Annihilation Review

After the surprisingly compelling and hauntingly tense sci-fi drama Ex Machina by Alex Garland, the sky was the limit for what he could bring to Sci-Fi cinema.  Enter Annihilation, the film adaptation of the popular book trilogy, following the story of a biologist professor, former army soldier with a group of scientists and a paramedic venturing into Area X called The Shimmer.  It has been getting reactions and opinions on all sides, divided by the meaning of the themes to the visual interpretations present throughout the film.  It also stars up and coming/familiar actors that comprise of the small excavation team we follow for most of the film.  Does it stand out from other sci-fi films of its kind or does it falter in key areas that keeps it from being a classic? Let’s walk through The Shimmer and get right into it with the story for this film.

We follow Lena (Natalie Portman), an army veteran turned Biologist professor that is still disconnected and in grief over the disappearance of her husband Kane (Oscar Issac) as her friend/colleague Daniel (David Gyasi) tries to convince her to move on.  That is until Kane comes back into her life after a year had passed but completely sick and dying with multiple organ failures.  The events bring Lena into contact with Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a psychologist/scientist warden for Area X, an infected area where a lighthouse was struck with a meteor 3 years ago and has grown a force field bubble called The Shimmer.  Lena is informed that her husband went into The Shimmer and came out of it mysteriously, which drives her with a group of other scientists from Josie Radek, a Physicist with suicidal tendencies (Tessa Thompson), Anya Thorensen, a paramedic with a temper and addiction problem (Gina Rodriguez), Cass Sheppard, a geologist/surveyor with nothing to lose (Tuva Novotny), and Ventress to go into The Shimmer to investigate and report on the effects it is having to the land and lifeforms on a physical and genetic level.  What they all discover in The Shimmer will not only change their ideas and perceptions of evolution in life forms and organisms but the very concept of mutation that could very well reshape the world for better or worse.

This is quite a unique adaptation as it seems to have been approached and interpreted differently from the novel akin to Stephen King’s The Shining, only taking characters and certain events to tell the story in a cinematic language.  Having not read the book though, it must be judged on its own merits as a film and it is quite possibly one of the most haunting and uniquely odd sci-fi horror film to come out in some time now.  It is a slow burner in that the time is used to build the suspense of what lies within The Shimmer as well as giving enough character development and traits to know who the team members are and their stories as they set off on this journey.  There is an interesting but a bit distracting at times use of juxtaposition with the scenes that explore Lena as a character and her motivation for her actions and decision to enter The Shimmer.  Despite the female centric cast, gender is not the reason these characters are distinctive or refreshingly human but the great performances as well as steady and well intention writing/direction at work here from Garland.  It is very much a survivalist drama with the steady build of sci-fi elements and themes building to a very violent and ultimately strange climax that is both awe-inspiring and hauntingly engaging to watch.

As they go further into The Shimmer, the creatures become deadly and menacing especially one sequence that may look goofy in the trailers but is a terrifying, harrowing sequence that follows a breakdown of a character that may be expected from this kind of story but showcases Garland’s ability to really create tension from the familiar by making it alienating and creepy.  The overarching theme throughout the film can be summarized in two words, self-destruction and the nature of it down to an organic and genetic matter of life in general to create a new form or way of life that is limitless in direction or form as each character contends with it in their own way but more so with Lena and Ventress especially in the climax.  The last act of the film is where the story comes to a head and shows just how trippy and crazy it gets with elements of H.P. Lovecraft’s psychologically shaped horrors blended with organic sci-fi elements that make it one of the most stunningly entrancing, yet tense finales seen in cinema.  However, the film is driven by its own ambiguity and doesn’t give the answers to you but rather leaves it open for us to interpret on our own terms.

The story is familiar but has one of the most bizarre yet memorizing climaxes seen in a sci-fi horror film.  The familiar comes from most of it being a survivalist drama that only delves into sci-fi as the story goes along and ramps up the oddity to it.  The characters do have well defined traits and conflict within themselves and each other but outside of Lena and Ventress, they are flat and hard to latch onto as they each reach their conclusions within the story.  The themes and ideas the characters explore, discuss, and confront are what makes this film worth sitting through even if most of the characters tend to be plot points or fodder for the wildlife and world of The Shimmer.  It starts off on a slow tempo but picks up eventually and sprints to one of the most memorable climaxes that will be discussed among fans of this film as well as those that enjoy Alex Garland’s work thus far with the genre and his writing.

