Haunting, Visually Stunning Sci-Fi

Rating: 9/10 (27 February 2018)

There is something dreamlike about this entire movie. And that begins in the real world before the explorers enter 'The Shimmer'. This is Sci-Fi done right. There are more questions than answers and while there is a satisfying ending (with no sequel fishing, thank the Lord), the movie is designed to leave you wondering.
I loved Garland's first effort, 'Ex Machina', and 'Annihilation' shows that film was no fluke. There's an underlying sadness to this movie. And I don't mind saying I didn't understand all of it, because we are not meant to understand it. What happens when you deal with an other world presence that doesn't think like a human? Well, probably human observation and analysis is going to be ineffective. We are left to work it out after the final credits role, which gives the movie resonance.
The Shimmer is very surreal and the protagonists walking through it are borderline somnambulists trapped in It's dream. There's some stunning images here and luckily they weren't all spoiled in the trailers. Portman is great as the woman on a mission to find out what happened to her husband. The rest of the cast is top rate. The cinematography is dark and moody in it's interior shots and foggy and dreamlike with the exterior. It lends to a hypnotic feeling that really reinforces the fact that these woman are under the sway of forces far more powerful than themselves.
I'm really looking forward to getting this movie on DVR. It's the type of film that invites repeated viewings. 'Annihilation' is definitely in the running for the best Sci-Fi film of the new millennium.