Film Studies Enrolment Task - Personal Response

Annihilation is a 2018 sci-fi horror film that was directed by Alex Garland, the director of Ex-Machina. As an adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s ‘Southern Reach’ trilogy, the film follows biologist Lena, who is played by Natalie Portman, as she signs up for a dangerous and secretive government expedition into a mysterious area called ‘The Shimmer’.

One of the reasons why I have chosen this film to be my favourite of 2018 so far is due to its unique approach to the sci-fi genre. The film introduces a surreal and dreamlike world to the audience that is as beautiful as it is horrifying; strange and scientifically impossible mutations are shown on both the flora and fauna as the expedition team journey deeper into the forests inside The Shimmer: crocodiles with multiple rows of teeth like a shark, deer with flowers growing from their antlers, and most notably a horribly mutated bear that mimics the screams of people that it has killed to lure the team closer. All of which are created using high quality CGI which works seamlessly to capture and mesmerise the audience as the mutations we see become increasingly more complex and difficult to comprehend.

The film begins with Lena, who is visibly bruised and scratched, sitting in a chair inside of a cleanroom whilst a group of scientists, all wearing hazmat suits but her, observe her being questioned and interrogated about her time inside The Shimmer from the other side of the glass. Lena appears confused and dazed, unable to recall any substantial amount of information or answer most of the questions. From her vague and brief answers, we learn that multiple of her peers died inside The Shimmer, whilst the others she simply didn’t know the whereabouts of. This opening scene draws the audience in immediately and sets the tone of confusion and mystery for the rest of the film.

Later, once the team is inside The Shimmer, the audience is further acquainted with each of the members of the all-female expedition team, learning each of the characters motives for volunteering for a seemingly suicidal mission. The audience discovers that each of the women on the team has experienced a loss or hardship of one kind or another, meaning that their lives have little meaning outside The Shimmer, through a dialogue between Lena and Cass as they are all described as ‘damaged goods’. Anya is a recovering alcoholic, Josie self-harms and battles with depression, Cass lost a daughter to leukaemia, Lena’s husband was killed in the army, and Dr. Ventress, the team leader who throughout the film has appeared as distant and abrasive, has no family, friends or loved ones to hear of. This interaction endears the audience to each of the characters whilst adding depth to each person and suggesting that they all have nothing to lose; making the film all the more thrilling and unpredictable.

Annihilation is gripping from start to finish, getting darker and more gruesome as the plot thickens and becomes increasingly eventful. Once Lena reaches the lighthouse, the film reaches the climax of its action and mystery, the mutations and strange happenings inside The Shimmer are explained to a certain degree, however the abstract and poignant ending of the film is executed brilliantly; leaving the audience entranced and as dazed as Lena is at the beginning of the film as we try to piece together our own interpretation and understanding of the story’s conclusion. Overall, Annihilation is thoroughly enjoyable for its story, tone and production quality and I would recommend it to any fan of the sci-fi or horror genre, I look forward to Alex Garland’s future work and similar films to come.