Annihilation (2018)

[Judderman]

This looks potentially a very good sci-fi film due in February. Something like a cross between an Aliens movie (scary Aliens) and Arrival (trying to understand unknown Aliens). Starring Natalie Portman with an assault rifle.

It is based on a Novel that won the Nebula award for Best Novel in 2015. Book 1 of a trilogy.

 

[zaltys13]

Looking forward to this, I loved the books and Alex Garland has a good track record.

 

[BAYLOR]

That film looks absolutely frightening . I want to see it !

 

[REBerg]

Another look

 

[Judderman]

I finally got around to watching this. It started well and had great visuals. It wasn't quite the excellence I hoped for but worth a watch.

 

[Rodders]

It’s on my “To Watch”pile.

 

[HanaBi]

I might get round to watching this over the weekend - the general consensus with the critics is mostly positive;and Natalie Portman is always good value.

 

[Justin Swanton]

Like other SF fare I remember: the plot theme tries to be profound by being incomprehensible: what is the alien entity/energy/thingie? What is it trying to do? Dunno. How profound...

 

[Judderman]

Yeah the film is a bit of a victim of saying nothing substantial. But plenty to theorise on what the aliens want. We have to gloss over how exactly they are powering their efforts.

 

[Toby Frost]

I agree. I thought the tone was a bit all over the place, and it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a thoughtful SF film or a horror movie. Likewise Oscar Isaac's character seemed to just do whatever the script needed that scene. The relationship between him and Nathalie Portman's character wasn't very convincing. There was a sense of numbness about the whole thing.

That said, some of the ideas were very strong, and I thought the away team were all good. It was an interesting idea with good visuals, but it didn't come together very well for me.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Coming to this a bit late, but I saw the movie a month ago and I'm just finishing off the first book that it is based on. Although it's clear the movie does change a fair bit of the novel, actually:

The relationship between him and Nathalie Portman's character wasn't very convincing. There was a sense of numbness about the whole thing.

I think they get that pretty well spot on from the book and what is happening. Or at least what we think might be happening. And I do think the overall tone of the movie does feel as if it did come from the novel.

Yes, the movie had to simplify and explain a great deal, or at least attempt an explanation that film story could use, otherwise it would have been pretty much mystifying to the general public. And there are definitely horror setpieces...which there are in the book, that should be much more extreme, but they take place away from the PoV of the protagonist so we just see the aftermath of what she finds. (At least so far, still got a quarter of the book to finish!)

Right now I'd say, very Roadside Picnic crossed with Lost.

And with that comparison I probably have scared away loads of people from trying the book or the film

I am enjoying the book better, but after watching the film I find it helps the atmosphere as I read.

 

[Daysman]

The book is on my next to read pile - greatly enjoyed the movie adaptation

 

[Star-child]

I liked both, but felt they had a very different focus. In some ways, the film was a more unique experience than the book. The film also makes more out of the supporting characters than the book did, while the elements left out didn't seem that important.

 

[BAYLOR]

I enjoyed the films and found it to be to more then a bit unsetting, The mutated animals , The two Deer with flowers growing out of their antlers , The Albino Alligator with with shark teeth, the mutated bear that could mimic human vocalizations , The different species of Flowers growing together in the same plants. The groups of flowering plant that mimicked the human shapes and the unsettling possibility that might have once been human beings. The horrifying horn sounding music emitted whatever the controlling intelligence was at the heart of the Shimmer. And the ladies the team all of being uncertain of each other and themselves as people . Are they real real or copies created by the shimmer?

Then there's the Shimmer itself. and it brings to mind H P Lovecraft's story The Color of Space.

 

[olive]

I have read somewhere that this movie is a telling of what depression is and I liked it more. It makes sense to me.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Shimmer corrupts and destroys everyone and everything living that it touches . I don't think the entity itself at the heart of the shimmer . has any real conscious awareness of what it's doing and causing. At least , that's the impression that I got.

 

[BAYLOR]

Id like to see a sequel to this one.