intriguing but flawed

Rating: 6/10 (16 March 2018)

A meteor strikes a lighthouse. A shimmer descends and slowly expands. It's three years later. While a cover story is maintained, the military has been unsuccessfully investigating the phenomenon. Lena (Natalie Portman) is a biology professor and former army soldier. Her military husband Kane (Oscar Isaac) is damaged after returning from the Shimmer. He is the sole survivor of his expedition. At the military base, psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is leading the next expedition which is all female. Lena decides to join them.
This is Alex Garland's next film after Ex Machina. It is fascinating sci-fi but also flawed. There is no denying the visual imagination and moody atmosphere. At times, it is great horror and quite frankly, I want more body horrors. There are ideas and images never seen before. The bear cry is incredible. The flower people and the glass trees are beautiful. It is all to Garland's credit that this has his signature vibe. This is a great unique vision but the flaws do hold it back.
First, the flashforward wrap-around gives away too much of the ending. The movie does insert a little uncertainty with the climax but it would be so much more compelling to leave the finish without any clues. The flashforward gives no additional tension and only acts to drag down the pacing without being useful. Second, three years is too long. It's hard to believe that the secret could be kept for three years. What about birds and sea life that migrate away from the Shimmer? It seems logical that some birds would mutate. By squeezing the time span to something like three days, it would increase the logic and the intensity. It gives the crisis immediacy. One would also expect the military would figure out some basic stuff. They should at least have a menagerie of mutant creatures. Third, the lighthouse is right next to the ocean. One would think it's easier to travel there by boat. I assume flying would be too dangerous but the movie should deal with a fast boat idea. Finally, this has a nice horror vibe but it could have been truly disturbing. Garland has a better eye for beauty than horror. He is more concerned with visual rather than plot logistics. The movie is beautiful and moody but the writing is sloppy and the pacing is halting.