The cast is all around good to great even, starting with Natalie Portman as the lead protagonist Lena, driven by guilt and determination to find a way to save her husband by any means necessary.  She has the most development of the cast and while the reason for her to join the mission might seem like a creative flaw for the character’s likeability, it makes her prone to mistakes and it ultimately fits with her driven conviction to save Kane by going into The Shimmer.  Portman is reliably good in the lead role to drive the story forward and follow her as a character venturing down the rabbit hole.

Oscar Issac is really a bit player this time around as Kane, an active Army soldier working black ops for the government including the mission to investigate The Shimmer.  Him and Portman have some genuine lovely chemistry with each other and that is good since the conflict of the film is driven by their relationship and ultimately is reshaped by the end of it.  He is just as charming and charismatic as ever despite being in the film for only a limited amount of the time.  

The main cast for the film also involves the team themselves, starting with Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dr. Ventress.  Her character is essentially the hard as nose sergeant character of the story that is determined to finish the mission at all cost, even at the cost of her own life.  She grows on viewers as a character despite the odd inflections of the performance with Leigh in her first few scenes.  She is unfortunately not given much except the trademarks of the archetype and plays to it well regardless.

We have the other scientists as well with Tessa Thompson as Josie, Gina Rodriguez as Anya, and Tuva Novotny as Cass who fill out the rest of the team and play to their archetypes well enough.  That is the main issue with the film though is the lack of time developing the characters interactions with each other and allowing us to get a sense of their camaraderie and eventual breakdown when it happens.  It keeps the focus on the lead and the team leader as they are the ones who ultimately drive the story forward and to its inevitable conclusion.  The actresses do a great job as they have proven in other films, but they are given very little outside of character traits and conflicts that play to the beats of the survival horror story to really standout.  They either feel underdeveloped or fodder for the dangerous components of the mission.

Let’s get to the technical aspects of the film, starting with the art direction and design in general.  It maintains the look of ordinary life from the school to Lena’s home until we are transported to Area X, the standard looking military secret base outpost outside The Shimmer.  When we get into The Shimmer, that’s when the world becomes more colorful, open, and yet enclosed for the team as they venture into the heavily forested and ruined area.  The look of it is quite a fascinating blend of the mundane with the wilder, apocalyptic visual aesthetics for The Shimmer as if the land itself has consumed it for itself from villages to a military base.  When we get to the climax, the ocean line is a refreshing change as well as a setting that feels straight out of H.R. Giger and the original sci-fi horror film Alien coincidental or not.  The film is varied in its artistic direction and it is in the work behind the scenes where the film truly shines unquestionably.   

We now move towards Cinematography and the editing of the film itself.  It was shot by Rob Hardy and it is quite the gorgeous film with a great use of soft focus as well as manipulation of the light to convey a mysterious dread or tension in a scene for dramatic or action purposes.  There is also a great use of lighting to really sell and make the CGI elements believable despite the lack of high end budget numbers to make it.  There is also some clever and intuitively utilized arrangement of story beats cutting back and forth between the past and present with Lena’s story and her motivations.  It is also in sync with the ambient sounds and music to the visuals skillfully to great effect for those moments that feel tense or strange in the story.  This is yet again, another wonderfully shot film and it matches the visual aesthetics of Garland’s previous work fittingly here.

The CGI/VFX work here is absolutely utilized to great effect as it really creeps you out with the mutations that occurs with the animals as well as the plants themselves throughout the world of The Shimmer in their journey.  Instead of making a ton of the film in CGI, it is a subtle blend of computer and practical effects to really sell these creations to great effect, with both the Alligator and Bear looking extremely terrifying with their contributions to the main action beats of the film.  Most of it deals with the way the lighting is being manipulated correctly to make the CGI seamless as well as those creatures outside of two of them, kept in the dark for most of their time.  It is exceptional work and it proves that skilled and talented artists can make anything possible against a limited budget and creative challenge to make it work on screen.   

