★★★★½

After months of high anticipation pending its release, Annihilation is finally here, and we can finally reach a relieving conclusion: it lives up to the hype. Alex Garland's follow-up to Ex Machina does not disappoint, flaunting a killer cast, unique visuals, and a story that will have you pondering it still for days. Based on Jeff VanderMeer's novel of the same name, Annihilation has something for everyone: a powerhouse core of female characters as our protagonists, thrilling moments of terror, an unpredictable plot, and of course, much food for thought.

The film follows teacher and biologist Lena (Natalie Portman) upon her the return of her husband (Oscar Isaac) after of a year of absence while away on an ambiguous military mission. After he becomes violently sick, it isn't long before Lena finds out where exactly his mission took place: inside of a luminous bubble simply called The Shimmer. No one knows what it is, except that it keeps expanding and almost no one who's gone in has ever come out--except for Lena's husband. After spending time in Area X in the base outside of The Shimmer after her husband has fallen ill, Lena decides to volunteer for the next mission inside The Shimmer. Instead of military forces, a group of scientists is headed inside next, led by the psychologist Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and including a paramedic (Gina Rodriguez), a physicist (Tessa Thompson), and a geologist (Tuva Novotny). Together, the five enter the ominous Shimmer to learn what looms inside.

Prior to its release, Annihilation was often being referred to as perhaps "too intellectual" for mass audiences and was perhaps better suited solely for the arthouse crowd. While its plot is one that becomes rich with depth and could definitely be analyzed after the film reel has ended, it isn't something that's necessary in order to understand the movie by any means. I would strongly argue that it is a film that everyone can find something of value in: if not in the story's greater meaning, then the fast pace at which the plot turns or the gory menaces that take place on screen. 

It's clear that Paramount's faith was wavered by these claims: outside of the U.S., Canada, and China, the film is getting an international Netflix release, which is a shame because it plays out quite well on the big screen. Furthermore, it diminishes our ability to financially support films like this at the box office. Even in countries where it's playing, many will likely wait until it's available to stream. This is devastating because this is the only way we can get films like these to continue being made. I actually think this film quite easily finds an audience in many people (and might I add that my late-night Wednesday screening, which would typically be a small turnout no matter what the film, had many of the theatre's seats filled--so maybe there's hope, after all!). 

The film was a lot more graphic than I expected; that's never been something to bother me particularly, but it's something to keep in mind for those with a weaker stomach. But above all, Annihilation is a science fiction thriller. I wish I could say more about the plot, but the less you know going into it, the better. But what I can say is this: the film's greater meaning runs deep, both challenging the invented categories we map our world with, as well as acknowledging our inevitable self-destructive nature as humans. It is quite impactful to see the film's take on how everything is much more fluid than we like to think, including ourselves as human beings. We destroy, and we create.