Annihilation (2018)

[aabattery]

Yeah. Go for it. Discuss it and what-not.

 

[75Live]

lots of ideas doing on here from self destruction to not be able to stop the inevitable and have to stand by and let it happen, to religious ideas for some people, things coming together and living in harmony, or just coming together literally   needing a reason to live, etc etc

 

The film does handle a lot of ideas and was never too heavy handed for any of them.  In fact the idea that all people are self destructive leads to the "alien" destroying the base and the Shimmer due to cloning Lena.   

 

Or did it destroy the Shimmer?  

 

the last scene does keep questions open on some things and may even open new questions.

 

They never touched on it in the movie, but I take it that you  can tell when the shimmer started to merge with people and maybe taken over due to the tattoos on their left forearm.  I maybe reading into in my own way, but it took it as they merged and will continue to be together "forever" due to it being the infinity symbol

 

but yeah there are many ideas and interpretations that people will come up on their own and maybe completely different than others.

 

I think I will stick with an A- for this one

[Plain Old Tele]

The bear.  

[somebody85]

Holy shit, I didn't think movies could frighten me anymore but this definitely got to me. This had the same type of tension that Ex Machina had but dialed up to 11 in those final 20 minutes. The last time I remember feeling that tense while watching a movie was during my first viewing of It Follows. Before that, the snuff footage in Sinister. Can't remember any others since I was a lot younger.

The sound design and score alone in the third act is insane. I don't want to spoil the visuals but they won't be leaving my head anytime soon as will the whole idea of this film. I feel sorry for the people who do not get to experience this in the theater.

Just got back from it and definitely want to rewatch it a few times after exploring theories but on first watch, most of this was every bit the experience I was hoping it would be and I would not be surprised if it's up there with my favorite films of the year when next January rolls along. 

Original, thought provoking, beautiful and disturbing. Whatever you think the third act is going to be in this....you probably predicted wrong. Marketing gave nothing away and it's one hell of a mind trip.

A

Edited February 23, 2018 by somebody85

[75Live]

9 hours ago, Telehilation said:

The bear.  

 

Ah yes, the bear was pretty awesome and sad at the same time.  Nice addition

 

I also like when the one person let herself turn ino the human flower too

[75Live]

I feel like I should talk more since it was just more about themes and ideas in the last post.

 

This is a beautifully, creepy, thought provoking film that many don't have the guts to even try.  

 

The eerie soundtrack is top notch and keeps the intensity of the movie on the right level.

 

Even a scene from the trailer made the guy next to me jump when the person was taken into the hut on the swamp.

 

Every character has a point and their life story adds to the plot and to the dangers around them.

 

The words "shiny, shimmering, splendid" don't just belong to an Aladdin song anymore

[Plain Old Tele]

I should also say more than just "the bear".  

 

Yeah, there are some great jump-scares, and I think horror buffs will like the more extreme moments (like the stomach scene), but overall it's the mood of the movie and it's stately, methodical exploration of this mutating natural beauty that's so engrossing. I remember wondering at one point -- just before that total gonzo lighthouse sequence -- how Garland was gonna wrap this up in any way that felt satisfying, and yet he completely nailed the ending (for me).

[75Live]

12 minutes ago, Telehilation said:

I should also say more than just "the bear".  

 

Yeah, there are some great jump-scares, and I think horror buffs will like the more extreme moments (like the stomach scene), but overall it's the mood of the movie and it's stately, methodical exploration of this mutating natural beauty that's so engrossing. I remember wondering at one point -- just before that total gonzo lighthouse sequence -- how Garland was gonna wrap this up in any way that felt satisfying, and yet he completely nailed the ending (for me).

 

agreed.  I like how he used the self destruction idea for the alien to destroy everything since it got that from Lena.

 

Although, hot take, what if Lena was the grey entity at the end so the thing that survived was the "clone"?   

 

 

[Valonqar]

Guys, just spoil the movie. It sounds like it has no story whatsoever the way you all dance around it. 

