Annihilation

 

What I liked: I liked the crystal trees and the creepy people plants. The multi colored lichen and flowers were cool too. I liked how disorienting the loss of time and flashbacks were, they did a good job of maintaining the disquiet and suspense. I liked that they remembered that mutation and evolution has no goal, it's just a thing that happens with all kinds of side effects. I liked their little boat trip in giant crocodile infested swamp. I'm not sure if I loved the silver skin suit but I can't deny that it was interesting. 

What I didn't: The heroes are all scientists who go on a mission to find out what is going on inside the "shimmer". For being all scientists they don't draw very well on their test one variable at a time training. If nothing has ever come out of the shimmer, try sticking a stick in and see if you can pull it out. Step inside with a harness on so if you don't come back they can try and pull you back. Walk in a little ways and then come back. Fly over the top of it and drop robots programmed to come back out and bring you samples. There are a lot of things to test before you run head first into the middle with no way of getting your findings back out. And why was no one taking notes? Sure you might be losing memory as you go along, all the more reason to write more things down! One of the main reasons Lena is an asset on the mission is she has military training. She proceeds to not use that training. When you set up camp in a perfectly good, defenesable watch tower and you even have the foresight to set a watch, why would you keep watch- from not the watch tower. Oh no, lets definitely sleep somewhere super secure but set up our sentry in a tiny accessible shack surrounded by tall grass near the breached perimeter fence a good 200 feet from the tower. And then lets all go traipsing back and forth in the dark. If one of your friends gets dragged off by a monster and you are carrying a gun, maybe you should use your training to shoot the monster instead of just wait for a more opportune time later when you can show off. Note to self: if you ever suspect your intestines have turned into pythons and want to carve a window to check and see, the window probably doesn't have to be made when you are still alive. I have a number of questions about the bear. None of them will ever be answered but I wish they were. They seem to play pretty fast and loose with containment. If someone is in bioisolation and everyone going in and out is wearing full hazmat suits, you probably should be too. And if you decide not to you should probably stay in that isolation area. For the record, force of will does not trump powerful mutagen and you probably can't walk off a bite from an alligator with a mouth as big as you. 

Who should watch this? People who like kind of creepy suspenseful movies. People who are not yet worried about their intestines turning into pythons without warning. People on the fence about a phosphorous grenade purchase. 

Would I watch it again? I was glad I finally watched it, like most thriller/mysteries I think the rewatchability is limited but I enjoyed it.