A modern sci-fi classic

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2018)

I can tell this movie isn't going to be for everyone, but as a fan of sci-fi horror I absolutely adored this film. I would even go as far to say it's up there with some of the classics of the genre such as The Thing and Alien.
As I was skimming through the IMDB reviews I saw the common complaints of it being too arty or it making no sense. For those people, this is the kind of movie where you need to open your mind. The characters are entering a world where the rules are different and anything can be possible due to cell mutations.
Some even complained about the film having five female cast members in the lead roles for no reason. Now I know Hollywood is putting lots of feminism in their pictures these days. I'm one that accuses the new Star Wars movies for having a Mary Sue protagonist. However these five characters are intelligent, smart and yes they all are vulnerable to the hostile environment which makes the movie tension driven and interesting. If John Carpenter's The Thing can have an all male cast, I see no reason why not to have five females in this movie.
I like how the film doesn't spoon feed the audience with answers. All the characters have gone through some turmoil whether it be their child dying of cancer or their husband being killed in action. This motivates the women to explore a world to find some greater meaning but in the end they enter a world where things make less sense, where cells randomly mutate to create sometimes beautiful but other times monstrous creations of nature.
The film is also incredibly disturbing, especially a scene involving a vicious bear which has to be one of the scariest creatures I've seen in a long time. The ending also goes into surreal territory but ultimately I found it satisfying considering the context of the movie.
I see this as a modern sci-fi classic that will be enjoyed by audiences in years to come. It kind of sucks audiences don't appreciate films like this anymore but I'm glad it was made because it reminds me there are still talented filmmakers willing to take risks to create something original.