Annihilation (2018)

[Joel M]

The main theme(s) is definately obvious to the point that it's spelled in the dialogue multiple times, which was also the case for Ex-Machina but that movie had more interesting characters that felt real, here everyone feels like a stand-in for philosophical musings and little else. All the actresses are doing their best especially Portman with a pretty thin character but it never connected with me. But I don't think it's bad, it builds atmosphere and have some really gripping sequences  (the Bear, the Lighthouse) and the post apocalyptic look inside the Shimmer definately gave a Last of Us vibe, and I'm saying this as a positive.

 

For sure it doesn't lack ambition which is a big plus in and of itself, but in the end it felt to me more like an admirable mess than a movie with a coherent vision. I would still recommend it to any sci-fi fan though.

Edited April 7, 2018 by Joel M

[Daxtreme]

This was a movie with good performances and lots of interesting ideas (and a great change of pace for me lately), but I feel like it still lacked a bit of thematic depth and went for cheap thrills during the midsection when it could have went for other, more fulfilling/original developments.

 

Still, some lovely imagery and artistry on display here. Definitely recommended for Sci-fi/mind-benders fans!

 

B

[Blankments]

Annihilation is remarkable in how disappointing it is. It features terrible dialogue, a dull first eighty-minutes, and a true lack of strong visual identity. The much talked about final twenty minutes are indeed incredible, but they almost seem out of a totally different movie. Finally the film stops telling us what to think and just presents something bizarre that we must come to our conclusions on it. This is too late though, because by this point, it’s hard to care about anything that happens.

 

On the technical side, the music fluctuates from good to feeling like a discount version of other similar scores, and the cinematography is average until those final twenty minutes. Garland’s direction falls in a similar spot, not being able to find any tension in a film that should be much more horror than the meandering mess it is. Leigh is the only actor who makes an impression, wasting a very strong ensemble in nothing roles, or, in Portman’s case, a role that has barely anything to it. Annihilation’s final act is incredible filmmaking, but everything that precedes it negates its power thanks to the cliché boredom of a generic sci-fi thriller with paper-thin characters and obvious themes. This isn’t a good movie. D+

[Avatree]

17 hours ago, Blankments said:

Annihilation is remarkable in how disappointing it is. It features terrible dialogue, a dull first eighty-minutes, and a true lack of strong visual identity. The much talked about final twenty minutes are indeed incredible, but they almost seem out of a totally different movie. Finally the film stops telling us what to think and just presents something bizarre that we must come to our conclusions on it. This is too late though, because by this point, it’s hard to care about anything that happens.

 

On the technical side, the music fluctuates from good to feeling like a discount version of other similar scores, and the cinematography is average until those final twenty minutes. Garland’s direction falls in a similar spot, not being able to find any tension in a film that should be much more horror than the meandering mess it is. Leigh is the only actor who makes an impression, wasting a very strong ensemble in nothing roles, or, in Portman’s case, a role that has barely anything to it. Annihilation’s final act is incredible filmmaking, but everything that precedes it negates its power thanks to the cliché boredom of a generic sci-fi thriller with paper-thin characters and obvious themes. This isn’t a good movie. D+

ya this film was super dull and pointless. I liked some of the imagery tho and the bear was cool