Annihilation

[Mister Matt]

Has anyone else seen this?  I swear I haven't seen one peep from anyone I know online regarding this film.  We had just gotten our MoviePasses and went the weekend after it opened.  The films we originally intended to see were sold out, so we took a chance on Annihilation as it received mostly strong reviews.  LOVED IT.  Personally, I think it's Alex Garland's best work since 28 Days Later.  I highly recommend seeing this one in the theatre while you can as the sound and visuals create such an amazingly intense visceral atmosphere.  Excellent direction and performances.  One scene towards the end went on just a touch too long, but otherwise, a truly stunning film.  Too bad it will be completely forgotten by next year's Oscars.  It definitely has me interested in reading the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer.

[spiderdj82]

A friend invited me to an advanced screening to see it about a week before the movie opened (he won tickets) and I thought it was "eh."  Granted, I might not have been in the best mindset since I just worked a full day and had to sit in afternoon traffic for about an hour to see it - so I was exhausted.  I thought the visuals were gorgeous and the ending did go on a little too long. I thought the acting ranged from good to really bad.   

But, like I said, I need to see it again. 

[ErikJ972]

I thought it was mostly a bore but that scene with the bear was absolutely terrifying.

[spiderdj82]

OMG that bear scene.  Creepy as hell

[Call_me_jorge]

I saw this and game night(thought it was great) back to back and absolutely enjoyed this. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh were both highlights for me. The idea of the shimmer gave me chills.

[Mister Matt]

OMG that bear scene.  Creepy as hell

As soon as I realized what the sound was, I was flipping out.  I also liked the people plants.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

I liked this movie a lot. Natalie Portman was great and the direction was great. I’d definitely recommend.

@jorge - I also loved Game Night. It was an absolute delight. I haven’t laughed so hard in a movie theatre in ages.

[blaxx]

It also got good reviews. What did I miss? I truly didn't get it at all, neither as horror, sci-fi or existentialist or philosophical cinema. And I found the special effects will look very dated in a few years too.

Head scratcher for me. 

[theatretenor2]

I saw it last night and absolutely loved it. A total mindf*** that really makes you think. I did call the first major twist at the beginning of the film though, so a tad predictable. Gorgeous sets and a truly haunting score. Incredible performance by Portman. Really, really loved it.

[Someone in a Tree2]

I'm with Blaxx-- maybe it was the substandard Regal projection equipment here on Miami Beach, but the whole movie looked brown and muddy. I liked the brain teaser quality to the ending, but most of the rest of it was a junky girls-in-peril-from-schlocky-monsters genre exercise that had me bored much of the time. That cold humorlessness with which Portman and Leigh always attack their roles left me very little to enjoy. When  the last of the really funny ladies was dispatched, I sighed and just longed for the thing to wrap up quickly, which it did not.

[carnzee]

I'm in the I loved it camp. It took a fairly pulpy set-up ( team of explorers explores strange zone that no one has returned from unharmed) and made something really thought provoking and haunting out of it. The acting is fantastic. This is Grade A adult sci-fi, reminiscent of 2001 in its head scratching oddness. It made me interested in biology, no easy task.

[Mister Matt]

most of the rest of it was a junky girls-in-peril-from-schlocky-monsters genre exercise

Wow, I felt the exact opposite.  One of the things I noticed and loved while watching it was the fact that about 90% of the film was focused on a group of strong, intelligent and diverse women attempting to succeed where male predecessors had failed.  

[rosscoe(au)]

Surprised to see that this only opened in three countries, has been sold to Netflix and now streaming in every other market. So sadly no cinema release in Australia 

[bwayboy22]

I also really enjoyed it! I thought it was really thought provoking and well executed. The bear scene was absolutely horrifying and it was one of those moments where you cover your eyes but you still watch through your fingers because you need to see what happens.  I also agree with the fact the whole time I just loved the fact that this was centered around a group of brilliant diverse group of women. I think this film will be very divisive re: wether people like it and how its B.O does, but I think it will gain more of a following as time goes on, and could truly be considered a classic in the future. It reminded me a lot of Arrival with Amy Adams, and I have to say I'm really liking this sub genre that is developing.