much about this movie until I saw a tv spot for it. Really grabbed me though I gotta see this

 

[Farren]

The score and sound design in the third act make it worthwhile to go watch this on the big screen.

I agree.

 

[Persona]

This film is inspiring some fantastic criticism:

http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/ffc/2018/02/annihilation.html

https://newrepublic.com/article/147201/annihilation-brilliant-splicing-woolf-cronenberg

http://www.vulture.com/2018/03/annihilation-movie-depression.html

https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/23/17040712/annihilation-review-alex-garland-natalie-portman