Too Much Silliness to Overcome

Rating: 2/10 (25 February 2019)

The premise and cinematography of "Annihilation" are powerful and unique, but they are sabotaged by really nonsensical writing 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.

There is no massive NOAA / University / CDC / military presence at the Shimmer, just 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 they are in the 'Shimmer', the visuals are remarkable and the scientific possibilities presented are intriguing, but the gross stupidities of the writing ruin the effects, along with the utterly pointless flashback sex scenes.

Unfortunately, the drive for PC combines with terrible writing to destroy any 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 the first of many absurdities written in. The story's logic is that the previous teams who 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 the 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.