It stays in my mind. Wee-aa-wee-ooohh... Uuh!

Rating: 9/10 (22 October 2018)

Ok. I am about to blaspheme. But I did spend a good chunk of the day rewatching both this film and Tarkovsky's Stalker. And while I struggled to get through the old Russian epic I had no problem with this newer film.
Sure, Garland (director of the film) and Vandermeer (writer of the book) do claim that Annihilation wasn't an attempt to remake Stalker or Roadside Picnic, but the similarities are hard to ignore. As is the older H.P. Lovecraft story The Color From Out Of Space (where a meteorlike object creates havoc around the impact crater, deforming and mutating both flora and fauna, as well as emitting an otherworldly color not before seen by man)..
It is a fascinating subject for me to explore in these stories. Where alien entities not so much invade as just exist and we are forced to try and find out what makes the uninvited neighbours tick. Even when it may be represented by a skull-faced giant bear that uses human death screams as its hunting lure (guaranteed nightmare fuel there) or as seemingly harmless beautiful floral arrangements.
Intersperse that with combinations of Cosmic Horror like in The Thing, and pure old school Cronenbergian BodyHorror the characters end up trusting noone and no thing as both minds and bodies disintegrate throughout the tale.
If you didn't pick up on it yet, I friggin love this film. From the expertly handled effects and visuals to the otherworldly musical notes on the soundtrack. If I were to nitpick I kind of feel that the flash forward interview scenes that are intercut from the start was a bit unnecessary.
Now, after Dredd, Ex Machina and now Annihilation I can hardly wait to see what Alex Garland decides to tackle next as he is one of the most interesting voices in Movie SciFi right at the moment.