Lastly, let’s get into Sound Design from the sound effects to the musical score for this film.  The sound effects from the creatures were surprisingly effective in being creepy and scary to convey how different these animals are from what we know about them.  This is tied in to the musical score of the film done by Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow, with an emphasis on ambience and atmosphere to set the eerie mood of the story.  It works in tandem with the visuals despite being created more for the film than for listening on your own.  It adds to the strange beauty of this film that is captivating and tense to see unfold with a blend of synth and mantra chant to create this dreamscape that makes the familiar different.

Annihilation is truly a great remix of what has come before it in Sci-Fi horror that aspires to explores the very core nature of evolution and the idea of mutation forming something new from destruction within life or an organism.  While the story itself is very compelling and the themes/ideas it explores are sci-fi at its purest form, it doesn’t give enough time to really become ingrained with these characters and they are either underdeveloped or underutilized outside of the lead character.  It is also very much a survivalist drama that ratchets the sci-fi/horror elements steadily until its explosive, captivatingly weird climax with an oddly low key ending that may disappoint viewers.  This is very much a genre film that will divide viewers in its quality and contribution to the genre itself but it is certainly a gorgeous one to look at as well as a refreshingly different take on the familiar, keeping to what the point of the story was all about.  Changing what has come before into something the feels and looks new, and that is what Alex Garland with the cast and crew were able to accomplish with this tense, compelling sci-fi horror drama.

Score: **** out of *****

Annihilation is a cult classic in the making and it is truly a great follow-up from Garland’s previous film Ex Machina, another great sci-fi thriller that takes familiar stories and genre troupes to craft a wonderfully tense and dramatic conflict of ideologies regarding intelligence in life forms from human to machine.  This is yet another quality film from Alex Garland that is intriguing yet tense to sit through.  Its slow, deliberate pacing may turn off viewers looking for something faster paced as well as fleshed out characters as we see the lead and to a lesser extent, Veltress developed from start to finish.  The entire cast gives a great performance as they play to their archetypes with ease and passion for the role despite the thinly developed character material for them to work with in the script.  The story starts off slowly but delivers one of the most exciting and truly memorable finales in a film this year.  It is also a stunningly, beautifully shot film with some top-notch work on the CGI as well as well tuned sound designed that truly makes this one memorable film to see in theaters.  Simply put, this is one film that deserves to be seen on the big screen if you can.

Marvel's Black Panther Review

We have come a long way from the golden and turbulent years of comic book/superhero films ever since their inception close to a century ago as well as the first truly dramatic film adaptation back in 1978 with Superman.  Now with decades having passed with the ups and downs of the sub film genre, with the dark ages of the 90’s and the renaissance at the tail end of the 90’s into the 2000’s, we have had only a handful of black driven superhero films with the innocently fun but dated Meteor Man by Robert Townsend, the juvenile guilty pleasure comedy Blankman, and the most prominent and famous film series to actually solidify the so called “Marvel Film” formula Blade with Wesley Snipes helping to evolve the genre into the new century.  From the after effects of X-Men and Batman films, we were given the Marvel Studio films that would evolve the formula of cinematic episodes for a new generation and make reliably fun and entertaining film entries of many of the superheroes that would become staples of this series.  Which leads us to the latest breakout superhero that is now getting his own film, on the cusp of the penultimate conclusion to this decade long film series with a continuous major storyline coming to a head.  That character is T’Challa, the king of Wakanda, a technological wonder and tribal culture with deeply ingrained history and beliefs within Africa and Black people of all walks of life.  He is also known as Black Panther, the agile warrior of Wakanda that defends and rules over his kingdom with a sense of purpose, honor, and justice.  Let’s get right into it with the story of his latest adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Taking place after Civil War, with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) on the run with numerous heroes as fugitives of the Skovia Accords and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) still making sure to keep the peace with the government and those willing to register as a government employed hero while being a mentor to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) on the side.  T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) has returned to Wakanda to assume the throne left vacant from his father T’Chaka’s (John Kani) death from Helmut Zemo’s (Daniel Brühl) bombing attack on the UN Security Conference.  However, not everyone is happy to see him become king of Wakanda as the country is torn between its traditions of tribal order and hierarchy to the clandestine nature of the country’s technological advances that surpass every country in the world.  This has forced T’Challa to bring order and peace to the kingdom through diplomacy and action to protect the kingdom from outsiders but maintain stability among his people.

