"I didn't know what's inside ... but I could save him."
Trailer Review 055 & Movie Preview 006
ANNIHILATION
Paramount Pictures & Skydance
> my earlier post on the movie <
80% for effectively portraying the bizarre world of Area X and the danger it is presenting to the expedition team although the typical trope of quick cuts could have been avoided.
Listening to the audiobook version of the first two novels of VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, it was like a dream come true to find out a motion picture adaptation based on the series would be made and the icing on the cake is knowing that Alex Garland would be the one spearheading the project as his debut success in Ex Machina proved his directing prowess and huge potential. How he played with the concept of consciousness with Ava would correlate well with the ongoing storytelling perspective that VanderMeer use here with the main protagonist of each book deciphering the uncertainty of the contaminated wilds around them whether they are real or simply illusion. The psychological journey of Ava is the perfect template for the Biologist's as he is perfectly equipped to handle such task.
Chance of Success =
over 80% with established actresses leading the film with bizarre premise and psychedelic visuals.
"... Unknowable and Indescribable ..."
a case for the excellent sci-fi debut:
+ Highlights +
A thoughtful examination of the meaning of consciousness, life and being human between a real person and an artificial, supported by the splendid directing of the brilliants actors, gorgeous cinematography and perfect visual effects, resulting in a hell of a debut film.
? Main contention ?
Being the screenwriter and the director, he already have the capability to bring to life a premise or a concept he conjured up himself, but playing in other people's sandbox is a different matter altogether ...
- Lowlights -
... having to choose what to adapt and cut to make a cohesive retelling of a novel such as this could be a massive undertaking but considering how well his first foray into the genre, he is more than likely to excel in it a second time around.
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Ex Machina is a cult hit which sync with his reputation of indie darling although the box office results unfortunately also mirror that sentiment ... there is possibility of history repeating itself but the potential of his followup with marquee names paired with bizarre premise should be enough to justify higher earnings and warrant a second entry in the Southern Reach movie trilogy. One could hope!
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a case for the mind-numbing and psychedelic series:
+ Highlights +
An author embracing the science fiction genre by going full weird and bizarre with the premise and concept which is executed deftly with central mysteries surrounding the ecosystem in the jungle and how it surround the disappearance of the people there.
While in the original, the group split up immediately and went on their own whereas they would act together for much longer in the movie to display visually transfer of information during the character interactions.
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The vagueness of the mysteries can be both intriguing and frustrating at the same time ...
- Lowlights -
... which could be too much for some.
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The medium of words could hint and tease of something without ever actually revealing what it is and this approach has been prominent all over the piece hence the approach to have much that is internalized in the Biologist's mind and book logs changed to a more engaging visual representations i.e. video logs instead of written notes.
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A few more action-oriented scenes would be included to possibly engage with the audiences more or to represent the physical danger of Area X directly by changing the oddly behaving animals to downright scarier and lethal counterparts i.e. bear instead of boar and alligator instead of dolphin. No more human looking dolphins with fingers, though ...
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a case for the tense psychedelic trailer:
+ Highlights +
Right away the visual representation of the imposing wilderness is spot on with the rainbow discharges and tense soundtrack to complement the scene of being afraid going into the unknown even if you're fully prepared.
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The sense of uncertainty effectively comes through when she is being interrogated as she tried to put into words what she has seen in the 'forest' and any word she could say to represent them is being hold in high regards with the amount of people observing her.
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From the lush jungles and the visual anomalies in the air as well as in the flora and fauna, VanderMeer's words being brought to life faithfully which help in building up the wondrous atmosphere of the beauty of the unknown masquerading the real danger beneath them.
? Main contention ?
Seeing how everyone except the Biologist is suited up with protection gears, one could assume it's just a safety precaution against any potential foreign organism or contaminant that she could bring back with her.
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The more extraordinary version of the bizarre plants took shape in various shape and sizes with the humanoid-looking shapes in the playground as well 'the explosion' in the swimming pool that appeared to actually have two human remains there speak volumes of the capability of this 'outbreak'. The question asked to her was really about her interaction with this 'organism'.
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Being motivated to be included in the expedition because of how her husband was 'coerced' to participate in this "suicide mission" and return a different man and was(is?) even in critical condition, she wanted to know what exactly happened to him in his expedition.
- Lowlights -
Typical trope of trailers today of quick cuts at the end to tease the viewers of what's coming would easily be viewed as spoilerish to those who are not in the know ... at least it's not as much as others had done with a tease of the action and that tower!
- Synopsis -
A biologist searches for her missing husband while on an expedition with a secret agency and discovers a dangerous creature lurking in the wilderness.
Cast
Natalie Portman as the Biologist, Tessa Thompson as the Surveyor, Jennifer Jason Leigh as the Psychologist, Oscar Isaac ...
- goodreads - IMDb - wiki (film) - wiki (novel) -
source: Collider
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