Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3.5/4
"Annihilation" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 08/09/2018
A special forces soldier who was assumed K.I.A. reappears with no memory of where he has been since entering a mysterious zone of extraterrestrial origins from which nobody had previously returned.
Alex Garland’s follow up to his acclaimed debut Ex Machina has a similar formula of low key, old school cerebral science fiction that is refreshingly different to the incessant fast cuts and pyrotechnics of the modern blockbuster. Slightly reminiscent of Gareth Edwards’ debut Monsters because of the forest setting, road movie format and beautifully artful visuals, the story is of the “explorers investigate unexplained anomaly” variety that will be familiar to fans of Star Trek. There is also something of a horror twist concerning a theme of the corruption of the flesh – a …
Rating of
3/4
I'm becoming a Netflix Originals fanboy.
ikkegoemikke - wrote on 04/20/2018
“Blackwater National Park reported that a lighthouse was surrounded by something they termed “a shimmer.”
One of the wardens went in to investigate.
Never returned.”
Let me get right to the point. “Annihilation” isn’t exactly an easy SF. This horrifying SciFi can join the group of “the more intellectual looking SF films” where “Arrival” can be found as well. The more subtle form of SF, where you wonder all the time what is actually going on (just like the protagonists in this movie). And in the end you still have a lot of questions. In terms of imaging, it looks like “Predator” mixed with influences from “Invasion of the body snatchers“. And it all takes place in a giant soap bubble. One moment the group of five women stumble through a jungle where they …
Rating of
3/4
Refractions of Life in the Smart Sci Fi Genre
cacb3995 - wrote on 03/15/2018
In recent years we’ve seen the rise in a tendency that has come to be known as “smart science fiction”. Movies like “Arrival”, “Interstellar”, “Looper”, “Ex Machina”, even “Mad Max: Fury Road” are clearly genre pieces, but they seem to rely heavier on the ideas they are portraying rather than the high-concept eye-candy that is characteristical to the genre. Whether these films are truly smart or not is up for debate, but the tendency is clear. Alex Garland, director of one of the aforementioned films, namely “Ex Machina”, is back this year with another project that fits this mould. Boasting great visuals, a thought provoking story and a strong central performance by Natalie Portman, Annihilation rises as an early candidate for one of the year’s …
Rating of
3/4
One Trippy Science Fiction Film
MovieMike - wrote on 02/27/2018
I had a rough idea of what to expect going into this, but it turned out to be more (mentally) challenging and enjoyable than I could have imagined. Without a doubt, Natalie Portman carries this film. Coming from Alex Garland ('Ex Machina', 2014), I knew this wasn't going to be some special effects/CGI shoot 'em up laden offering. If anything, I think it was very restrained in all of the possibilities that could have filled up more than the nearly 2 hour running time of this movie.
'Annihilation' is centered around a astronomical event that sees an object that impacts the Earth and results in a inexplicable and dangerous environment named Area-X. As the story unfolds, a sparse group of main characters, that includes Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, and Tuva Novotny, is …
