A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.
With next-to-no fanfare, Alex Garland’s gorgeous mind-bender “Annihilation” slipped into theaters this past February. Based on the speculative eco-fiction/sci-fi head-trip by prolific author Jeff VanderMeer (“Annihilation” being the first part of his “Southern Reach” trilogy), “Annihilation” kept on slipping under the radar; while gathering impressive critical acclaim, confused audiences stamped it with a harsh “C” Cinemascore. It opened to a dismal $11 million.
This disparity between critical admiration and the general public’s disdain, along with the lack of proper marketing and poor U.S. box-office, brings to mind Darren Aronofsky’s “mother!”, which just came out last year. Both are misunderstood, important, bold artistic films that are either destined to gain cult status over the years, similarly to “Blade Runner” or “Donnie Darko,” or will sadly disappear into the ether of forgotten masterpieces, overshadowed by massive, message-hammering monstrosities that reign over Hollywood these days.
Take “Black Panther” for example. Already, Jimmy Kimmel is waxing poetic at the Oscars about how this film will change everything in 2018. Currently, “Black Panther” is quickly becoming one of the top-grossing films of all time. It consists of primarily an African-American cast. Its message is that of inclusion and battling prejudice.
These are all admirable, undoubtedly history-making facts. Yet “Black Panther” still distills down to a story about a dude wearing a silly cat costume, hailing from an Atlantis-like, CGI kingdom that’s fueled by a magical substance called Vibranium (I hear it’s also a popular, um, product on Pornhub). It contains a series of pixelated fights that lead up to the Ultimate Superhero Showdown. Yes, they attempted to make the villain less “villain-y,” more ambiguous in his “villainess,” but the attempt is so clearly forced, it’s as if someone at Marvel FINALLY took a look at their very long list of freakin’ boring villains and said, “Hey, how about we add a modicum of depth to this one?”
Never for a second does one doubt the outcome of the story. The whole thing is hard to take seriously, due to the campy nature of it all. Just because a silly comic book is infused with a degree of relevance does not all of a sudden make it The Greatest Thing Ever and a candidate for the next Oscar nominations (see what happened with the “just-okay”, plot-hole-filled horror flick “Get Out,” which all of a sudden is described as a masterpiece on par with P.T. Anderson’s work and receiving Best Script golden dudes).
For a tiny fraction of “Black Panther”’s budget, “Annihilation” achieves something infinitely more subtle and thought-provoking. It contains memorable, relatable characterizations, as opposed to heroic and antiheroic archetypes. It’s about humanity trying to come to grips with itself and the nature it’s destroying, linking our capacity for self-destruction to the annihilation we inflict upon the very thing that birthed us. It utilizes its special effects more cunningly and sparingly, creating a hallucinatory world that grows on you like its emerald moss. It questions our perception of reality and takes a peek beyond, posing the following inquiry: what if we were to see the world from nature’s perspective?
It’s also arguably more diverse – I’m talking both cultural and sexual diversity (it casually, without ever making a big deal about it or hammering the message into our heads, makes its four protagonists intelligent, independent females, all from different backgrounds), as well as biodiversity (the variety of life in Garland’s cinematic ecosystem, a.k.a. “Area X,” is mind-blowing, putting to shame “Black Panther”’s by-the-book (albeit splendidly colorful) Wakanda). Most importantly, like Garland’s “Ex-Machina” before that, “Annihilation” reiterates the importance of hard sci-fi, as a mirror to humanity, as an artistic means to express our innermost dreams, fears, and aspirations.
I know it may be unfair to compare the two films – one may argue they serve different purposes, are of different genres, etc. Yet it’s not like I am comparing apples to oranges, “August Osage County” to “The Incredible Hulk.” Both “Annihilation” and “Black Panther” can be described as fantasy epics; both contain special effects; both serve to frighten, enlighten, and entertain the audience. Yet the former was made by an auteur who, after a tumultuous studio battle, got free reigns of the final cut and managed to share his singular, unapologetic vision with the world. The latter was constructed by a studio who dumped an auteur into the mix to imbue the enterprise with some class and gave the audiences exactly what they wanted, a zeitgeist theme in capital letters, so powerful it masks the hollowness beneath it.
Again, I am not arguing “Black Panther”’s cultural importance. I can’t argue facts – audiences are loving it, it’s crushin’ it at the box-office, change is a-comin.’ Yet, I don’t know about you, but it’s “Annihilation”’s half-evolved bear – one of the most terrifying creations to ever grace celluloid – or its deer with antlers sprouting flowers, or Natalie Portman’s sorrowful eyes as she gets submerged deeper and deeper into her own consciousness/into the mysterious Area X, or its hallucinatory ending, up there with “2001,” “Under the Skin,” “Arrival,” or “Martyrs,” in terms of utilizing hypnotic visuals for a both deeply unsettling and stunningly gorgeous effect – those are the things that will stay with me throughout 2018.
I will ponder the film’s themes of nature vs. nurture, our effects on nature and each other. I’ll mull over the meaning of some of its exchanges and flashbacks. Upon rewatching it many times, I will marvel at how it all gels together, and how Garland may have discovered a new cinematic language (like Villeneuve did with “Arrival” two years ago), filled with mystery and discovery, mind-bending questions and visceral thrills. As for “Black Panther,” I may watch it one night with my wife on Netflix.
Available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD Tuesday, May 29th
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