Annihalation - Pretty but pointless

What frustrates me the most about this film is how much I genuinely want to like it. It has one of my favorite actresses, stars a predominantly female cast, was written and directed by a talented filmmaker Alex Garland (more on him in a minute), has gorgeous imagery, and attempts to explore and comment on deep and profound aspects of the human condition. In particular, the effects of self-destruction. And yet, despite how much this film tries to accomplish that goal, the only lasting impression I took from this film, was that Alex Garland does not know how to write women characters.

Based on the book of the same title by Jeff VanderMeer, the story follows former soldier turned biologist named Lena (Natalie Portman) whose husband, an active soldier named Kane (Oscar Isaac) suddenly returns after missing for a year. Upon his return, he appears to be terminally ill from an unknown condition. It turns out that Kane is the last survivor of an expedition into a phenomenon referred to as Area X, a.k.a. The Shimmer. An expanding ora of a rainbow colored energy per the results of a meteorite crash. To determine the nature of The Shimmer, and hopefully determine the cause of her husband's illness so she may save him, Lena, along with a handful of other women in various intellectual fields, enter The Shimmer intent on finding the source. Once inside, they see that nature is being completely rewritten in strange, beautiful, and unnerving ways. The very foundation of life itself is being altered and turned into something new, right down to the DNA. Causing our band of strangers to question their reality as well as their own existence.

This would be a fascinating and weighty science fiction tale that I might have loved were it not for three main problems. The first problem is the characters. While I am delighted to see another major studio release film with a cast of mostly women, I am disheartened by the fact that their characters are just awful. This also extends to the male characters. Every character in this story is representative of some form of self-destruction. As such their motivations are proven to be dull and uninteresting because, in some way, they all want to die. So they seem to take this "suicide mission" as an opportunity to accomplish said stolid goal.

The second main problem is the framing device. The story is told in two main sections: The first being the event itself, and the latter being Lena under interrogation after the fact. This same framing device has been utilized well in other films like The Usual Suspects, but it is horribly used in this film. Mostly because the film begins with the framing device where Lena flat out says who lives and who dies. Diminishing any sense of tension in the movie. This narrative ploy only works in specific situations, and it just does not work here at all.

The third main problem is Alex Garland. This guy made his writing/directing debut with Ex Machina, which was an intelligent, thoughtful, artfully crafted film, and I very much loved it. It explored the ideas of A.I., and it commented on the objectification of women. However, it seems that Alex Garland is under the impression that all women are robots. Nothing in his script allows the characters to be human or even relatable. Also, when he's not boring you with lame characters, he's bombarding you with overly ambiguous looks at philosophical discussions about nature, identity, change, and life itself. Continually raising questions that he never provides any answers for. It's like he couldn't decide on a single theme, so he tried to accommodate a lot of them hoping that if he puts enough stuff on the wall, at least one of them will stick.

It may also be worth mentioning that this is an adaptation of the first book in a trilogy and, apparently, Alex Garland only read the first book. Therefore, there is a good chance that a lot of the unanswered questions are actually answered in the next sequential story. So, is Alex Garland expecting to make the entire trilogy? I hope not.

On the plus side, Natalie Portman is still a significant presence on screen despite not being given much to work with, the cinematography is truly delightful with its use of color and lighting, the special effects are just about flawless, and the design for the world within The Shimmer is both beautiful and eerie. The visuals and design of the film remind me of some of the better science fiction films from the 1970s, so at least Alex Garland is taking some inspiration from the right places.

This might have been an unusual, unique, and worthy offering to the realm of smart science fiction, but it's sadly bogged down with too many narrative issues and uncompelling characters that don't even make the pretty visuals worth admiring. I am very disappointed in this film and in Alex Garland. I genuinely hope that he learns from this experience and that we see better movies from him in the future. Still, if you're the least bit curious about this one, I suggest waiting for the video.

Is this movie worth seeing?
Maybe.

Is it worth seeing in Theaters?
No.

Why?
While I personally didn't get much out of this experience, there is still a chance that you might get something different out of it. Again, wait for video.

Ladies & gentelmen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.