The New Weird & The Familiar Thrills: “Annihilation” Review

Alex Garland’s latest film, Annihilation, is a Sci-Fi/Drama/Thriller starring Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Benedict Wong, Gina Rodriguez, David Gyasi, and Tuva Nuvotny. Lena (Natalie Portman) is a biologist whose solider husband (Oscar Isaac) mysteriously reappears in their kitchen after disappearing on a mission one year prior. Before she can learn anything, they are both apprehended and quarantined at an unnamed facility. As a result of her army and science background, Lena is approached by Dr. Ventress (Leigh) to join the 12th expedition into the phenomena known as the Shimmer. As Ventress explains, the exact nature of the Shimmer is a mystery, and the only certainty is that whatever goes in never returns, not until Lena’s husband. In order to learn the truth, Lena joins the expedition team consisting of a psychologist, an anthropologist, a surveyor, and a linguist. As they learn, the Shimmer is an ever expanding prism, reflecting life back upon itself – what they see as destruction is ultimately shown to be merely the hybridization of all life. A psychologist, biologist, linguist, surveyor, and linguist walk into a vague phenomenon. The source material for the film comes from the 2014 novel of the same name by author Jeff VanderMeer, one of the pre-eminent writers in the modern literary movement dubbed “New Weird.” According to author/professor Robin Anne Reed, the genre tends to “subvert clichês of the fantastic in order to put the…