From Interstellar to Mad Max: Fury Road to Blade Runner 2049: the past decade has been full of strong films that have provided us with exciting ideas into future worlds have kidnapped. Outstanding sci-fi stories were not only to be discovered in the blockbuster area. The best proof? Obliteration of Alex Garland (Men).
In 2018, the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer was released. At that time there was a hype about the story of a eerie glow, which spreads over the earth and causes mysterious events. The film has since been almost forgotten.
Obliteration on Netflix: Natalie Portman loses herself in an eerie glow
At the center of the story of Annihilation is Lena (Natalie Portman), a molecular biologist who works for the secret government organization SouthernReach is recruited. With a team of four scientists, she is supposed to explore the area that is sealed off from the rest of the world by the shimmer.
You can watch the trailer for Annihilation here:
Annihilation – Trailer 2 (German) HD
From now on we follow the group on their way through the so-called Area X. There is a very strange vibe here. Sometimes it feels like the characters are wandering through a (night) dream. Gradually they lose touch with reality and lose themselves in the mysteries of this strange place.
Annihilation on Netflix feels like Alex Garland reunited Stalker and Under the Skin
In recent years, Garland has proven often enough that he knows his way around science fiction cinema like few other filmmakers. From Dredd to Ex Machina to the miniseries Devs: Annihilation is another triumph in his filmography in that regard, and his by far most enigmatic movie.
The deeper we delve into the world of shimmer with the characters, the more cryptic the story becomes. A clear mission becomes one Meandering through a maze, from which there seems to be no way out. A little bit of a stalker, a little bit of under the skin: obliteration gets more uncomfortable and alienating by the minute.
We are not dealing with a conventional science fiction film. The veil distorts Garland’s images, causing the figures to bend, bend, and transform. In the end, extinction goes completely into the realm of the abstract and gives us a mindfuck finale that turns the entire film on its head.
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