The human race is the cancer

Rating: Null/10 (18 May 2020)

Just finished Annihilation. Enjoyable movie, great acting, suspense ... but not a masterpiece IMO. Probably more intriguing than the film itself is the interpretation of the ending and debating what the film wants to convey.
Here is my 2 cents (noting that I have not read the book): I believe human race is meant to be the cancer, not the shimmer. The shimmer actually tries to eliminate the cancer, with slow but steady therapy, restoring the beauty and equilibrium of nature in a slightly mutated way. However it can only do it very slowly and while it tries to heal planet earth the cancer cells - humans - are relentless in their attacks. Team after team is sent in to destroy the shimmer. It is not a coincidence that it is a military operation. Destruction is the end goal here, winning back control over the one area humans are not able to control because nature has reclaimed it and kept it free of cancerous cells.
But at some point the shimmer realises that it is a lost cause to kill off the cancer cells. There are so many... and they keep on coming back. So it decides that reprogramming the cancer cells is the only way to win the battle long term. Lena and Kane are the first two to be reprogrammed. Kane admits that he is no longer human and we can also see the shimmer in Lena s eyes.
I ll leave it to you to decide whether aliens or God are trying to save the planet from the human race with the shimmer in my interpretation but of course the Lena and Kane combo suggests it is a bit biblical. So far the shimmer has not arrived in real life - but the destruction of our planet is arguably happening, unfortunately.
Maybe my interpretation is flawed - but I enjoyed thinking it through. Watch the movie and decide yourself, it is definitely a mentally stimulating watch.