Annihilation (2018)

dp

Watched it with the missus and we enjoyed it. Was pretty slow and intense which I quite like. Some aspects of the plot were a bit of a mess especially the end sequences but overall I am happy I watched it.

Another example of it being kinda-ok to cheat on your husband if he works a lot of hours and is away from the house for a week or two at a time. Portman gets that bbc, but kinda feels bad about it, so no biggie right gals.

think if they had started out with some type of high tech hazmat gear and lost it when they lost the 4 days or whatever
would have let me enjoy it much better

This movie started out fine then it totally went to shit. What a waste.

Late to the party but finally saw it.
What an uncomfortable movie. It makes you feel like shit and unease, but....those are the kind of movies I really appreciate. Movies that make you think about the subject, even hours after you saw it.
Although, I found the movie kinda rushed. There was no slow build up like Alien. Don't know if it's the director's or author's fault.
One question: was Lena an alien at the end?

8/10

It's mentioned throughout the movie that the shimmer alters DNA and so it's easily assumed that she has changed in some way.

ohkcrlho said:

Late to the party but finally saw it.
What an uncomfortable movie. It makes you feel like shit and unease, but....those are the kind of movies I really appreciate. Movies that make you think about the subject, even hours after you saw it.
Although, I found the movie kinda rushed. There was no slow build up like Alien. Don't know if it's the director's or author's fault.
One question: was Lena an alien at the end?

8/10

Click to expand...

There is no rush in the book...It is the very definition of a slow build up.

Kuriin said:

It's mentioned throughout the movie that the shimmer alters DNA and so it's easily assumed that she has changed in some way.

Click to expand...

I believe she has an arm tattoo one of the other women had with all the prisming of stuff from people to animals and plants and back and forth assume nothing that came out of the shimmer is actually still human and kill it with fire asap.

Came here to post my review absent any viewing of this thread.

In summary the whole thing felt like wasted potential to me. The core story of the "shimmer" had huge potential, but a slow story, poor casting, and a ton of unanswered questions left me scratching my head and saying "that's it?" at the end.

First off, the all female cast simply felt hamfisted and dumb. Portman is a serviceable actress, but she's totally unconvincing as some badass marine doctor. The whole Team Girl thing made no sense, justified only by "all the previous teams were male".

What fucking purpose did Portman's relationship with the black dude serve in regards to the story?

No background or lore regarding wtf the shimmer is, where it came from, or what it's intended purpose is just leaves a gaping plot hole for me. It's obviously some sort of alien entity, but beyond that you get no info.

6/10, mainly because of the killer alligator and bear scenes.

Frenzied Wombat said:

What fucking purpose did Portman's relationship with the black dude serve in regards to the story?

Click to expand...

I believe it was stated by the psychologist when Lena walked down to talk with her during the first night shift. Self-destruction. Lena (Portman) had everything made, good career, solid husband, house, etc., but as humans we crave disruption at a sub-conscious level, and despite all she had going for her, she acted on impulse to satiate that illogical desire for disruption. The whole premise of the movie is 'Annihilation', or at a human level; self-destruction and the process of creating something new.

As far as the all female cast? It does seem possibly hamfisted, but didn't bother me. Portman and Tessa Thompson are enough for me to watch.

Might have bothered me more if they were a group of Mary Sues and ended with a female empowerment vibe, but it went about how you'd expect an all female team to go.