Pure Genius Overcome By Laziness & Bad Writing

Rating: 2/10 (25 February 2019)

The premise and cinematography of "Annihilation" are powerful and unique, but they are sabotaged by some nonsensical screenwriting and horrible characterizations that destroy what could be a remarkable film. The story centers on a growing 3-year atmospheric anomaly on the swampy Gulf Coast that swallows up all investigators, except protagonist Lena's army husband, who mysteriously shows up at home 1 year after disappearing into the 'Shimmer', suffering from total amnesia and massive organ failure, and no explanation as to how he got home.
Given that the Shimmer is a potentially earth-destroying event that is growing like a cancer, going on for 3 years, you would expect a huge NOAA / University / CDC / UN / military presence at the Shimmer. What you have instead is a strange trek by 5 very unprepared and comically ill-equipped women into the deadly unknown. A sullen, somnambulant, zombie psychiatrist (Dr Ventress) who doesn't like to talk is in charge of the most earthshattering project in human history, which is investigating this destructive, deadly atmospheric/biologic phenomenon that is apparently on the way to destroying the earth. Once the heroines are inside the 'Shimmer', the visuals are remarkable and the scientific possibilities presented are intriguing, but the frequent ineptitudes of the writing ruin the effects, as do the utterly pointless, illogical, and meaningless flashback sex scenes.
Unfortunately, the omnipresent Hollywood drive for PC combines with shoddy writing to destroy believability and the potential impact of what could be a brilliant, captivating film. Sending in 5 young female scientists (one of which had previous army experience) armed with automatic M-16s is just one of the first of many absurdities written in. The story's logic is that the previous teams that have all disappeared had been 'largely military', so it was time to send in an all-female scientific team, since the military could not survive the ordeal. The absurdities become even more absurd from that point on. This is one of those films that tempts you many times to turn it off because of the silliness of the writing, but it almost redeems itself with the mind-bending confrontations at the end.
Absurdity #1: This 3 year 'event' is swallowing up the Gulf Coast and small communities; it is a deadly phenomenon (people who go in never come out), and it is spreading like a cancer, threatening the earth. And what's the response? No mobilization of the world's sharpest scientists to send in probes; no discussion of dropping a 'Daisy Cutter' Mother-Of-All-Bombs on the lighthouse that is the epicenter of the anomaly; no convocation of the world's sharpest minds, who are apparently off fighting global warming. Just yet another patrol to try to reach 'the lighthouse', the center of the infection. And in the age of instant, universal world-wide communications via Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram, the public is totally unaware of the growing devastation that has been going on for 3 years.
Absurdity #2: The Army Special Forces couldn't survive the 'Shimmer' (except the heroine's husband, who returns under very mysterious circumstances). The best the military could offer could not successfully penetrate the 'Shimmer' and return. So let's send in a gang of young (except for Dr. Vantress, the mute psychiatrist), wet-behind-the-ears lady scientists to tackle the beast.
Absurdity #3: There is no idea whether the alien agent is biological, viral, bacterial, or otherwise; so let's equip our heroines with neat, autumn-shade coveralls with matching M-16 automatic rifles. No HAZMAT suits; no face masks; no gloves; no protection. The Lady Ghost-Busters were better prepared for their mission than this outfit.
Absurdity #4: After the attack of the Giant Mutant Jurassic Alligator, which makes Nile Crocodiles look like chameleons, the brain-dead team decides to appropriate two flimsy flat-bottom boats to paddle through the Giant Mutant Jurassic Alligator-infested swamp (they had been hiking up to this point).
Absurdity #5: The team finds an elevated watchtower, a sort of forest ranger station on stilts, in the middle of a large field to bunk down in for the night. The sullen-mute-zombie-somnambulant psychiatrist decides to take the first watch - not on the open porch surrounding the ranger station, the perfect place for a secure watch - but in a flimsy, open, ground-level gazebo 100 yards away from the elevated bunkhouse. But unlike anything else in the shimmer, this particular gazebo has electricity, as there are nice, bright electric lights on - the last thing you would have on if you were looking out into the darkness for approaching threats.
Absurdity #6: And this one goes beyond "Scary Movie" stupidity. The day after 'Geomorphologist' Cassie is snatched by the Giant Mutant Jurassic Bear that makes grizzlies look like Koalas, heroine Lena decides to go off on solo patrol looking for Cassie to see if she is dead. (She is).
Absurdity #7: Lena makes it to 'the Lighthouse,' and encounters the force behind the Shimmer. It clones her in a scene sequence that is among the most powerful in sci-fi / horror film history - it is just creepy-scary - and the amorphous, incomplete clone gets up-close and personal and duplicates Lena's movements to the point that Lena cannot escape it, until she magically produces a white phosphorous hand grenade, pulls the pin, and hands it to the Alien Shimmer Clone, who just stands there stupefied, looking at the grenade until it goes off. This bit of stupidity tells the viewer that the writers just got tired of the whole project and needed a way to end it, instead of coming up with an intelligent, believable, meaningful ending.
There are powerful moments interspersed among the stupidities, seen in the mutated flora and fauna of the Shimmer, and the bizarre transformation of creatures and humans. The mutated twin deer were creepily beautiful, and offered a bit of foreshadowing of the alien force's MO of cloning its victims. The Giant Mutant Jurassic Bear makes a very disturbing appearance after munching on Geomorphologist Cassie, stalking 3 team survivors (who have been mysteriously tied up and gagged by Medic-gone-crazy Ana). The bear mimics the cries for help from deceased Cassie, in between growls, as it prowls between the 3 helpless survivors. It is as if the alien cloning mechanism is being put to disturbing use in this scene, very effectively.
This movie can be summed up thus: moments of pure genius, overpowered by far more moments of lazy, thoughtless screenwriting. Loads of potential was thrown away through lack of disciplined writing and plotting.