Abob Teff

Oh, you people are funny! That’s shorts weather.

James T. Kirk

mother of christ!

Greg MacGuffin

Loved it. It's like Tarkovsky's Stalker by way of H.P. Lovecraft. Gorgeous and gruesome, often within the same shot. I read the book a couple months ago and I actually think this is a great example of the adaptation surpassing the source material. The novel feels like a pencil sketch, whereas this feels like a fully realized painting.

Osiris3657

I really liked it, expect this to stay in my top 5, if not top 3 of the year. One question though...

Throwing Copper

I was stunned at how flat and boring all the characters were. I thought I read Frances McDormand was up for the Jennifer Jason Leigh part. Not sure if FM passed or what, but what an incredibly boring role and performance from Leigh.

But yep, the rest of it is really kick ass & intriguing.

Dr. DVD

Caught this last night. Reminded me a lot of other slow burn thrillers like The Witch, It Follows, and It Comes at Night, and of course Ex-Machina. Basically, something grossly mismarketed by TV spots as a horror flick when in reality it's a sci-fi movie with some scary moments. I saw this with a crowded theater and could tell a majority of them weren't into it. Definitely more of an arthouse kind of sci-fi that they should have done as a limited release with a slow distribution.

Overall, I did like it, especially all of the visuals. The story was basically Outer Limits/Black Mirror with elements of Lovecraft and obvious visual nods to H.R. Giger in production design. Also,

Dr. DVD

Close to 80 degrees today. Have I mentioned I love living in Florida?

James T. Kirk

Lucky fucker!

Abob Teff

Yes, but if it hits 60 he’s breaking out a snowsuit and setting up burn barrels around his house.

James T. Kirk

Why So Blu?

Let's scale back the weather reports. We have dedicated threads for that.

stingermck

Just saw it and loved it. Dream like, beautiful and horrific all in one.

Abob Teff

Tomorrow brings an extended chance of a shimmer front passing through the Midwest. We recommend staying indoors or, if you have to go out, take something a little more powerful than your umbrella as there is also an 80% chance of mutant creatures.

For our friends in the West Coast, prepare yourselves for another heat wave as Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, and Jennifer Jason Leigh all collide in one film. It is going to be HOT.



I can’t wait to see this ...

Why So Blu?

Ash Ketchum

Never mind the weather report, how was the movie?

stingermck

I thought it was great. I need to see it again to really absorb it all. I liked it a lot more than arrival, which it is getting compared to.

JimRochester

I hope it's better than Arrival, I hated that movie.

Orbi-Wan Techno

I just finished watching it. I liked it better when it was Evolution, with David Duchovney and Orlando Jones. Just substitute Head and Shoulders with the phosphorous grenade...

“Annihilation” (R) - A solid female cast and some good ideas and scares can’t overcome a confusing plot and non-resolution

Natalie Portman is a former soldier turned biologist who joins an expedition into The Shimmer, a phenomenon of “unknown” origin that hides a weirdly-evolving environment. The Shimmer has basically swallowed all others who've entered it, saved one person - Portman's husband (played by Oscar Issac, who spends most of the film either near-catatonic or in a coma.)

The group, lead by a psychologist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and including Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez and Tuva Novotny, soon discover that all members of previous expeditions are likely dead, either killed by the evolving wildlife or by each other. As the movie progresses, things get even more complicated and confusing, until an ending that, frankly, left me scratching my head.

I understand that director Alex Garland (Ex Machina) had already deviated from the source material, then the studio demanded a less-glum ending, instead of Garland's original vision.

What we end up with is a bunch of good ideas, nice visuals, a couple of scary creatures, elements of “The Thing”, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, design elements from the “Alien” series and even the sci-fi comedy “Evolution” thrown into a blender, to create something weird that leaves an odd after-taste.

I was not as enamored with “Annihilation” as others seem to be, and can only give this bit of derivative sci-fi horror 2.5 out of 5 lightsabers.

NOTES TO PARENTS: MINOR SPOILERS “Annihilation” is rated R for some language, scary and bloody elements, and some brief sexuality. The F-bomb is used infrequently. A character is shown in an ambulance bleeding from the mouth. Encounters with a mutating bear have bloody results. A large alligator threatens the group. There is an overall feeling of dread permeating the film. A video shows a living soldier being cut open to reveal something inside. Flashbacks show a couple having sex, but other than a character's back, no explicit nudity is shown. We also see Portman in a t-shirt and panties in flashback a few times (shown in the trailers).

SHARE this review and LIKE the page ORBI-WAN GOES TO THE MOVIES

Orbi-Wan Goes To The Movies is protected under Creative Commons.

whotony

Wow, Evolution was an awful ripoff of Ghostbusters.

James T. Kirk

I liked Arrival. I just didn't like how That shit gave me a massive motherfucking headache.

Orbi-Wan Techno

Meteor crashes into a remote area, microorganisms begin multiplying/evolving/mutating at an alarming rate, there are weird creatures and an undercover cavern, etc. Both definitely share a few elements, LOL.

RichC2

Comedic ragtag team of scientists take on a giant creature could fit a lot of movie descriptions, like Evolution and Ghostbusters.

The Bus

Scott Rudin (the producer) sided with Alex Garland against one of the financiers (Ellison) who wanted a reshoot.

No reshoot was made.

The Bus

I keep thinking and thinking about this movie which I saw two days ago. I played the track "The Alien" two dozen times after seeing it.

(Spoilers ahead)

Was the movie about cancer? Was the alien a universal cancer, uncaring, just wanting to grow even if it kills the host? Was this an allegory for a fruitless pursuit of knowledge or overcoming an adversary? Should we all become plants?

I need to see this again.

Greg MacGuffin

It's definitely a movie that stays with you.

The movie obviously has a lot going on. I don't pretend to have all the answers but a few of my thoughts: