Won't You Be My Neighbor? Review

“You are special, and I like you just the way you are”.  A paraphrased quote from one of the most iconic media personality to have graced television as well as an ordained Christian minister named Fred Rogers.  He had a passionate and continuous goal to teach kids about growing up and enrich their lives with his long running show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  Through that show, it would be an outlet and way to help kids deal with the different life challenges and tragedies that occur in our lives.  That is what the filmmaker Morgan Neville explores in this extensive and detailed documentary that explores Rogers life from the moment he creates the show to his untimely death to cancer.  Does this film truly shed light on a prolific figure in a way that is not only respectful and heartwarming or does it falter here and there to really explore his life to the fullest?  Let’s get right into it and explore the subject and the different key themes/events that the film explores in the first ever documentary review.

The main subject of the film is Mister Fred Rogers and the numerous actors/actress, producers, family, and friends that worked and lived with him through the best and worse of times.  The opening footage of Rogers explaining how important it is to understand how a kid feels and how to reach them as a human being, setting up the exploration of his creative approach to teaching and enriching kids’ lives.  As soon as he got his show going, we learn about how he had to approach tough and mature themes/ideas through his setting of Make-Believe, by discussing death from assassination, superhero related injuries and deaths, divorce, and even racism.  All of this was made possible from being on public access station (PBS) as well as the iconic monumental statement made to senators back in the 60’s from Rogers that awarded the company with $20-30 million dollars to update the studios and create episodes to reach out to children everywhere. That’s just the tip of the amazing life that Rogers had and the film explores this with clarity and conviction in what he wanted to convey to children everywhere.

There are also little animated interludes that actually go into how Rogers thought and felt not just as a kid but how he imbued his feelings into his puppets.  This is done with the intention to explore how Rogers thinks and expresses his thoughts and emotions to everyone, which is quite unlike the average person’s ability of expression.  These sections interspersed with the footage of him showcasing how it works with him and the puppet (his favorite at first is Daniel The Tiger, kind and compassionate but he eventually becomes more like King Friday The 13th, afraid of change and always trying to make everything right with the world and people).  This is also intercut with his competition with the flashy, colorful cartoons and shows on TV that he felt was not only shallow but doesn’t quite impart to the kids how to live their life, the best way possible.  This is the way it flows throughout the documentary, the challenges and triumphs with the show along with the continuous struggle to do good in a world that unfortunately keeps moving backwards instead of forward.

There is a pretty compelling section of the film that explores how everyone from Fox News to the harsh and hurtful feelings of the day/month/year are used as an excuse to make Rogers look like a fraud or even trying to force our own flaws onto his ideology and character.  This is done extremely well and adds a unique conflict that is both refreshing to see yet frustrating in how it does affect Rogers emotionally from doing what he loves on TV.  Despite the occasional disagreements, you understand the power of television from both sides of the fence, one using it for positivity and educational purposes, the other is using for entertainment and manipulation in the worse possible way, even if that wasn’t the intentions of the creators/producers of specific shows.  In doing so, you understand Rogers resentment of how people have abused this media form in heartbreaking ways that doesn’t quite provide solutions but it does provide reflections on how we can use it for good instead of greedy intent.

If there is a reoccurring praise to this film, it is absolutely emotionally rewarding and heartbreaking to watch as this truly unique figure does all he can to help everyone and, in the end, it is up to us to remember and impart those lessons to the next generation.  The narrative structure is refreshingly compact and moves briskly throughout his main life as a person and then the iconic father figure of TV.   There are even surprising moments throughout the film, especially when you have a section with a News Anchor just nonchalantly ask Rogers if he was gay and still stunned in disbelief that this person could be inherently good and want to be better someone else’s life.  That sums up the journey the film takes you on, the mere fact that we have a truly good person, doing remarkable things to improve and enrich the lives of children everywhere, but always have to continuously compete with the flash and noise of the 80’s/90’s kids and animated programs is nothing short of extraordinary.

As for the technical aspects, it’s a mix of historical footage, episodes of the show, the televised news/interviews with him, and the talking heads of the people that knew him, worked with him, and help keep his legacy and work alive.  The talking heads could have been jarring to sit through but here, they are used effectively with the archival footage as well as having some truly great subjects that speak about Rogers endearingly and jovial in happiness and sadness at times.  The highlight from those talking heads was François Scarborough Clemmons, one of the reoccurring actors on the show, who also was gay during a time that was very much against it and could have jeopardies the show greatly if it came out about his sexuality.  But Rogers still accepted him for who he was despite the trying times of the 1960’s and Clemmons has a great, emotionally cathartic end to that personal struggle that is worth seeing unfolded.  Everyone else talks about him warmly with funny anecdotes and moments throughout their time with him along with the archive footage of the stuff he tackled head on from Racism to Death to disability and of course, the tragic events that have hurt all of us for decades (Freedom Challenger explosion and 9/11 to name a few).

This is a shorter review than usual, as with a documentary, you can only write so much before you can get to the part where it comes down to recommendation and summarize what makes this film unique from everything else out there.  In this case, it’s the subject himself, Mister Fred Rogers. This is one of the few iconic media figures that has stood the test of time to scrutiny and even the cynicism of today’s culture.  Even when famous comedians and actors made fun of him or parodied his work with love (Eddie Murphy’s spot-on parody of Mister Rogers, genius), there is still a level of respect for him that is rare to see in media personality despite the occasional disagreement or annoyance with certain sketches and impersonators.  This is also a great inspirational story of how one person’s love and care for everyone in the world can truly conquer the fears and nightmares we have to live through every day.

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

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is the most inspirational and truly satisfying documentary films to grace 2018 and of the film medium in general.  You rarely get subject matters and stories that are truly uplifting and hopeful in a sea of cynicism and darker, mature themes that has driven the quality of the medium up for at least a decade.  To have a positive documentary as that truly explores Fred Rogers life, philosophy, and beliefs is nothing short of astounding to how it has truly provided a positive impact to the world.  It makes his passing all the more painful as we lack that type of love, kindness, and empathy that this world could use a bit of right now, especially for the people on the internet in general.  As the film asks us to do before we end this review, close your eyes and remember the one person you care about and made happy on that day.  That’s what Mister Rogers would have all of us do, whenever we feel blue or not special in this world.

Ready Player One Review

As we progress further into the future, we have two worlds to contend with, starting with the real, dull one and the virtual one where anything is possible.  This is the conceit for the nostalgia driven, video game adventure known as “Ready Player One” by author Ernest Cline.  His book was a love letter and reference haven for 1980’s pop culture but media in general from video games to TV shows and films.  It was a loved and popular book upon its release in 2011 until upon closer examination/critical eye as well as the shifting social norms of gender equality; time has not been kind to it.  However, we have Steven Spielberg taking on the director’s seat along with Zak Penn with Ernest Cline writing the screenplay for the film adaptation of this book.  Does it completely come together and prove that Spielberg’s got the magic touch for genre films or has he lost his ability to provide any spark of creativity and magic to his films outside of period dramas?  Let’s dive into the Oasis and see just how this virtual playground works.

It is the year 2045 and the world has crumbled from pollution and corporate interests sapping the resources dry, along with people living in trailer park complexes known as The Stacks.  This is where Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) lives with his surrogate family as a down and out of luck teenage kid that spends most of his time as Parzival in the digital world called The Oasis.  It is a computerized universe where anything is possible, but it was created to the likes, favorites, and whims of its creator James D. Halliday (Mark Rylance) who loved all things 80’s pop culture but included everyone’s love of the other decades as well.  He left a quest line open for those interested in pursuing it upon his death by the way of an Easter Egg through 3 trials locked away by 3 different keys.  Those that could find the keys and clear each challenge would not only complete the quest but also inherit $500 billion dollars and owner of the Oasis.  It has been a sought-after prize for as long as the Oasis has existed.

However, all that is going to change when Wade discovers the first clue that leads him to the first key and finally the first trial.  However, his rival Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) follows right behind him along with his buddy Aech (Lena Waithe) and two other players from Japan called Gunters, seekers of the Easter Egg named Daito (Win Morisaki) and Shoto (Philip Zhao).  Finally, on their heels both digital and for real, Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) himself, the CEO of Innovative Online Industries (IOI for short) hell bent on winning the prize with his legion of gamer soldiers as well as using dirty and deadly ways to win the quest at all cost.  It becomes a race and deadly game of questing, friendship, romance, betrayal, and war for control of not just the Oasis but the very future of the world.

