Annihilation (2018) - Alex Garland

Visionary and imaginative in scope, Alex Garland's Annihilation is introspective science fiction filmmaking that is sure to engage the viewer on one level or another; a film that demands being experienced on the largest screen possible.  Transfixing in its visual acumen, Annihilation transports the viewer into another world, one that is vibrantly beautiful, yet ominous and frightening, an aesthetic which imagines a world in which the laws of nature are genetically accelerated and fragmented.  The extreme beauty in both the lightness and darkness of life itself is presented through beautiful cinematography and production design, cohesively forming an aesthetic that mimics Annihilation larger narrative and thematic assertions related to our existential search for meaning.  Thematically messy at times, Annihilation is refreshing in its unwillingness to play it safe, telling a story which blends existential assertions about life itself with a gripping science-fiction mystery, one in which horror, action, and psychedelic sensibilities are blended into a cohesive, singular vision.  Great science fiction is predicated on its ability to challenge what we know as objective reality, and Annihilation manages to do this beautifully, effectively asserting one to recognize how insignificant we are under the existential scope of life itself.  Annihilation's emotional core is messy and underdeveloped, yet the film's grander themes make it almost inconsequential, using its characters to deliver an interesting reflection on the darker, self-destructive elements of humanity through the apparatus of a alien/sci-fi story.   The mystery and intrigue about this ominous world is the driving force behind this entire story, yet in its conclusion we discover that this force known as "the shimmer" doesn't have malevolent nor benevolent intentions; it's a blank slate, like life itself, one in which humanity could never completely understand.   In its conclusion, Annihilation's lead protagonist is confronted with the realization that there are neither good nor bad guys in this story; just life itself in all its various incarnations, doing what is expected to survive.  Annihilation pontificates humanity on a existential level, a film which doesn't completely stick the landing in terms of cohesive thematic messaging sure, but one which is thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking, and singular from start to finish. Alex Garland's Annihilation is a film which will challenge many viewers whom look for purely escapism in their science fiction; it offers plenty to satisfy that need but the filmmakers want more.  It's a film you may not end up "liking" but one you probably won't regret experiencing, particularly on a big screen; as Annihilation is the type of high-concept science fiction we need.