However, for the villains such as Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) and for an outcast, renegade Wakandian terrorist Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), they want to disrupt it, with Klaue’s desire for Vibranium (indestructible metal that created Captain America’s Shield and the Panther suit) to profit while Killmonger wants to subvert the traditions of Wakanda and use the kingdom as a weapon to establish supremacy over the entire world.  With T’Challa compatriots and former lover, they must work together to bring order to their troubled kingdom and for T’Challa to earn his right to be not only king, but to be the Black Panther and inherit the warrior’s spirit from his ancestors before him.

First and foremost, it is a Marvel film, meaning it is reliably fun and engaging in all the right spots as well as treading well executed if familiar plot beats, but it is the world and cultural components of the film that sets it apart from the other entries.  This is primarily set within the African Kingdom called Wakanda, a technologically superior world with advancements out pacing other nations despite the struggles and sufferings of those, not a part of their world.  The story is at its strongest and most compelling when it explores and develops the characters to the Wakanda culture and traditions.  This is where the lead does develop as a character despite not going through as compelling of a character arc as in Civil War.  It does provide a fun side story that plays out like a James Bond film as well as a remixed version of Thor/Iron Man with a bit of The Lion King/Hamlet thrown in for good measure.

The racial identity and societal beliefs of pure/mixed ethnicity is at the heart of the film’s surprisingly intriguing themes explored here and makes up one of the major conflicts.  This is where the film rises above the average origin superhero film, especially in voicing and creating a story that does relate to these characters and their arcs throughout the film despite only just scratching the surface of those themes.  This is very much a character driven film with the focus on T’Challa and Killmonger’s growth as characters, pulling off the familiar story arcs we have seen in these films a dozen times now.  It is those themes that really elevate the familiar, trodden path from feeling too stale or repetitive especially with not shying away from isolationism and Xenophobia particularly with many of the supporting cast as well as the lead at first before his change of heart in the climax.

If there are flaws, it is inherent to the story structure/character arcs of these films as there are no big surprises other than developing the characters to their logical if a bit too similar paths like in other comic book films.  This can be contributed to the questionable contrivances of plot and character moments that make no sense or contradict what has come before in the MCU.  It also has a very messy and convoluted finale with some questionable editing that really affects the dramatic flow of the climax.  It is worth noting that it does feel like two major storylines smashed into one as it transitions between Spy Adventure to traditional Superhero, coming of age adventure, making for a drastic shift in the middle act with pacing and tone.  It might have some aspirations and examination of the themes mentioned above, but it only goes into them on a surface level, dropping the interesting themes for your standard superhero story disappointingly.  While the performances of the villains are fantastic, they feel a bit underutilized or wasted particularly Klaue as well as Killmonger mainly near the end.  Its inconsistency of plot structure and thematic storytelling is where the film does falter back into the formula we have come to expect to be done well by Marvel Studios despite coming close to being more than the average comic book story structured in film.

The cast is a plethora of Black actors and actresses from all generations starring in this film, starting with the lead himself Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa.  He is another perfect casting on Marvel Studios part in capturing the look and characteristics of the comic book character.  The character himself is calm, cool, and stoic as well as introspective in his actions, making him a refreshingly different protagonist for these kinds of films.  However, the writing for his development and arc feels a bit thin as he has been established and gone through his own change already from his previous appearance.  Boseman still gives a strong, stoic performance and his character’s great qualities do shine when he interacts with others and is unfortunately bland and overpowered on his own.

The real standout of the cast regarding writing and performance is Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, a villain with a clear motivation and is perhaps the most empathetic storyline of the film that outshines even T’Challa’s struggles to be a king and hero.  His introduction in the story as well as his arc is the closest this film gets to dramatically elevating this above the typical Marvel film.  However, he does end up being reduced to a standard, megalomaniac villain for the hero to punch in one of the most CGI-heavy climaxes that is dull to watch.  A great villain character that is letdown by an anticlimactic finale despite having one of the most poignant lines that is reflective of the character and will certainly ring truthful with many people.

