Annihilation Review

"I think you're confusing suicide with self-destruction. Almost none of us commit suicide, and almost all of us self-destruct. In some way, in some part of our lives. We drink, or we smoke, we destabilize the good job... and a happy marriage. But these aren't decisions, they're... they're impulses."

Let’s talk about one of the most underrated cosmic horror movies I’ve ever seen. Annihilation, originally a book series by Jeff Vandermeer, follows an all-woman expedition team tasked with going into Area X, or the ‘Shimmer’ in the movie adaptation- a mysterious unknown force that has begun to change and mutate the geographical area it comes into contact with and all biological life contained within. 

The Biologist (Lena - portrayed by Natalie Portman in the film) asks to join the team to find her husband, who went into the shimmer before her with a different expedition team. The team embarks on their journey with a key piece of knowledge - There are many teams who have gone in beforehand, and none have returned. There is a theory- People who go into 'The Shimmer' get killed by something, or they lose their minds and kill each other.

As the team makes their way into the former national forest, something is not quite right - electronics no longer work, they have been traveling for days in a trance without realization, their fingerprints begin to swirl, and the wild life has begun to take new forms. 

I wonder what will happen.

I am an absolute SUCKER for mysticism, body horror, and cosmic horror, so of course this movie is right up my alley. From a visual and technical standpoint, it looks beautiful. Practical effects mixed with CG really invoke a creepiness this movie thrives on.

I specifically want to talk about the bear, which to me is one of the best monsters I’ve seen from a movie in a long time- and it’s partially PRACTICAL! Because of the nature of the Shimmer, this bear has been spliced with human DNA (it ate a person’s throat). So not only does it have a human skull growing out of its own, it roars by screaming the death screams of the person it killed and ate. 

Absolute chills. Watch for yourself to see what I’m talking about.

The movie does an excellent job with showing the beauty within falling apart. Everything within the prism is physically corrupting, but it looks stunning and unthreatening. The group of women are mentally falling apart, and their self-destructive behavior is apparent with the 1:1 moments between each of the group members and Lena. 

The loss of a child, a terminal illness, a recovering drug addict, infidelity, escapism - It becomes obvious as the movie progresses that the team wanted this as a form of suicide.

I was very lucky. I was able to see this movie in theaters when it first came out - and in my opinion it is one that truly flourishes on the big screen. The last 20 minutes was a spectacle. A masterpiece where no words are said, and it is all communicated by the tantalizing off-putting score and body language. 

A final showdown like nothing I have ever seen. A human face to face with an alien life force that is unknowable. The closest thing I can think to relate it to is a primitive amoeba that is replicating at an astounding rate. 

The choreography of the “fight” comes off as more of an aggressive dance. Both life forms tip toeing around each other, with the alien mimicking the movements of the other - until it becomes defensive or offensive. 

If you haven’t seen it already, please go watch it!

An afterward by Devin: 

The movie “Annihilation” is fabulous. However, with the exception of the end of the theatrical release, I would recommend reading the book series by Jeff Vandermeer for more context on the universe and what’s actually going on with both Area X and the Southern Reach project.

The movie, much like most feature films, touches on the themes of the source material from which it is derived, but it by no means tells a complete story in that context. So you find yourself with a visually and auditorily stunning film with a very shallow plot and simple themes. A lot is never explained or is explained briefly.

The book trilogy, which consists of three books (Annihilation,  Authority, and Acceptance), goes deep on both the motivations of the primary antagonist and the power struggle at the Southern Reach between the Director (The Psychologist from the movie, it’s revealed later that she was the director and was replaced by a man named Control) and the rest of the organization. In addition, the books go very far in their description of Area X.

One example is the lighthouse. In the book, the all-female party of explorers makes it there, and they discover words written on the walls in ink made of living organisms. Natalie Portman’s character, The Biologist, survives Area X and is replaced by a replicant. It’s too much to detail here, but my advice is to watch the movie for the phenomenal work that the visual designers and sound crew did, and read the trilogy for the actual story.

What else would you like to see me review? Let me know in the comments down below! :) 

Devin is my husband, and runs Devils Milk’s sister company Grim Comix! Go check it out here.