Annihilation (2018)

A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.

Director:

Alex Garland

Writers:

Alex Garland (written for the screen by), Jeff VanderMeer (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson

16 wins & 57 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Natalie Portman	...	Lena
Benedict Wong	...	Lomax
Sonoya Mizuno	...	Humanoid & Katie (Med Student)
David Gyasi	...	Daniel
Oscar Isaac	...	Kane
John Schwab	...	Paramedic
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Dr Ventress
Gina Rodriguez	...	Anya Thorensen
Tuva Novotny	...	Cass Sheppard
Tessa Thompson	...	Josie Radek
Sammy Hayman	...	Mayer
Josh Danford	...	Shelley
Kristen McGarrity	...	Lena Double

Storyline

A biologist's husband disappears. She puts her name forward for an expedition into an environmental disaster zone, but does not find what she's expecting. The expedition team is made up of the biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, a surveyor, and a linguist.

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Plot Keywords:

coma | expedition | lighthouse | based on novel | scientist | 

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Taglines:

Fear What's Inside

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first R-rated film between Paramount Pictures and Skydance, and the second Skydance film overall to receive that rating.

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Goofs

This one is a character error and also a continuity error. During a scene outside the village house where in a previous scene a bear had attacked the group, Natalie Portman and one of the crew members are talking together. The crew member is supposed to have damaged arms from self inflicted wounds and thus wearing long sleeves all the time, but in this scene she has her arms revealed and they are clean of injury. In the next scene, the wounds are rendered and flowers are blooming out of them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lomax: What did you eat? You had rations for two weeks. You were inside for nearly four months.
Lena: I don't remember eating.
Lomax: How long did you think you were inside?
Lena: Days. Maybe weeks.
Lomax: What happened to Josie Radek?
Lena: ...I don't know.
Lomax: What about Sheppard? Thorensen?
Lena: Dead.
Lomax: Ventress?
[...]

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Modern Sci-Fi Movies That Will Be Future Classics (2019)

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Soundtracks

Sex Music
Artist Beak> (as BEAK>)
Written and Performed by Billy Fuller, Geoff Barrow and William Young
Licensed courtesy of Invada Records UK 2017
Published by Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd

User Reviews

Ambitious Disappointment

Remember when alien movies were just about little green men or robot humanoids coming to conquer Earth? Annihilation is another in a long line of modern sci-fi films to be more interested in the philosophy than the practicality of extra-terrestrials. But unlike Under the Skin or Europa Report, its ponderous nature never quite reaches its point. It's definitely a metaphor for something, but what? Aging? Marriage? Dementia? Time? Death? Perhaps a second-viewing would clear some of this up, but then I'd have to slog through this movie again. An unknown object has crashed onto earth, causing a slowly growing "shimmer" wall that seems to make anyone who enters it disappear. In so many ways, it's just a lesser version of classic films. Like Tarkovsky's Stalker, it's comfortable with saying "I don't know", but more out of confusion than intrigue. Like Villeneuve's Arrival, it uses alien beings to talk about humanity, but with little emotional impact. Like Carpenters' The Thing, its unexpectedly and brutally gory, though not as technically impressive. However, it's a hard movie to write-off or be complacent about, given its strangeness and ambition. The bursts of horror are fun and unique, with cool creatures and a steady directing hand. Most of all, it's visually striking cinematography and often quite beautiful production design are undeniable. Most of its issues seem to stem from the writing, which isn't just thematically unfocused, but also just full of cliched dialogue. With Ex Machina, Alex Garland made a strong impression with that debut. And even with all of Annihilation's script problems, his camera's eye and brainy tendencies keep him as a filmmaker worth watching.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 February 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Annihilation

Filming Locations:

Windsor Great Park, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,071,584, 25 February 2018

Gross USA:

$32,732,301

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$43,070,915

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, Scott Rudin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos DTS (DTS: X)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1