An alternative to the set-up of the book.

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2018)

So first things first, the book is one of the best books I've ever read, so it was hard to watch the trailer and read what Garland had to say without losing hope for this movie.
Garland is a great film maker, but I still can't believe he's just made this adaption without even reading the second and third book. There are so many things he's changed. From the simple things like giving the characters names to the whole explanation of the Shimmer (which is called Area X in the book).
In an interview stated he adapted the book like a dream.
The Biologist (Lena) is supposed to be truly introvert. Actually, none of them should trust each other. Also she's supposed to know about Area X, know her husbands there (who's dead) and stay in Area X.
Then, Garland cut of some of the best plot points in the book and then added some him self. For example, the tower. The women find a tunnel in the ground that contains a creature Lena calles "the creeper," The creature writes living words on the walls. He added the bear and aligator, two things that bring me to my next point: crossed-breed species? I certainly cannot remember those.
No, Annihilation was not supposed to be about exchanging DNA.
Also, why are they so stupid? Ventress' idea of protecting camp was standing in the middle of a field without being able to see or warn the others. Why go on the water when you know there are aligators on steroids? Plus, she obviously wasn't a very good biologist because she didn't know a thing about containment, and her microscope was way to good for it's size.
But... The ambiance Garland created was just the same as the book. Even though you know way more than you know in the book going in, it's a story that leaves you sleepless and thinking about what you've just seen/read.
In the end of the origional story, The Biologist writes the doesn't have enough senses to know what she's experiencing. Her mind doesn't get it. That image is impossible to adapt to the big screen, so Garland did a great job by just adapting the feeling that comes with it.
So in my opinion Garland created a film that makes the book better, but the book makes the film better too. They go along great if you see them as the same story in a different universe. The most important thing was to make the same ambiance the book has and he did that. If I would have written the script I just would've focussed more on the tower, less on that stupid DNA stuff and let the names out.
8/10