[Plain Old Tele]

30 minutes ago, 75Live said:

 

agreed.  I like how he used the self destruction idea for the alien to destroy everything since it got that from Lena.

 

Although, hot take, what if Lena was the grey entity at the end so the thing that survived was the "clone"?   

 

 

 

I think that’s a totally viable interpretation.  

[AniNate]

The themes, visuals and music coalesce to make a really engrossing and unsettling cinematic experience. In hindsight it's kind of surprising that it's taken this long for someone to run with broadly scrambled DNA as a basis for a horror film. It would seem to allow for so many opportunities for grotesque creativity.

 

I did have problems with the climax though. It's all really cool and mind blowing right until the shiny clone shows up. The design was extremely silly and I just could not take the fight/rape scene seriously at all, and it's not helped by how awkwardly paced it is compared to the rest of the film.

 

Fortunately the resolution ends things on a fairly satisfying note and I left the theater feeling far more positive than negative.

Edited February 23, 2018 by tribefan695

[Deja23]

I liked this movie a lot. I hadn’t read anything except the reactions on here so I was ready for anything. Got a bit queasy a few times, but it wasn’t as weird as I thought it’d be. There were a couple of scenes that seemed to go on for forever though, namely the bear scene and the lighthouse color explosion scene. My friend called the bear scene insane, and ranks it as among the top 5 craziest things she’s ever seen. The second half is pretty wild though and I like that they kinda ease you into it. I also liked the use of flashbacks and think it made it easier to follow what was going on with Lena and Kane in particular. 

 

Spoiler

So I might be off base here, and it’s making me want to read the book, but my understanding is that the human nature is impulsive and prone to self-destruction/annihilation. Wanting something different and wanting to change are inherent in human beings. When Lena was being questioned about what the alien wanted, she said she didn’t think it wanted anything, as it’s not human. Lena was happily married, wanted more/different and cheated. Her husband found out and so began his road to self-destruction. The other scientists all had reasons to go into the shimmer, whether because of impending death, lack of anything holding them back, loss of loved ones, need to feel, etc. Lena, in wanting to save her husband (out of guilt?), goes in with a different purpose. That’s why she was able to outwit the alien and escape while getting it to destroy itself. But she was already changed from the moment she went into the shimmer, so she’s not really Lena anymore either. So change is inevitable? Gahhh!! I don’t know what to think!

 

As we got up to leave, someone asked if anyone understood what we just watched. I’m honestly still trying to figure that out.  Might have to rewatch it sometime. B+

[Plain Old Tele]

Yeah, personally I felt it was more about how easily we -- as humans -- self-destruct and self-sabotage ourselves in a lot of ways (some minor and subtle, others devastating and destructive). There are so many ways to interpret the ending, though. I saw some very interesting tweets from people who suffer from depression and they felt it very powerfully spoke to what they struggle with every day. That's a perspective I wouldn't have had.

 

The book is very different (including the ending), so I encourage you to read it if you're interested (it's great!), but it won't provide answers to the movie.

[75Live]

7 minutes ago, Telehilation said:

Yeah, personally I felt it was more about how easily we -- as humans -- self-destruct and self-sabotage ourselves in a lot of ways (some minor and subtle, others devastating and destructive). There are so many ways to interpret the ending, though. I saw some very interesting tweets from people who suffer from depression and they felt it very powerfully spoke to what they struggle with every day. That's a perspective I wouldn't have had.

 

The book is very different (including the ending), so I encourage you to read it if you're interested (it's great!), but it won't provide answers to the movie.

 

I get the depression part.  I don't have it every day or all the time, but I can get why it spoke to them since I get it once in a while, or sometimes more.

 

As for the book, I maybe able to my movie points to get the book for free  

[Deja23]

2 minutes ago, Telehilation said:

Yeah, personally I felt it was more about how easily we -- as humans -- self-destruct and self-sabotage ourselves in a lot of ways (some minor and subtle, others devastating and destructive). There are so many ways to interpret the ending, though. I saw some very interesting tweets from people who suffer from depression and they felt it very powerfully spoke to what they struggle with every day. That's a perspective I wouldn't have had.

