Annihilation March 25, 2018
If you have drugs use them before seeing this movie. The movie is
mind bending in plot and visuals. There is this structure called the “Shimmer” which
covers an area of land with a lighthouse as its focal point. The Shimmer is
like a bowl of cosmic jello. Time, physics and biology are warped. Different species
are cross fertilized making fantastical creatures (this is when your drugs should
kick in). Some creatures are beautiful others are horrible.
Natalie Portman is a cell biologist and a former army solider. She
wants to find out what happened to her husband and she joins a band of female soldiers
who enter the Shimmer. As demure as Portman seems she is a dual citizen with Israel
and served in the Israeli army, so she knows how to handle a gun. The others
were Jennifer Jason Leigh, who was nearly unrecognizable, Gina Rodriguez (plumped
out) and Oscar Isaac. Isaac plays the husband Kane and for most of the movie he
is a dazed suffering the effects of the Shimmer. Jennifer Jason Leigh is a psychologist who leads the group and slowly
losses her mind as do the others.
This is not a movie great acting film. For a good portion of the
movie everyone is terrified and shooting at things. Portman plays her role well,
but no awards are in sight. All the parts taken together make the movie worth
seeing. It is a combination of Sci-Fi and horror. The script, the acting and
creatures all combine for a sold suspenseful story. It holds your interest because
you cannot guess what is coming next. There as some parts where you should
close your eyes. The Shimmer reveals it purpose towards the end of the movie, but
it is very subtle. The Sci-Fi geeks will catch on.
