He wrote The Beach (novel), 28 Days Later, Sunshine before he wrote Ex Machina. I like that stuff so I'll trust him on this one. Annoyingly, I have to drive to Austin to see this.
Believe it drops on Netflix in a couple weeks too if you don't want to make the drive, but visually speaking, I would say you want to see this on the big screen.
Pretty sure it's going on Netflix overseas in a few weeks......standard theatrical run in the US......
Interesting movie. Not sure what the overall theme or message it was trying to convey for a sci-fi. Mild spoilers Spoiler Assimilation would've been a more apt title instead of Annihilation. Having the team all women meant nothing, thought that should've been incorporated somehow. The paramedic as a member seemed pointless among a team of scientists. If they needed a medic, they could've made her an army medic considering all of them except Natalie Portman appeared untrained soldiers.
The fauna and flora aspect of this is off the charts - felt similarly when I walked and saw Avatar the first time
Saw this with dude friend tonight and thought it was really incredible. To me, that's really good sci-fi. Kept you thinking and pretty tense throughout. The creepy factor and unease of it all is just a fantastic achievement. Cast just kills it. Director can do no wrong in my book at this point. Will just be giving him money whenever he brings something to the screen.
Here is my take... Spoiler So probably a little late to this thread.... The movie is about cancer and self-destruction (which cancer could be construed as a version of self-destruction). I think the all women crew was because cancer hits women the hardest as breast cancer is one of the most common forms. The paramedic may have been there with the scientists because it shows cancer knows no socio-economic boundaries. The main character went into the shimmer (suicide mission) out of guilt for having an affair on her husband and affairs can be seen as a cancer on a relationship. In addition, her husband volunteered for the suicide mission because he knew she was having the affair and that was an honorable out for him as someone still in love with his wife. It also went on to describe how different people face cancer (some want to fight it, some want to confront it, some want to accept it). In the end if you survive cancer you are a changed person and, even if it is in remission, it is always still there which is what I think they were trying to portray with that ending. It's got the sci-fi vibe that they are actual aliens who've taken over their hosts but you could say the same thing about cancer being an alien that invades and takes over and, in many cases, annihilates their hosts. Some of this I got from reviews, some with talking about it with friends afterwards, some from just speculation. So while I thought the actual movie was just ok, the fact that it made me think about it in order to understand it makes it a bit better.
My take Spoiler I didn't think there had to be an overarching point. I loved that it kept raising its mental ante throughout the movie, or that's how it worked for me. That 3rd act, in the lighthouse, was really brave for film-making. I could see somepeople taking it as corny or overly thematic (for instance, the cancer theme is definitely there throughout, including the black, growing walls of the lighthouse basement; the duplicate Portman figure is basically like a cancer cell springing from the original organism and mimicking it uncontrollably, etc.) By the way, I thought it was all women b/c they had tried so many expeditions with men. (shrug) More than anything, I loved all the imaginative prismatic DNA stuff. Lots of great detail in the film on that level. And the idea that the characters are all coping with ongoing changes is definitely metaphoric for real life. In some ways, the shimmer was just magnifying and accelerating the reality that we're always changing and dying, even though our minds keep this handy illusion that we are stable individuals. If I have complaints: it was a little slow in the 2nd act. Even though I loved the creepy tone of that act. the monsters were a tad silly, especially the mega-gator. LOL. One phosphorous grenade ended the whole alien presence and shimmer? Okay I guess? But in terms of achieving something truly different, unnerving, and original, I give this movie incredibly high marks. Might go see it again while it's on the big screen. By the way, this is Jennifer Jason Leigh's best work. Just a Marlon Brando type ass kicking.
I'm glad I saw the 3rd act on the big screen TBH and that I took in the soundtrack in the theater as well. FWIW.
I’d still give up a Rockets 3peat for one night with Natalie Portman. She’s always been my numero uno celebrity.
Just saw it, very, very good. Imagery was excellent, Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac were phenomenal. Need some clarication in regards to the ending.. Spoiler Did the alien husband hug Portman because she wasn’t human anymore either? Hence him asking her if she was Lena and her not replying?
