A last-ditch effort to restart the Sun through deploying a nuclear device goes awry. Handsome though derivative SF that can’t decide if it’s an arthouse piece or a mainstream thriller. In trying to be both, and in quoting from Alien, 2001, 2010, Silent Running, Event Horizon, Dark Star and others along the way, it struggles for clarity and distinctiveness.
Tag: Alex Garland
Annihilation (2018, dir. Alex Garland)
An alien invasion provokes an investigation led by a biologist. Sombre SF/horror with whiffs of Arrival and Solaris in its makeup. Genre thrills are underplayed in favour of introspection and aftermath; interesting rather than good, with a perhaps divisive ending.
255 Review 