Author Topic: Annihilation  (Read 7211 times)

DarthNibbles

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Annihilation
« on: March 12, 2018, 02:26:17 PM »
Ok, please enlighten me: what am I missing here?

The plot had more holes than a block of Swiss cheese, it's magical fantasy rather than SciFi and, worst of all, it seems to follow the Donnie Darko theory that "things that don't make sense MUST be profound." Sorry, but sometimes they just don't make sense.

Obviously, I didn't like this movie. Yet plenty of other people do. So, please, tell me why.

Sandy

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2018, 03:10:07 PM »
Hi and welcome, Darthnibbles! :)

Were there aspects of the film that worked for you? I appreciated the cancer metaphor and that the whole team was made up of women. Not very often I get to see that. Usually the female perspective is relegated to a side character. I also really liked Jennifer Jason Leigh's ticks and fatalism and the film's exploration of self destruction...

But! What was up with them going to the tower for protection, but the lookout is on the ground with a light on? And then when there is trouble, the rest leave the protection? That stupidity in plot pulls me right out of a movie. There are other aspects I'm not thrilled with, so I too am mixed.

The person I saw the film with disagrees with me about the ending, so discussion ensuded which is a fun followup and overall I'm glad I went to see it, even if I'm left with pieces of frustration.

PeacefulAnarchy

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2018, 12:25:44 AM »
But! What was up with them going to the tower for protection, but the lookout is on the ground with a light on? And then when there is trouble, the rest leave the protection? That stupidity in plot pulls me right out of a movie. There are other aspects I'm not thrilled with, so I too am mixed.
This and many other tactical decisions were really ridiculous. If these were just normal people in this situation it'd be easier to suspend disbelief, but this is a military operation and their plan is to go straight in to the end, instead of a series of increasingly deeper missions, reporting back their findings each time. Maybe in the first expedition but after that you'd expect a more cautious reconnaissance approach.

I still enjoyed the movie visually and thematically, it was good enough to put aside my issues most of the time and enjoy the building tension and the puzzle pieces sort of coming together and the ideas about destruction and preservation and identity.

Sandy

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2018, 07:11:40 PM »
PeacefulAnarchy, are you my metallic clone, or am I yours? Were your words in my head already, or did you put them there?
« Last Edit: March 20, 2018, 02:57:56 PM by Sandy »

DarthNibbles

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2018, 07:51:40 PM »
Hi and welcome, Darthnibbles! :)

Hi there!

Were there aspects of the film that worked for you? I appreciated the cancer metaphor and that the whole team was made up of women. Not very often I get to see that. Usually the female perspective is relegated to a side character. I also really liked Jennifer Jason Leigh's ticks and fatalism and the film's exploration of self destruction...

OK, the cancer thing never really clicked for me although, on further reflection, the focus on self-destruction is a much better fit. In fact, cancer is merely one aspect or manifestation of that.

As for the female squad... It didn't matter to me. This is probably my male privilege showing, but it didn't seem like a big deal or anything unusual at all. Maybe that isn't my male privilege... Is male privilege when you're threatened by women? Then it's the opposite.

On the other hand... It didn't resonate with me as being really profound or out of the ordinary (neither did the recent Ghostbusters, though I loved the film) that it was helmed primarily by women, so perhaps I meant that it's my privilege which blinds me to the significance of it?

But! What was up with them going to the tower for protection, but the lookout is on the ground with a light on? And then when there is trouble, the rest leave the protection? That stupidity in plot pulls me right out of a movie. There are other aspects I'm not thrilled with, so I too am mixed.
This was just one of the silly decisions that were made "because the plot needed it," rather than being what intelligent characters would do. There were several like that that just galled me.




All in all, my opinion of the movie is improving as I think about it (I love it when that happens), focusing primarily on the Shimmer (and the characters' journey) as being an exploration of self destruction. Which is, given the ending of the film, quite fitting.

The Deer Hunter

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2018, 04:46:15 PM »
I also really liked Jennifer Jason Leigh's ticks and fatalism and the film's exploration of self destruction...

I found her to be the worst part of the movie. She was so dull.

1SO

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2018, 01:11:04 AM »
I was very excited by the film right up until the scene where they watch the footage left behind by the earlier crew. While I can understand the paramedic being in shock and denial and insisting what they saw was "a trick of the light", it doesn't work for the movie that nobody called her on her obvious BS excuse. Nobody at any time could get over their shock and look at the footage again to prove they saw what they really saw. They let themselves get shouted down and the smart sci-fi film gets an immediate case of the dumb. It's not even a point that ultimately changes their mission, but the terrible way the scene is handled deflated me. Like it was a cheating lover, I switched from being trusting to being suspicious and doubtful.

Sandy

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #7 on: March 20, 2018, 03:21:19 PM »
Apt metaphor, 1SO! I was so frustrated with the lookout scene, I plumb forgot how awful the footage scene was. If the director really wanted her reaction and their subsequent reaction to be at all realistic, he shouldn't have shot the footage so clearly. His desire to gross out, superseded his desire for the scene to be valid.


Quote from: DarthNibbles link=topic=14736.msg886487#msg886487

OK, the cancer thing never really clicked for me although, on further reflection, the focus on self-destruction is a much better fit. In fact, cancer is merely one aspect or manifestation of that.

As for the female squad... It didn't matter to me. This is probably my male privilege showing, but it didn't seem like a big deal or anything unusual at all. Maybe that isn't my male privilege... Is male privilege when you're threatened by women? Then it's the opposite.

On the other hand... It didn't resonate with me as being really profound or out of the ordinary (neither did the recent Ghostbusters, though I loved the film) that it was helmed primarily by women, so perhaps I meant that it's my privilege which blinds me to the significance of it?

You pose interesting questions that I don't necessarily have the answers for and I don't know how significant the Ghostbusters remake, or this female troop is, but as a female viewer, I notice when I have the opportunity to see women dominate a cast, especially a cast in an action movie.

Quote
All in all, my opinion of the movie is improving as I think about it (I love it when that happens), focusing primarily on the Shimmer (and the characters' journey) as being an exploration of self destruction. Which is, given the ending of the film, quite fitting.

It's great when this happens. Let a movie percolate for a bit and see what emerges. I think the movie was inventive and the creators had a lot of passion about the themes they were presenting. Even with my dislikes, I'm glad I went and experienced it.

I also really liked Jennifer Jason Leigh's ticks and fatalism and the film's exploration of self destruction...

I found her to be the worst part of the movie. She was so dull.

Dull as dishwater! I'm in agreement there, but it's partly why I liked her take. She was like the walking dead, with only her ticks, belying her indifference.

jdc

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2018, 07:55:09 PM »
I really didn't enjoy this too much but now you got me hating it:)
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1SO

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Re: Annihilation
« Reply #9 on: March 20, 2018, 10:06:08 PM »
Apt metaphor, 1SO! I was so frustrated with the lookout scene, I plumb forgot how awful the footage scene was. If the director really wanted her reaction and their subsequent reaction to be at all realistic, he shouldn't have shot the footage so clearly. His desire to gross out, superseded his desire for the scene to be valid.
I kept thinking the problem was the script and direction, but you're right. Better lighting might fixed the problem.