Original for sure, but dissatisfying.

Rating: 7/10 (3 October 2018)

I was pretty excited for this when I saw the trailers for it. I really liked Ex Machina and trusted that Alex Garland could deliver another original and interesting sci-fi movie. Natalie Portman was another draw since I loved her performance in V for Vendetta. The trailer itself also looked interesting in the sense that the whole shimmer thing was made to look mysterious and dangerous, but it was hard to tell whether it was actually sinister. So basically, there was a pretty solid premise for this movie, not one that was totally original, but one that was at least presented in an interesting way.
There was definitely some delivery on this premise. The world within the shimmer was indeed dangerous, but not evil. The lack of concrete information we were given about the shimmer was good in that it made the movie have constant tension and mystery. However, it was really disappointing that we never really found out whether the phenomenon had an end game or the nature of it. It was cool to see Lena have to fight her mimic at the end, but that seemed to be the closest thing to an explanation that we got. I feel a little bad complaining that I want movies to have satisfying endings, but hey, endings are important.
The story is definitely lacking in character. The team of explorers was distinct enough that I could tell them apart, but not enough that I was invested in them. Even Lena wasn't that compelling of a protagonist. It seems like there should have been more time spent displaying some of her skills, and her motivation for entering the shimmer wasn't one I could totally get on board with. As soon as she said she "owed" her husband, I was pretty sure that this meant she had cheated on him, and was disappointed to be have my theory confirmed. Yes, it makes sense that she would feel guilty about cheating on her husband, but it was still a generic motivation and made Lena feel like a more generic character.
Credit must be given to the author, Alex Garland, and the visual effects department for creating a very stimulating and unique visual world for the movie. I would definitely hire the vfx department that worked this movie if I were a producer or studio executive. And even though my opinion of Alex Garland was lessened after seeing this, I will still pay to see more of his movies. Overall Rating: 7.3/10.