Welcome back to Sound Off!, a semi-regular column where members of Speculative Chic gather together to chat about the latest BIG THING in entertainment. This time, enter the Shimmer and discuss Annihilation, which premiered in the United States on Friday, February 23, 2018.
Sound Off! is meant to be a reaction, but not necessarily a review. After all, while we are all individuals, even mutual love of something (or hate) can come from different places: you may find everything from critique to fangirling to maybe even hate-watching.
Now, join J.L. Gribble as she talks about Annihilation. [Note: Spoiler-free!]
J.L.: I suppose the best thing that can be said about this movie is that I walked out of the theater determined to read the book that it is based on. It was not a bad movie by any means. I should be clear, of course, that the movie is perfectly watchable without having read the book beforehand. The moments that left me scratching my head were not bad writing or bad movie-making, but instead mysteries that are intentionally left unsolved. The story itself behind Annihilation obviously contains multiple layers, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey I experienced in the theater.
As the trailer made obvious, this film is visually stunning. By the time the CGI gets a bit too overwhelming, I was at the finale of the plot and was content to just ride it out. Up until that point, so much of the beauty looks more like practical effects that are well-suited to film, and the rainbow shimmer in the air is so subtle that your subconscious knows that something isn’t right without it continuously smacking you over the head that the characters are in a different (and perhaps dangerous) place.
The trailer is crafted to make this movie appear as more of a horror film than the thoughtful science-fiction thriller is actually is. A few moments made me jump in surprise rather than because it was an intentional “jump scare.” Other moments were tense and slightly gruesome, but not necessarily horrific.
Image via screenrant.com
Perhaps the most important and subversive part of Annihilation, beyond the science-fiction elements, are that the exploratory team we follow is made up entirely of women. Though the movie did face a white-washing controversy for the roles that Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh played, women of color are represented by Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez. Diversity in terms of mental health and sexual orientation are also represented as three-dimensional character traits rather than extraneous plot elements some creators feel the need to shoehorn in. Most intriguing as a viewer and storyteller myself was my inclination to dislike Dr. Ventress’ character. Would I have felt the same way about her had she been a male character leading a team of men?
Though this movie leaves many questions unanswered, I refrain from demanding a sequel until after I’ve read the full trilogy. Good thing I’ve already bought the first book.
I planned to see it but got scared off by the reviews that mentioned body horror, which is a firm “no” for me. If Dr. Ventress is playing the psychologist, I disliked her intensely in the book. But I think we were supposed to.
Oh, I so want to see this! I wish I could’ve seen it opening weekend, but this movie is a must-watch. When it’ll happen, I don’t know yet. 🙂 I adored this book trilogy.
I’m sorry that I didn’t get a chance to see this opening weekend. I do want to see it eventually, but maybe not in the theater. I loved the first book of the trilogy and enjoyed the second, but I wasn’t satisfied with the ending. I googled “body horror,” and now I wish I didn’t.
I saw this yesterday after wanting to see it for a long time. I sat there the entire time cataloging the differences between the book and the film. I’m a total fan of the books, and I think the movie really captured the atmospheric creepiness of the first book. While the movie is not necessarily true to the book, again it captures that atmosphere, as well as the ambiguity of the horror. This is the kind of film that I like to see CGI & special F/X used for – to imagine things vastly different from our own – and actually I could have used some more weirdness. PS the body horror moments are fleeting, and you can also tell when they’re coming up, so maybe that helps.
Also PS PS – you make a good point about Ventress. Thank you.
Finally saw it today. I have questions, but I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to, and that’s okay. I fully intend to read the books, wondering about them ever since the trailer came out, but for once wanting to see the movie before hitting the pages.
I thought all the paths the characters were on were intriguing, the visual effects were indeed beautiful yet disturbing, and the scariest moment for me – while the fleeting gorier moments were gross – was the mimic moment. I knew what it was the second it happened outside the house, but the sound and the concept together were just a, “Oh man I do not like that at all that SUCKS.” I do really wonder if the “crystal” trees are in the book, because (and I have yet to dive into the internet to see if there is any concrete answer) I think I know what they’re made of given that they’re next to the ocean (diatoms!) and I’ll be proud of myself if that’s the answer.
The only thing that really drove me nuts (but more in a practical way since I know it wouldn’t really work for the movie) is that no one goes in wearing HAZMAT suits. Granted, it wouldn’t matter, but every time they just went up and touched something without knowing fully what it truly was (hey man, flowers can kill you to), in my mind I was screaming, “Why are you TOUCHING that?? Stop touching things!” or the moment at the indoor pool with the fungus-like spread on the wall, Lena just leans all in there to get a sample and I’m recoiling in my chair thinking, “OMG STOP! Have you not heard of the cordyceps fungus? YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT ANY OF THAT IS.” Again, can’t *not* do any of that or we don’t have a film and such but….still. As Guy of Galaxy Quest would say, “Didn’t you guys ever *watch* the show?”
And I disliked Ventress from the get-go, so I’m pretty sure I would have disliked the character either way, male or female.
Finally, I got to watch this last night. Loved it. Obviously different from the book, and unless I’m just misremembering (very possible), I think the movie offered more of an explanation of what’s going on.
I kept wondering about why no one was freaking out over touching things, but had two theories that don’t hold a lot of water: 1) It’s been there for YEARS and people living near it aren’t sick, and they’ve sent tons of teams in (counterpoint: none of those teams came back alive). 2) Maybe because it was a phenomenon happening on Earth, the idea that something might be that kind of contagious didn’t occur to them? Like I said, neither of these hold a lot of water.
The mimic moment was absolutely brutal. I loved it. And Ventress… I think we’re designed to dislike the character regardless. Note she rarely makes eye contact, she fidgits, etc. The character is designed to be off-putting and untrustworthy; in fact, the movie goes so far as to give her moments where she DOES connect with Portman’s character, so….
But yes: so glad I finally got to see this. It makes me want to re-read the book, and I’ll say I’m glad the writers/director/etc stuck to their guns about not dumbing it down for test audiences. I feel like this movie has classic SF all over it.