It is clearly its own story with only certain elements from plot to action beats used from the book, but it captures the fun and adventurous spirit of the story with spades, somewhat.  This is a rather odd critique here but, it is at its best when we see the Oasis as well as the trials/challenges they work through but not when it focuses on the real world or even the teenagers, kids, and young adults that drive these avatars.  The problem is we are only given a few times to develop the characters from their typical arcs or even connect with them before the next action sequence kicks in.  It goes more along the lines of the standard hero’s journey from loser to hero arc that we have seen done better and more inspired than in this film. 

It is disappointing to say that Spielberg plays it safe with this film and goes through the routine of telling a fun if shallow action adventure story with perhaps the best and most inspired 2nd act that truly shows what the film should have been the whole time.  With no spoilers, it is a loving tribute and homage to a filmmaker’s classic film, recreated meticulously with love and respect for that film.  It is in that sequence that the film comes the closet to capturing the sheer zany fun and nostalgia inspired genius that made the book iconic and loved when it first came out.  The rest of the film never truly lives up to its video game adventure premise, from the awkwardly expository beginning to the overly stuffed and bloated third act.  It never earns the message it tries to deliver at the end about the dangers of VR as well as relying on nostalgia and pop culture as an escape from reality.  It never bothers with developing those themes as it solely wants to entertain and nothing else. 

It doesn’t help that the real world is never truly explored or developed to understand why everyone is living in The Oasis.  Also, the logistics of the technology seems to have its own questionable functions, but the film moves so fast in pacing, that it never truly takes the time to at least let the viewers be part of the world within this story.  There is also a romance between the leads that feels forced and rushed along with zero chemistry to buy their affections for one another so quickly.  They did get rid of at least the creepy components to the story-line but it comes at the cost of feeling like an add-on that goes no where just like the thrown in references that actually played a big part of the story or action sequences in the book but never given context during the translation of the story into the script adapted for the big screen.  The story has its moments of excitement and ingenious use of nostalgia to create a cool sequence or related to the quest but anything real world related or focusing on the characters themselves falls flat and dull.

The characters in their arcs and motivations have been completely changed for the better by simplifying their development and relying more on chemistry and group interactions to make them shine in the film.  Wade Watts is the typical generic zero to hero character that is at least made decent to at least follow along, with the fine if bland performance from Tye Sheridan.  The main stand out was Olivia Cooke as Art3mis, who is given clear motivations and gives a committed, charismatic performance that makes her a character that is easiest to root for.  As for Ben Mendelson as the villainous Sorrento, he really hams it up with his performance and comes across as an inept cartoon villain literally, but he is still fun to watch as the new go-to villainy casted actor.  These are the main characters that we follow throughout the whole film.

The supporting cast is also perfectly fine but is also only given the bare minimum of development time to establish them and nothing else.   They are only in a few scenes in the real world with most of their performance being voice driven for animated characters.  With Aech, the performance from Lena Waithe is at least funny in the right spots and provides a good companion role for the lead as well as the Asian Gunters of Daito and Shoto mainly in how they portray their characters despite being just there for the cool moments of the action sequences.  Then you have actors that serve as bit players like Simon Pegg as Ogden Murrow while Mark Rylance provides the emotional element of the story even if it’s not at the forefront of the main plot.  The reason for the crunched in section for the actors/characters is that they are never truly given a chance to stand out among the CGI creations and the big action spectacle that unfortunately drowns out the human components of the story and performances. 

Let’s get to the technical aspects of the film starting with the action set pieces themselves that are both CGI driven and practical to an extent.  For the action set pieces in the Oasis, they are thrilling and intense to watch especially the explosive and chaotic opening race for the first key.  It has its moments of inventive references and eye candy to the extreme, but it is a bit of a disjointed mess overall and not the best way to really open the film.  The second act has the best action beats from the Disco dancing date straight from the book to the surprisingly clever and wonderful recreation of a film that has a personal connection to the director that provides the excitement, mystery, callbacks, and referential adventuring that was the book’s strongest writing quality brought to life on the big screen.  However, it eventually becomes a blinding, overloading mess with its final act as it combines action beats from The Oasis and real world with nostalgic callback/reference overload in full gear for better and worse to the entertainment factor.  Simply put, the Oasis is fun to watch at least but the real-world elements are meandering and very sluggish to watch.

