Pretty good !

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2020)

When I heard that this movie was deemed "too smart for audiences", I said to myself that oughta be good. Turns out it IS pretty good...but not that smart.
This isn't 2001 folks, and isn't mind-melting to understand, it's pretty straightforward.
This movie's more abstract and contemplative than smart. I guess this is why they thought the audience wouldn't get it.
It feels a LOT like Tarkovski's STALKER, you can't help but think the movie had a major influence on Annihilation. But apparently not. I'm suspicious. There's one shot in particular that really rings a bell (shot of an electric pole in the wilderness). Whatever, if you liked Stalker you'll clearly like this one.
The visuals are superbly done, and a weird, oniric, dreamlike feel permeates throughout the movie. The music and sound also also particularly good and perfectly match what you see on screen, and make the whole thing a trippy experience.
This movie is kindofa mood piece first and foremost, the pace is pretty slow (not lethargic-10mn-long shots-slow), but it is hard to classify : it's got horror parts, a lot of sci-fi, but the whole thing is wrapped in soft and poetic visuals. The "zone" (shimmer") the film takes place in is really beautifully rendered, calm, full of vibrant colors and seldom feels threatening.
That's one of the best aspect of this movie : never is it made clear if the "thing" is hostile or not, or if "it" even knows about good or evil.
The story is solid (although the narration is not straightforward and skips in time, which contributes to the "dream" feeling) and so is the acting. Isaac plays it REALLY low this time and it's always great to see him on screen, I usually find nataly portman emotionless and cold but I finally enjoyed her a little more in this one. Nice seeing Jennifer Jason Leigh again (i felt really old tho!) and the three other leads are decent and convincing.
I'm not too sure about the "team mate snaps" subplot, they had to find a way to get rid of the characters I guess, but it still feels a little gratuitous and unnecessary. Apart from that, there's not much to complain about.
All the science seems to add up (no tech jumbo here tho, or the bare minimum to understand what's happening), and there where no improbable nonsense situations that pull you out of the film for being too unrealistic and leave you cursing at the director in your seat for thinking you're an idiot. None of that here, and that really felt good. More films like these please !
Really good movie I can't recommend enough for people who don't mind slow paced plot development, and very atmospheric, visual and "moody" movies.
There's not much of it but it's pretty brutal on the gore so be warned about that. And weirdly that doesn't snap you out of the cozy feeling you feel throughout the film. This film was clearly shot with a dream state in mind and not as a nightmare. That's one of its weird charms. And the whole "dream vibe" really serves the metaphysical and "mystic" aspects of the script, overall it kinda feels like a weird spiritual experience. And I have to say, that's one of the best alien being rendition I've seen on screen so far : clearly living but yet completely abstract and indescribable. That's the closest thing I imagine aliens could look like : absolutely not like us and way beyond what we can understand.
Again i get the movie's not really for everyone, but if you like subtlety, maturity, great visuals and a engaging atmosphere for a change, treat yourself with this one. Really good! Alex Garland is clearly a guy to watch out for.