 

The book is very different (including the ending), so I encourage you to read it if you're interested (it's great!), but it won't provide answers to the movie.

Thanks! I’m not sure about the depression angle, but I now realize there are probably plenty of think pieces about what the movie means so I’ll be reading those. I can definitely see the self-sabotage angle though. There were moments I wanted to scream at the characters, like the first bear scene. Why were they on the ground??! Nearly jumped out of my seat for that one lol. 

[75Live]

the bear absorbing the first person and being able to use the voice was pretty freaky and added even more to that scene when they were tied to the chairs

[somebody85]

2 hours ago, Telehilation said:

Yeah, personally I felt it was more about how easily we -- as humans -- self-destruct and self-sabotage ourselves in a lot of ways (some minor and subtle, others devastating and destructive). There are so many ways to interpret the ending, though. I saw some very interesting tweets from people who suffer from depression and they felt it very powerfully spoke to what they struggle with every day. That's a perspective I wouldn't have had.

 

The book is very different (including the ending), so I encourage you to read it if you're interested (it's great!), but it won't provide answers to the movie.

Agreed. I knew right when it happened that when Lena combined her DNA with the alien, her thoughts of self destruction destroyed it (whether intentionally or not - it might have just acquired them when they combined because those feelings were part of her DNA). They foreshadowed the idea of self destruction (or suicide) so much throughout the rest of the film. 
 

Spoiler

But if this was done intentionally, we don't know if this plan actually destroyed it. We don't know what Lena really was at the end because she still came in contact and merged with a creature who cannot be explained by any means of science. Her DNA merged with a DNA that is pure science fiction and could be any and everything. So I could interpret the ending in a number of different ways. She said that she didn't think it wanted anything in the final interrogation. Maybe that was just the beings existence (think about what humans do when we go anywhere - we start off at a single location and spread) but that DNA is a part of her now. So she is something new and not entirely human or alien (if that's the case the alien DNA inside her would still react to the alien DNA of the duplicate Kane). Or maybe the real Lena died in that explosion and the creature finished completely mirroring her (and I did not think that creature looked cheesy - I actually found it unsettling - especially it's movements combined with that score. It was almost uncanny valley).

I haven't stopped thinking about this. One thing I didn't mention last night is how much of this reminded me of survival horror games. The only thing missing were areas where you played as Lena and fought off creatures. Certain scenes where she finds the memory card or the camcorder to explain what was going on....yeah that's stuff right out of like Resident Evil or The Evil Within.

I see a lot of people complaining about how slow the beginning or the whole film was up until the final act. I guess these people were bored during Alien or The Thing (1982) too because they weren't much faster before things started to go downhill. I thought the pacing built dread so I was fully invested the entire time...though I thought some of the acting felt like The Walking Dead at times once they got in the shimmer.

I don't remember any of the side characters outside of a few having much development in either Alien or The Thing either. They were just people in an unpredictable situation. I thought this kind of paid homage to those before the final act.

Edited February 24, 2018 by somebody85

[Plain Old Tele]

^^ I haven't played LAST OF US but I've seen a lot of people reference it after seeing this.

[somebody85]

18 minutes ago, Telehilation said:

^^ I haven't played LAST OF US but I've seen a lot of people reference it after seeing this.

Yeah, I haven't played it either but I heard certain creatures or ideas were really similar. But if a studio was ever going to interpret a survival horror game properly to the big screen, this would be how you would do it (but probably with more action - and not like the Resident Evil Movies).

[JohnnyGossamer]

Already voiced my elation at what Garland wrought here. Now, I come with kind of silly question or, maybe, I just don't recall it right. Didn't Tessa Thompson emerge essentially unscathed from mutated gator/croc/shark that violently pulled her under the water? Oddly, that confused me and even took me out of the movie more than anything else in the movie.