The next aspect to explore is the cinematography of the film, which will be tricky as it combines the old and new methods of visual storytelling with uses of studios, green/blue screens, and CGI animated worlds.  The film was shot by Janusz Kamiński (his go-to cinematographer on numerous films since 1991) and it tends to combine the signature looks of Spielberg’s films with fully formed CGI worlds.  It is an odd combinations of visual film styles as it adheres closer to the way James Cameron’s adventure film Avatar was made by blending animated film with live action for the other half of its film.  Other than that distinction, the film is mainly animated and is more interesting and fun to be in than the real world which was intentional.  It looks visually stunning at times and each frame is filled with something video game, movie, tv, or anime related references along with the colorful palettes of the custom created avatars.  This leads to the one aspect of the film that has everyone talking and curious as to how it factors into the story meaningfully or just there for the sake of it.

The references and callbacks to each decade of pop culture is all over this film from the obvious connections of Back To The Future with the Delorean and items related to that film but also creations such as Battletoads, “The A Team”, “The Batman and Robin Series”, Akira, Stephen King’s Christine, Robocop, Hello Kitty, “Mobile Suit Gundam”, “Firefly”, Spaceballs, the Bespin Cloud Fighter from The Empire Strikes Back, The Iron Giant, Street Fighter, and many more.  The film is galore with blink and you’ll miss shout outs to these iconic or obscure references.  There are both meaningfully implemented in the film but also can be pandering by the very end especially with the big battle that feels a bit like the nickname it has been given to the film called “Reference: The Movie”.  It is very much a mixed execution on how they are utilized to created and establish the way the world works for the story or the atmosphere surrounding it. 

This leads to editing itself as the film must devote time to both the animated and real world equally.  It does create a sense of dissonance with how the story flows in both worlds as there are a ton of inter-cutting between the two.  It seems fast and energetic at one point but it slows down and feels ponderous as if to take a breath before the next set piece or plot movement.  While that editing choice is intentional, it does mean that the film tends to feel rushed for most of it as it seems driven more by action than developing the world or characters.  It just needed another pass or even some scenes that develop the characters to help make the viewers care about their adventure and goals against the villains.

Which brings us to Sound Design and Scoring for the film as our last technical aspect to explore before it’s time to quit this game for final thoughts.  The sound design is a mish-mash of different effects and sounds from numerous films/media that are associated with the references ala Pulse Rifle from Aliens or even notable music cues related to films especially with the composer Alan Silvestri and his previous, iconic theme for Back To The Future.  It is another source of Easter egg references that is less obvious but lovingly rewarding to spot them.  This leads to the original score from Silvestri, who remixes his own work to create score that works in moments and drives the action on the big screen with a ton of notable melodies and cues from his previous work upon hearing it.  The sound design is wonderfully handled and is yet another part of the film that is handled with exceptional care even if the script/characters/story didn’t receive the same treatment.

It can be challenging to go into a blockbuster style film expecting for it to be more than the sum of its parts but Ready Player One comes very close to being as remarkable as Spielberg’s classics or even flawed but memorable films and this one, kind of falls more along the lines of close mindless popcorn fun but ultimately forgettable.  Where the film truly shines is in its technical qualities of visual effects and sound design along with some visually fun and exciting action sequences in the Oasis as well as a stellar 2nd act surprise that comes the closet to capturing the nostalgic zany fun of the book.  However, its shallow, flat characters, shaky opening act along with a bloated and overlong finale, failing to juggle its message with spectacle for mixed results, and tethering on pandering at times in regards to its references in relations to its thin, basic storyline makes for a film that is a ton of fun on the surface and tasty as delicious candy but is hollow and ultimately fades away before you can appreciate how good it really was to have it.

Score *** out of *****

Ready Player One is Steven Spielberg’s seminal blockbuster film release of this year and it comes close to re-invoking the magic and sentimental fun that was always easy to find in his films.  The film shows that confidently in its visual splendor of the Oasis along with the numerous references and callbacks to decades of media from the 80’s to today.  It captures the spirit and adventurous joy of the book in its second act starting with the Disco Date to the finale.  This coupled with expertly crafted visual effects with a remarkably familiar sound design makes for a euphoric visual/audio experience for the right viewers.  However, in shaping the spectacle in front of our eyes, they forgot to develop their flat and uninteresting character archetypes to standout in this film along with the thin, generic good vs. evil plot that hints at some bigger theme and message about the dangers of VR and nostalgia, only to leave it on the wayside for more action and “look at that!” moments.  This means the film lacks the depth and nuance that makes a film go from being just good but forgettable to great and memorable.  This is a fun ride for sure but it’s one that might not stick with you once those glasses come off and you’re heading right back out into the real world.

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.