Wished for More

Rating: 7/10 (9 October 2018)

I really wanted to like this film because the concept seemed fascinating and Alex Garland's previous film was excellent. However, I was sadly quite disappointed. I just felt like every aspect was very tame and somewhat lacking.
With a film like this, much more could've been done. Everything could've been dialed up to ten and the film would've only gained from that. When there are scenes that are supposed to be scary, I didn't feel scared. When I was supposed to be on edge, I felt only somewhat tense. Had these scenes truly been what they were trying to be, I feel that Annihilation would've been hands down one of the best sci-fi films of the year. I'm actually quite frustrated with that. I found Ex Machina to be very good in these aspects and I'm left wondering what happened with Garland.
It's not all bad though. First of all, this film looks absolutely stunning. Once the group enters "the Shimmer", the world becomes interesting, beautiful, full of detail and most importantly it left you wanting for more. It was filled with curious and rather frightening creatures and gorgeous and peculiar plants.
Second of all, I have to give credit to the last third of the film. I finally felt like the film was giving me what I had wanted from it from the very beginning. The last 30 minutes were tense and scary. It felt almost like Garland had remembered how to create tension.
All in all, I think that Annihilation is a decent sci-fi film. It is certainly different from what most sci-fi films nowadays tend to be. It offers a unique look at us humans and gives us one of the most intriguing fictional worlds in a long time. Sadly, it just felt quite muted. Had it been more tense and scary, I feel that this would've possibly been one the best films of the year.