Annihilation (2018)

[Dementeleus]

3 minutes ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

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.

 

It chomped her backpack.

[JohnnyGossamer]

Just now, Telehilation said:

 

It chomped her backpack.

Ah! Thanks for clearing that up. Can't believe I missed that.

[Dementeleus]

6 minutes ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

Ah! Thanks for clearing that up. Can't believe I missed that.

 

Well, I’m going off 8-month-old memory here. I might be wrong, but that’s what I remember thinking.  

[That One Girl]

I love films.

[That One Girl]

First time it flashbacked to Natalie Portman having sex with the guy she was having an affair with, some dude shouted out “SHE RIDING HIS DICK”

[75Live]

1 hour ago, Telehilation said:

 

Well, I’m going off 8-month-old memory here. I might be wrong, but that’s what I remember thinking.  

 

You're right.  That's what happened. They even mentioned in the scene that it got her by the pack. So your memory didn't fail you

[La Binoche]

I liked this better than I expected.  It's very engrossing and elegantly made.  It builds and builds towards a conclusion that doesn't quite come together, but I'd still recommend it.  Portman is VERY good here.  Her second best performance after Black Swan. 

[Webslinger]

Annihilation tackles much different territory than Alex Garland's directorial debut, Ex Machina, but it replicates that film's success in using hard sci-fi to examine highly compelling questions about human nature. At its core, Annihilation sums itself up in Jennifer Jason Leigh's character's observation that people are inclined toward self-destruction. By filtering this examination of self-destruction through the lenses of sci-fi, horror, and mystery tropes, Garland crafts an incredibly tense and atmospheric experience with a surprisingly low degree of predictability despite the presence of a framing device that at least appears to guarantee the protagonist's survival. As the narrative peels away layer after layer, it becomes progressively more fascinating even as the events onscreen become increasingly weirder and less immediately decipherable, ultimately leading to a clever ending that will undoubtedly inspire a great deal of analysis and debate. At the center of it all, Natalie Portman does terrific work, exuding quiet but unshakable confidence. The main quintet of actresses displays chemistry with one another at every turn, which ultimately serves to make their experiences in the third act all the more disturbing and impactful. I'm saddened, but perhaps not altogether surprised that Paramount didn't have much confidence in this film's commercial potential; it's a dark and methodical film that delights more in exploring questions than in answering them explicitly, but that's what makes it so effective.

 

A-

[Hiccup23]

Just got back. Terrific film. Highly recommend it! The visuals, story, and acting are all fantastic. The pacing was slow but not boring...at least to me. Alex Garland is a rising star and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. Definitely seeing this again. Worth the $10 ticket price.

 

A

 

Also me to Paramount for not having faith in this film. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2018 by Hiccup23

[Frozen]

22 hours ago, JohnnyGossamer said:

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.

 

It only grabbed her backpack and she was able to escape.

[somebody85]

20 hours ago, La Binoche said:

I liked this better than I expected.  It's very engrossing and elegantly made.  It builds and builds towards a conclusion that doesn't quite come together, but I'd still recommend it.  Portman is VERY good here.  Her second best performance after Black Swan. 

I think the fact that there are so many different interpretations of the last act and ending are what makes the film stay with you (and I'm still thinking about it). I do think it told a complete story. But the film presents the events that happened, gives you clues and then lets you decide what really took place. I've already seen so many various ones - some which point to the alien (or biosphere) destroying the Shimmer because it was no longer needed to survive. It got inside two humans and can now expand that way.

And I'm so glad Alex Garland refused to change that last act under pressure from Paramount and test audiences who hated it.

I can't wait to see this again. There's so many subtle things that the film shows visually but doesn't point to like Lena absorbing the paramedics tattoo like @75Live pointed out. If she could absorb that could she also be absorbing her mindset among all the other DNA around her?

Natalie Portman said to pay attention to echoes in an interview regarding the last act but the only one that someone pointed out that I did not think of was the psychologists relationship with her husband in comparison to Lenas relationship with Kane.

