Annhilation Review

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2018)

Annhilation is a film written and directed by Alex Garland. I watched the trailers for this film and was impressed by it. Before that, I had followed the film for over a year as I loved Alex Garland's Ex Machine. And I can definitely say the same for this film too.
Plot Lena signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.
Story and direction: This is the kind of science fiction film that not only has a great story but also does challenge your mind. The film builds every minute. Not a single minute felt dull. the characters of the story were great and you could actually connect with each of them. Each of them had some sort of pain or loss that makes you feel for them. A salute to Alex Garland for giving us a compelling story and women (lead) characters that don't feel like sugar coating. The film is left open ended which I liked because I could keep thinking about this film, which I wan't from any film that I see. The VFX for the film is awesome. This goes on to show that no big money is needed to create some great VFX. But I did feel a little disconnected at one aspect of the film. It was the scenes between Dan and Lena. That could have been avoided as that did nothing much to the forward the story.
Performances: Natalie Portman was great in her role. She especially excelled in the emotional scenes. Jennifer Jason Leigh was great too. And so were Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson and Tuva Novotny. Oscar Isaac acted with great ease with what was given to him. This film is all about the women and I can say that this was quite a riveting women-centric film in recent times.
Favorite Scene: No spoilers, but it would be a scene in the lighthouse with Natalie Portman and another character. The struggle, the VFX and the acting was what took my breath away in this particular scene.
Verdict: Alex Garland is one of the best sci-fi directors out there and with this film he has certified that. Great performances and visuals make this film a treat to watch.
I am going with a 9/10.