Annihilation

It doesn't appear to be up in America yet.

 

It's in theatres in America so no Netflix, at least for now.

 

This is part of the release "strategy" for this picture. There is no theatrical release in Europe. It went straight to Netflix there. I posted a link about that earlier in the thread. Here it is again:

‘Annihilation’ on Netflix: Moviegoers Need to Take Responsibility For Paramount’s Controversial Deal

 

I just came back from its last showing at my local Cineplex and I really enjoyed it. I did not have a problem with the pacing or flashbacks and flash-forwards. I suspect if you read most of your sci-fi, you'll like this. I haven't read the books it's based on, but it did feel like the New Wave science fiction of Ballard, Aldiss, etc., with some late period Arthur Clarke.

But if you mostly get your SF fix on the AV system, you might find it slow. ALIENS or ROAD WARRIOR, this isn't.Your feelings about ARRIVAL are probably a good analogue.

The movie is about the giant mystery of "The Shimmer," so discussing it without spoilers is almost impossible . . .

 

Spoilers for those who haven't seen it........do you think this film is like the Usual Suspects then and we can't take anything that happens in the 'zone' as truth as the alien that has replaced Portman can be just making it all up?

 

After it looked as if the film might do well, Paramount and Skydancer sold it as a streaming film just like with Clovefield 3. It’s unfortunate because, with the right promotional campaign (rather than the lack of support it got in the U.S, and if sold correctly, it could have done well like Ex Machina. It only cost around $40 million.

The good news is I might make its money back based on the streaming/theatrical/home video market. The bad news is that it means some studios won’t take a risk with some films and put a bit of effort behind difficult to sell products.

 

Sorry the spoiler wasn’t my intention. It kind of slipped out. To answer your question

Spoiler

yes, I would have to go back and watch it but there were hints early on that she was the unreliable narrator including the interrogation where she couldn’t remember things and, like her “husband”, it gradually came back to her as the memories solidified. There,was some stuff that you could dismiss but you’ll notice there were also visual hints as well like they framed the shot with the water glass causing the same visual effect and distortion as the barrier of the area they went into. That same shot was only used with her “husband”from the same angle as well. /SPOILER]

 

Spoiler

part of that was because we had an unreliable narrator from the very beginning of the film and the story was suspect. The other part was, as you mentioned, I’d that the encounter was beyond the comprehension of humanity and it was portrayed in such a way because it was beyond oour experience.

 

Spoiler

Yes it was cool but I think that she had completely transformed and wasn’t distinguishable from the foliage any longer. The whole point though was to add mystery to it-she literally disappeared in a sense before our eyes.

 

I really wanted to see this, it it was in and out of my local theaters before I got a chance. I guess I now have to wait for on-demand.

John K.

 

Agreed.
Rest of movie didn't do anything for me.
Arrival was better, and I did't like that one either.

 

Saw it tonight and enjoyed it for the most part. There are some problems for sure -- some stiff early scenes, some flat dialogue, shallow characterization -- but the central idea is very compelling and the last 20 minutes or so are excellent. Sound design and music are also quite good. Not as effective a film as Ex Machina but if you like science fiction for the ideas this will be your cup of tea. I kept thinking of Ballard's The Crystal World as I watched this. A shame it got dumped by the studio.

 

I’m glad someone else saw that. This movie is like 2001 Aliens and Starman versus pseudo-Ghostbusters in a Chernobyl Apocalypse Now.

As for the ending, I think

Spoiler

he answered “I don’t know” because his personal evolution was complete and he doesn’t know because he doesn’t posses that actual information, and she didn’t reply because she isn’t sure but fears she soon won’t be herself since her evolution is not yet complete.

I disagree that she is an unreliable narrator.

 

Yes, very Ballard.

 

one of the creepiest movies I can remember and not that great, about a C grade from me.

it strived to be different but, so what? nothing profound or thought provoking imo

Some really like it though...

 

I really like the discussion here of the character dynamics and ending of ANNIHILATION. I saw and enjoyed it and it gave me even more to think about. It's a TRAVESTY that this sci-fi excellent movie was buried as it was and didn't get more time to develop word of mouth. I had to jump through hoops to see it at my local Cinemark. Where it played for less than 2 weeks and they moved the limited times around every day. While note that no-thought-required movies like JUMANJI and THE GREATEST SHOWMAN are STILL playing here 2 full months here after their premiere.

 

I though it was 3/4 Stalker and 1/4 Solaris in tone and ideas.

 

I went out of my way last night to see Annihilation in its final metro-area showing. I'm glad I made the effort, as I don't know if it will show up in a second run at the discount theater. A big screen is the optimal way to experience it, I think.

Because we mostly watch hard-drive projections at the multiplex nowadays, I wonder how a real film print of Annihilation would look? I'm sure the color and contrast would be vastly different.

The movie itself will stay in my brain for a while. There wasn't a single moment when I wasn't glued to the screen and speakers to take in everything. I still need to make some mental connections, though, among certain plot areas. Once most people have seen the film, I'd love to discuss them to get some fresh viewpoints.

 

I saw it last week and just couldn't connect with it. I'm a pretty big sci-fi fan and - based on reviews - was really looking forward to it. But it didn't do anything for me. It just seemed another one in the somber-tone films like Arrival.

 

Excellent , this is how SF should be.

 

Spoiler

I think that it was perfectly clear that it was the alien that was tricked by Lena into holding the phospherous grenade. It had no idea what it was and simply observed it and passed it on to the other organisms, unwhittingly destroyed the core, which in turn destroyed the whole eco-system/infection.
What seemed to be an infection in the Kane clone was really its difficulty in adaptating to the environment outside of the shimmer zone. When all trace vanished (from his blood also we must assume - they would have done tests), it was assumed that he was back to normal. Unfortunately for planet Earth, an alien was now among them.
Lena was still disorientated (as she had been within the zone) hence her hesitations under interrogation. She had been infected in the zone and after the destruction of the zone and all of its hybrids, all apparent trace of her infection had gone (again, they would have done blood tests). However, the glow in her eyes tells us that she was in fact still infected. This can't have been plan by the alien force because it couldn't have predicted the phospherous grenade incident. The Kane clone was like a blank tape wandering out into the world (though with remnants of memories of Lena - hence his coming to her at the beginning). Quite similar to Ex Machina in this respect, with the humanoid escaping undetected into the real world at the end of the film.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie though the pace of the first 3/4 was sluggish.
That first 3/4 is pretty regular sci-fi mystery zone platter and is more like Predator with a female platoon.

 

That's what she says happened but we can't take anything as truth if you assume she is an unreliable narrator.

 

Well you could say she was unreliable because of the memory loss (which they all experienced as soon as they entered the zone) but she wasn't a scheming clone.

 

Right. And the whole ending sequence,

Spoiler: spoiler

where she destroys the alien with the grenade and it wipes out the entity and the shimmer, just seems too triumphant and convenient. Which is what makes the story and all she tells suspect. I'm sure some of it was true. But not certain I would take everything she said as truth, or why something happened. The "shimmer" may be gone, but that could have been its intent once it was able to release a few "infected" clone people back into the world.