Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns
Should have dropped Acid before watching Annihilation
Movie review: The movie theater was packed with people for the premiere of Annihilation, the Science Fiction story about an alien life form that slams into Earth and expands into what scientists call a “shimmer”. The movie not only had some great stars like Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh, among others, but it also had some mind-blowing, psychedelic-like CGI (computer generated imagery). I should have dropped some LSD beforehand. It would have been a better movie experience.
By Ray Hanania
The movie theater was packed with people I think because this past year has been terrible for Hollywood movie releases. A lot of this year’s movies really sucked. This year’s Hollywood movie crop was just OK, so any halfway decent mediocre film did well, because some people will pay to see anything, much like voting for anyone at election time.
The movie not only had some great stars like Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh, among others, but it also had some mind-blowing, psychedelic-like CGI (computer generated imagery). I should have dropped some LSD beforehand. It would have been a better movie experience.
Annihilation is a Science Fiction story about an alien life form that slams into Earth like a small meteor, and then expands itself into a steadily expanding psychedelic fog what scientists call a “shimmer” that slowly appears to be blanketing the world.
And if you time the Acid right, you’ll patiently sit through the credits at the end of the movie because the background offers some of the best psychedelic color swirls since Jimi Hendrix rocked Chicago’s Auditorium in August 1968.
Based on Jeff VanderMeer’s best-selling Southern Reach Trilogy, Annihilation stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac. It was written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, 28 Days Later).
The movie has a decent plot but this SciFi thriller is a thinker, dealing with some unusual, never before explored concepts like mass “prismic” assimilation and absorption. Of course, that means it is a little slow and drags at times. The scenes are erratic bouncing from the present to the past, weaving in personal stories and problems.
Whatever the client force is, though, Annihilation absorbs your being creating unusual monsters, “mirrors” and even assimilated combinations of life that include your voice expressions.
It’s bloody and violent at times, but what movie in America isn’t? And people are complaining about the lack of gun law restrictions as being the cause of the recent gun violence we have seen. We sell out children video games and movies that promote violence and drugs. Don’t pretend that you didn’t let your youngster play Grand Theft Auto on the Xbox, because I just won’t believe most of you. Add sugar and caffeine to the diet and you have little monsters practicing on the road to be psychotic killers.
The only thing that it was missing was the sex, but there is some light moments. Sex is better dress dup than completely nude!
Despite some slow bumps, and the deep physics and biology concepts in the film, I liked it. Of course, I love any Science Fiction movie. I mark their premieres on my Google Calendar so I don’t miss any.
The movie centers around Portman’s character.
The paramount film features a great cast:
Natalie Portman as Lena, a biologist and former soldier
Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dr. Ventress, a psychologist and the leader of the expedition
Gina Rodriguez as Anya Thorensen, a paramedic
Tessa Thompson as Josie Radek, a physicist
Tuva Novotny as Cass Sheppard, an anthropologist
Oscar Isaac as Kane, Lena’s husband, a soldier in a previous expedition
Benedict Wong as Lomax
Sonoya Mizuno as Katie (Mizuno also portrays a Humanoid)
David Gyasi as Daniel
I’ll give it Five UFO’s!
His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].
Follow RayHanania at Twitter
- State Senate candidate Nick Uniejewski receives major endorsements in 6th District - February 10, 2026
- John Harrell condemns Trump racist Lion King depiction of Obamas and Democrats - February 9, 2026
- Hastings champions school safety with mobile panic alert bill - February 6, 2026