Let’s get into the supporting cast ranging from memorable to underused, starting with Shuri (Letitia Wright) who serves as not only comic relief that provides levity to the story at the right moments, but is the “Q” of this character’s world.  She provides some much-needed humanity to T’Challa as well, allowing for that character to express some genuinely humorous character moments that enriches both characters even more.  We also have the love interest Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), who aids T’Challa as well as dealing with her own character arc regarding loyalty and honor for Wakanda as an infiltration spy.  Nyong'o works well with Boseman and fits as a love interest along with holding her own as a supporting character throughout the film.  Another notable supporting cast member is CIA agent Ross played by Martin Freeman, made likable and heroic as well as less weaselly than his first appearance in Civil War.  He does provide potential development for future storylines regarding liaison work between the world and Wakanda as well as being as straight laced and reliably great in the role despite the limited use of his character.

Let’s get to a few more supporting characters, such as M’Baku (Winston Duke), known in the comics as Man-Ape, a tribal warlord that leads his group away from technology and comforts.  He is a great rivalry character that serves to provide one of the better fight scenes and climatic moments in the film as well as an endearingly humorous moment well timed and played.  There is also Andy Serkis as Klaue, gun for hire and sporting a new Wakanda based arm cannon to offer his services to the highest bidder.  He does play more of the cackling villain type which clashes with the dramatic tone at times, but he provides some fun moments during the big chase scene at the very least.   There is also the warrior general Okoye (Danai Gurira), the clean shaven female warrior loyal to the throne and Wakanda.  She provides much of the female empowerment characterization but nothing else besides a few cool action moments, making her visually cool but a bit lacking in characterization. Those should cover the characters that were either great or good enough to standout throughout the film.

Here are the characters that were either underutilized or just completely wasted in this film. The first one is Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi, a trusted friend of T’Challa that heads up the Border Tribe that protects the kingdom from outsiders.  While he does have a few character moments that resonate with the T’Challa and Okoye, he kind of feels like a plot device to allow for the second half to happen and nothing else which is a shame for a charismatic and promising actor. Forest Whitaker as Zuri kind of feels like a perfunctory role and performance for the mentor type character while Angela Bassett as Ramonda, T’Challa and Shuri’s mother is decent but feels like a filler character with nothing to add to the story other than heritage for the lead and that’s it. Most of the performances are fantastic to pretty good with many of the crucial roles working in tandem with the story, but the cast does feel overstuffed with talented actors/actresses that have little to do other than serve a narrative function or just fill out an unmemorable role for the sake of story conventions.

Let’s get into the technical aspects of the film where it truly shines artistic and creatively despite a few elements feeling undercooked than usual, starting with the art direction and costume/make up designs.  It is very much Black-centric artistry here with the use of bright, vibrant colors as well as instilling the culture’s history via tribal markings and regal/prehistoric garments.  There is also a use of tribal war clothes and masks to instill the generational component of Wakanda in a very eye-popping way with the use of the busy city life clashing with the natural yet vast landscapes for the location.  They all pop out proudly and with such conviction in the stylistic look for this world that makes it the most inspired looking Marvel film to date and this continued interest in making their films visually distinctive during Phase 3 is great.  The suit has gone through changes as well, relying on purple as a visual interpretation of kinetic energy to counter act the main black color palate of the suit as well as yellow for the opposite suit.  There are some obvious green screen uses that limit the scale of the settings at times particularly around Wakanda, making one desire to see more of the world hopefully in the next entry in the MCU.  The artistic direction with the costume design is truly awe-inspiring and reflects the culture in a fantastical way that fits the characters and story succinctly.

While the artistic direction in production, costume, and makeup is truly beautiful in their craftsmanship and visual flair, the same cannot be said for the action set pieces as well as the choreography of them.  The action beats that do work are the Casino battle, parts of the car chase, and the tribal combats with M’Kabu along with Killmonger as they have enough physical stunt work and energy behind them to really standout.  It goes awry with the big battle near the end, filled with a heavy use of CGI and green screen along with armored rhinos fully CG to make the climax feel ridiculous at times and the ropey, weightless final showdown between T’Challa and Killmonger with the routine punch heavy fight on a train track lacks any sense of tension and impact to it, especially with the characters making appearance in the next installment so soon.  The film is at its best with character development and interactions but lacks the inventive and creatively inspired action/power heavy set pieces that would have provided more excitement for the film.

