I was absolutely riveted watching this science-fiction movie, and it's very gripping plot. Some people might find the pacing to be a bit slow, but I myself was extremely hooked. There's a general mystery that needs to be uncovered here, and it is the driving force to see this story through. There may be some complicated jargon and dense concepts all over the place that might turn you off, but the plot is actually relatively simple and easy to follow along with.
Part of what made this film's premise so fascinating is how it expertly melds the sci-fi elements with the visuals. Speaking of which, while this isn't technically a horror film, there were some terrifying visuals to be seen. Some scenes made me queasy to watch, while some just simply made my skin crawl. Unnerving is one word to describe this movie, and if the story isn't enough, the visuals definitely helps with that.
Natalie Portman is as good as expected. While there is some dramatic range for her to play with, she's oh so very serious here. The movie itself has the tone of tense seriousness, with hardly a spark of levity at all. That's another thing that some people might not like, but the subject matter presented here doesn't really welcome jokes and lightheartedness. After certain scenes, you're going to want to be able to laugh it off, but this movie doesn't want to give you that reprieve.
"Annihilation" is a great addition to the science-fiction movie genre. The sheer ideas and creativity found here is laudable. It makes me want to read the book series now. If that was writer/director Alex Garland's intentions, then congratulations! I would like to see more of this in a movie format though....
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