Annihilation

Spoilers follow!

Out of all the reviews I've done so far, this one has been the hardest. I left the theater in a bit of a daze, trying to determine whether I enjoyed the movie, or if the questions I was left with were too much and too many.

Annihilation is about a biologist (Natalie Portman) that is brought in (not by choice) to a secret expedition located at Area X. All that is known about Area X is that some miraculous event occurred at a lighthouse creating what they refer to now as the Shimmer. The Shimmer is like a force field that is slowly growing larger, and is threatening to reach civilization. Every expedition that has been sent into the Shimmer ends up with no survivors and no answers. Until Natalie Portman's husband escapes the Shimmer in need of serious medical help. The answers to his survival, however, are inside the Shimmer, and only a biologist/ex-army soldier can find the answers.

Lena (Natalie Portman) enters the Shimmer with four other women by her side: a geologist, a physicist, a paramedic, and a psychologist who also happens to be the woman that has chosen all the past soldiers and scientists to enter the Shimmer. We come to learn that each of the women has gone into the Shimmer with their own "baggage." The physicist wears long sleeves because she has cut herself in the past, and she cut herself in the hopes of feeling more alive. The paramedic used to use drugs and fears losing her sanity and herself. It is not until the end of the movie that I realized how the Shimmer fed off of the baggage these women came with. The title "Annihilation," comes from the Shimmer's ability to annihilate everything that enters into it simply by making them come up against their fears and their hopes. The paramedic goes crazy, and the physicist finally feels alive and at peace which allows the Shimmer to take her completely.

There is a lot of science in this movie. You will see cells breaking apart and mutating under a microscope, and you will hear terms such as human HOX genes and refraction. Now, I have a background in science, so I was able to follow along with a lot of the explanations about the Shimmer. If you do not understand science, you could find this movie harder to follow. The physicist figures out that the Shimmer is a prism, meaning it refracts everything that is inside of it. Because of this, no cell is safe, and as we all should know, humans and all organisms are made up of cells. In other words, DNA begins to rewrite itself inside this prism and mutations in people and all the flora and fauna are common. (If I've lost you already, I think it is safe to say Annihilation is not the movie for you. If you're still with me, let's continue.)

Overall, I think I did enjoy Annihilation. While I was left with a lot of questions, I am continuing to piece the answers together today, and I saw the movie over 24 hours ago. Annihilation has kept me thinking and it has kept me wishing for more answers. Does it bother me that I still have questions? Yes, it does, but isn't that also a good sign for the movie? Alex Garland (the director of Annihilation) and all the crew that was involved have created a masterpiece that was not only beautiful to watch, but has left me wanting more. I may have to go see this one a second time, and who knows, maybe all my answers will be answered the second time around.