Rent Annihilation (2018)

Zzzzzzzzzzz - Annihilation review by CP Customer

Oh, so slow and nothing much happens until the end, but by then you've guessed what it will be. Don't bother.

ponderous SF - Annihilation review by Sandy

A ponderous SF movie that blends elements of 2001, Aliens, Under the Skin, Arrival and J G Ballard at his weirdness.

A coastal strip of the USA has been hit by a strange shimmering light, that is gradually expanding. Nothing that goes in has come out to tell the tale, apart from one man who is seriously injured and appears to be infected. Natalie Portman joins a team of scientists who are sent in to explore the area - and a whole lot of weird is going on in there, which is not explained (you dear audience have to work it out yourself). But anyone who's seen one of these "team gets sent in to investigate alien weirdness" can almost predict what's going to happen next.

If you want more thrills, and haven't seen Aliens yet, then watch that on instead. If you are looking for something more chilling - and scientific - The Andromeda Strain is very good too. If you've seen both of these and enjoyed them , then this adds a little to the genre, but not an awful lot. Certainly by the time the second hour started I was starting to think, "Get on with it".

If you're new to SF, then this probably has more to offer, than someone who's seen lots of SF movies.

This does attempt metaphors for life and existence, but they are difficult to fathom and you may not care for them as the allusions are so slow and barely explained.

Fantastic - Annihilation review by Denno

I haven't written a review on this site yet, but I felt now was the time to start as I am amazed with the amount of negative reviews on this site. Reviews elsewhere have been strong amongst the paying public and especially the critics and with good reason. This is intelligent, thought provoking, superbly written and acted. I see from those who have given this one or two stars they mainly watch mainstream action movies and I can see therefore why they have scored this low. If you like intelligent, well written science fiction that push the boundaries i would recommend this highly.

Absolute drivel - Annihilation review by AB

Contrary to the film critic's view, this is not "a masterpiece" nor a "must see" - it is unadulterated drivel, with a premise of a storyline quickly disintegrating into a fairy story and psychedelic over-reliance on the viewer's observation and guesswork. As for the ending, wtf is it supposed to mean? Another of those films that only film critics rave over due to 'atmosphere' 'camera work', 'storyline' or sound-track, but especially the last of those do NOT make a film worth watching. Even the critic below does not know what is going on "What is this main event you may ask? Well, I don’t know for certain:". I do - there isn't one that is worth mentioning but it is rubbish whatever it is

Unnerving & Intelligent SciFi - Annihilation review by GI

An unnerving, compelling and very intelligent science fiction thriller adapted from a best selling novel and utilising themes from Stalker (1979) and H.P. Lovecraft's story Colour Out of Space (recently filmed in 2019 with Nicolas Cage). SciFi fans will also spot the influence of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biologist mourning her soldier husband (Oscar Isaac) who disappeared on a mission a year ago. When he suddenly turns up with no memory and rapidly falls seriously ill Lena is unprepared when they are both whisked off to a secret military controlled installation. She is told by scientist Dr Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) that he is the only person to have returned from a strange zone that has begun to form around an abandoned lighthouse after a small meteor crashed there three years earlier. Calling the zone 'The Shimmer' all attempts to study it have proved futile and it's slowly growing in size. Lena agrees to join another scientific expedition into The Shimmer to find out what happened to her husband. The team are unprepared for what they find as all the known laws of nature have been subverted inside. This is a bold, intriguing and thrilling film. There's some really original ideas at play here and some big shocks along the way. Portman is excellent as the hardened academic who is determined to discover what is happening. There's some neat effects, some horror, and the visuals are wonderful. There is a lot going on in this film but it never feels overdone or too complex, indeed this is what good scifi should be, intelligent, slightly mystifying and capable of leaving an impression. A first rate film that deserves to be checked out.

Slow paced but thought provoking - Annihilation review by AS

This is not shoot-em up sci-fi. The idea of a world within a world, "the shimmer" creates anticipation for what the film could deliver. Unfortunately the realisation of that idea is not at the level of Avatar or the early Matrix films. One or two stand out moments keep the viewer engaged but it is the final scenes that made me realise the title of the film is actually a warning. And the danger is not so much what happens in "the shimmer" but the threat posed when the alien no longer has a need for it.

Very Disappointing - Annihilation review by Other Worlds

I tried reading the book but gave up on it. Despite that the premise was sufficiently intriguing I thought I should give it a chance as a film.

I at least managed to make it to the end this time, but take it from me it's not really worth the slog. The film looks great but that is about it , having to come up with a plot yourself because the filmmakers didn't doesn't make a movie profound it just makes it pointless.

It's all long moments of people who don't know anything interspersed with science-babble that makes the nonsense that accompanies cosmetic adverts sound like it deserves a Nobel.