The cinematography is at least professionally handled and showcases Wakanda in a remarkable way despite the questionable use of it during its action sequences.  It was shot by Rachel Morrison (DP for Mudbound) and they keep to the uniformed look of this series except for the world of Wakanda.  It is a great mix of traditional and sci-fi futurism at its finest and it looks vibrant and colorful with the way the scenes are covered to convey the setting.  However, it does lose its unique visual flair with the action set pieces throughout the film.  The casino section is gorgeous looking and very inspired from James Bond but it relies too much on shaky shots and rapid editing to cover the actors’ choreography in the action beats.  This also leads into the effects having a hard time gelling with the green screen usage for larger than life areas of the setting with the cinematography and VFX together. 

However, where the film does drop the ball tremendously is the handling of the visual effects from the suit movement and action within the big battle that occurs in the climax of the film. It seems like there were a ton of VFX studios that were outsourced for this one as it seems that there is no consistency with physics and impact especially when it is solely CGI for an action set pieces such as the Car Chase and battle between T’Challa and Killmonger in the Panther suits.  The CGI is fine in establishing the world and in the beginning action set pieces, but it seems to degrade in quality as the film goes along.  Thankfully, it does not diminish the character moments and development that holds the film together, but it certainly ensures that the action in general feels flat and generic in regards to their intensity and energy for the story.

Lastly, let’s go into the sound design from compositional score to the soundtrack as it is a unique creation of its own to befit the story and world of Black Panther.  The score was done by Ludwig Göransson this time out and he infuses a blend of African/Tribal music with some EDM/Hip-Hop beats throughout the film that are utilized to great effect with this film.  The beats of action sound effect work are still top notch as expected from a MCU film. The soundtrack was shaped and created by Kendrick Lamar and he has injected some truly varied and lively songs throughout the film as well as closing out strong with “All The Stars” with him and SZA.  The sound design is in top form here and is absolutely in sync with the visuals as expected.

What else can be written that hasn’t been mentioned already? Marvel’s Black Panther is a solid, rollicking fun adventure that aspires for relatable drama and humanity for Black culture.  It does come close to really achieving new heights for comic book films in general regarding the themes it explores from Xenophobia to the clashes of ideologies and lives of an African and African American man at cross paths.  However, it does falter comfortably into the standard clichés, themes, and troupes we have come to expect from these Superhero films from the Sins of the Father plot twist to opposite conflict between two leads yet again, combining numerous stories from the series like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.  What keeps it from being regarded as a competently made yet average Superhero film though, is the passionate, well developed characterization for the cast of characters and their development surrounding the world and culture they inhabit in this film.  It may not be the groundbreaking entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe everyone is waiting for to change things up, but it certainly establishes another world, characters, and story that could be remarkable in a future installment.

Score: **** out of *****  

Black Panther is a seminal, timely action/adventure film that is reliably good for what it accomplishes in establishing a new Black Superhero that is both a warrior and king to Wakanda, one of the most technologically advanced societies of the MCU.  While the story is rather routine and only scratches the compelling, relatable societal/racial drama that is a part of this character and of our world today, it delivers on the fun and engaging adventure that these films can reliably be in their sleep.  The performances are top notch with standouts such as Michael B. Jordan (both as the character and the writing for him) and Letitia Wright with most of the main cast being respectively good in their roles while the supporting cast tends to be hit and miss sadly.  The action is unfortunately sub-par despite a few inspired ones with the Casino showdown and the proceeding Car Chase through South Korea (for most of it) as well as the tribal duels (mainly for physicality and stunt work at play).  They devolve into CGI messes though, especially the finale but that seems to be a given at this point along with the shaky movement of the shots and confusingly rapidfire editing at work.  The characters and their development shines in this film despite the technical deficiencies and creative missteps with a rather classic if stretched thin story and repeated themes from other MCU films.  This is still a good time in the cinema and one that we can only hope will influence studios in a beneficial way instead of taking the wrong message and direction from this film.