An uncanny look at self-destruction

Rating: 9/10 (20 March 2018)

'Annihilation' is a cerebral science fiction film reminiscent of Tarkovsky's 'Stalker' and Carpenters 'The Thing' at the same time.
At first glance, it is apparent that the movie contains excellent cinematography, outstanding visual effects and great acting from Portman and the rest of the cast. The themes, however, are disputed and controversial because everyone has their own interpretation of them. For me, 'Annihilation' explores the self-destructive nature of humanity through a biological entity capable of making everything around it mutate.
The only issue I have with this film is the fact that the characters are not explored enough. This may be a result of the restrictive run-time and the tight editing, which leaves the audience with only the most memorable scenes but also diminishes the deeply uncanny adventure that this film could have been. Therefore, I think two hours were not sufficient to tell a highly experimental story like this. 'Annihilation' is the kind of film that needs a long run time, since every second adds to the tension and oddness of the place the characters are in and can reward a patient audience with a rare, enduring and almost tangible experience.