I'm looking forward to more in depth analysis once more people see the film to see if they saw things that I didn't or saw them in different ways. I know a lot believe that the real Lena died in that grenade explosion at the end and the alien lied in that final interview to protect it's survival but I think she did survive but she's not just human anymore.

Edited February 25, 2018 by somebody85

[Dementeleus]

Viewing #2 complete. Mrs Tele loved it — her fave film in theaters since ARRIVAL. 

 

It was interesting to note the subtle changes between this version and the one I saw last year. The earlier one rearranged some of the questions the Interrogator asks her (in fact, that version started with the questions he asks at the end of this one), and the earlier one ended on (IMO) a slightly stronger, more ambiguous note: Lena’s closeup after Kane asks her “Are you Lena?”

[somebody85]

22 minutes ago, Telehilation said:

Viewing #2 complete. Mrs Tele loved it — her fave film in theaters since ARRIVAL. 

 

It was interesting to note the subtle changes between this version and the one I saw last year. The earlier one rearranged some of the questions the Interrogator asks her (in fact, that version started with the questions he asks at the end of this one), and the earlier one ended on (IMO) a slightly stronger, more ambiguous note: Lena’s closeup after Kane asks her “Are you Lena?”

But nothing really huge changed from the test screenings then! That's cool the studio didn't interfere that much (which would not be the case for many films). I thought the film was going to end with that question but wondered if the color change of the glass panes at the end (I think that's what the final shot was - it slides from one color to another (ones a darker blue) and then to the super colorful credits. I think the hug where it shows Kanes eyes and than Lenas eyes was before that.

[afalconer7]

It’s better than Black Panther. 9/10

[Dementeleus]

56 minutes ago, somebody85 said:

But nothing really huge changed from the test screenings then! That's cool the studio didn't interfere that much (which would not be the case for many films). I thought the film was going to end with that question but wondered if the color change of the glass panes at the end (I think that's what the final shot was - it slides from one color to another (ones a darker blue) and then to the super colorful credits. I think the hug where it shows Kanes eyes and than Lenas eyes was before that.

 

Ellison and the Skydance execs wanted to change things. Scott Rubin had final cut and sided with Garland.

[That One Girl]

Just now, Telehilation said:

 

Ellison and the Skydance execs wanted to change things. Scott Rubin had final cut and sided with Garland.

 

"This film is too smart," says the producers of Life, Terminator Genisys, Geostorm, G.I. Joe 2, and Baywatch.

[afalconer7]

Also, this is the first movie to truly scare me  

since possibly the last couple of years so bravo to everyone involved.

[somebody85]

25 minutes ago, afalconer7 said:

It’s better than Black Panther. 9/10

Definitely a lot more thought provoking and stays with you a lot longer. Black Panther was fun for what it was but it's not something you can really gain a lot more from with rewatches that you didn't catch the first time (outside of like maybe really small details). The story is pretty straight forward.

But a lot of people obviously want that.

[Valonqar]

This was not good, sorry. Awfully derivative of Body Snatchers, Ruins, Sphere, Solaris, Stalker. Once they introduced duplicates you just new how it would end 

 

it's duplicates who make it "alive" not the originals even though we were led to believe that Duplicate/Alien Lena destroyed the Shimmer while real one escaped.

 

You just knew how each character would die. Really predictable. I don't get why people think the ending was a mind-fuck. LOL, it ended exactly like any movie of the same kind ever.

[filmlover]

This was great and deserves to be mentioned alongside the likes of Arrival, Ex Machina, etc. Alex Garland is quickly establishing himself as a unique voice in the sci-fi genre. Its languid pace will likely turn off more anxious audiences but it's simultaneously thrilling and thought-provoking, and the entire design of the film (the sets, the special effects) are better than most movies made on significantly higher budgets. Leading the way is a terrific performance from Natalie Portman, her best since Black Swan. This will definitely find a very strong following when it comes out for home viewing. A-

Edited February 25, 2018 by filmlover