We filmed this reaction in March 2021 and it’s finally making it to the channel! Clearly, we’re much more comfortable in front of the camera now 😜 Regardless, hope you enjoyed it!
@bankbarcomo8067 ай бұрын
originally a patreon exclusive?
@TBRSchmitt7 ай бұрын
Yes!
@williamjeffery82107 ай бұрын
I’m so glad you explained that. Something definitely seemed off w you two & I was worried you had a fight right before filming or something!! 😅
@SubZeroCommander7 ай бұрын
I could tell right away, weird how three years can make a difference; you two also look much younger!
@santiagohardy27287 ай бұрын
Ahhhhh..... I did sense some uneasiness. I was a bit worried you guys went through something jarring just before you filmed. Glad to know it was just camera nerves. Thanks for the clarification.
@TomVCunningham6 ай бұрын
The entire lighthouse sequence is probably the most perfectly realized visualization of surreal cosmic horror ever put to film.
@BarryHart-xo1oy6 ай бұрын
You may be right.
@duffmanx20006 ай бұрын
100% agree.
@vishnunair76235 ай бұрын
You guys should definitely watch 'Color out of space'. Another cosmic, lovecraftian horror. Unnerving stuff.............and not to forget Nic Cage
@MicolashHostOfTheNightmare5317 ай бұрын
What made Lena's group unique is that they were in all some way self-destructive. Suicidal, self-harm, infidelity, cancerous, suffering from loss. The only three to make it to the lighthouse Kane, Ventress, and Lena all were willingly there on what they knew was a suicide mission. They imparted this idea of self destruction on this strange unconscious Alien, and it destroyed itself and annihilated everything it touched, just like they did. But maybe, like Lena and Kane, it can start again, changed into something new.
@o0pinkdino0o7 ай бұрын
Nice analysis.
@dzc28056 ай бұрын
Also, Lena did come back, but endeed, she was already affected by the shimmer, soo... It it's Lena, just a "newer" Lena, something New
@SirMan486 ай бұрын
Almost. But not quite. There is no unconscious alien that they imparted this idea of self destruction onto. There was no unconscious alien. Everything was retracted together and Lena had all of the women's DNA in her to be imparted and refracted. But it wasn't ONTO an unconscious alien. I think people missunderstood the ending. The duplicate entity that transformed into Lena was not an alien, or an entity. The entity is the Shimer, or that Kaleidoscope thing. We have to remember, DNA is refracted and duplicated as a result of the Shimer. It gets more intense the closer you get. And that's what happened. Lena interacted with the Shimer at its most core state, at its singularity. And that was the Kaleidoscope trippy thing. THAT was the alien. THAT was the ONLY alien entity in the entire film. We don't know anything about it. But we know it's presence, and any contact with it's presence alters DNA. Lena's basic DNA make up was refracted and duplicated as a RESULT of her contact with the entity. That "unconscious alien" was not an alien. It was simply a duplicated refraction created as a result of her interaction with the singularity of the Shimer (the entity) which then absorbed the refracted DNA you suggest here. It's a pretty important distinction to make. The duplicates aren't aliens and they aren't living entities. They're essentially the result of corrupted file you copy and paste on your desktop.
@baghead7777 ай бұрын
The movie is based on a book. It is a Trilogy: Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance. The author is Jeff VanderMeer.
@EvanFowler7 ай бұрын
There's a fourth book coming this year, too!
@baghead7777 ай бұрын
@@EvanFowler Cool! I didn't know that. Thanks.
@ROLANDSONOFSTEPHEN6907 ай бұрын
Awesome! Didn't know! Can't wait!!
@demopem7 ай бұрын
Good books actually, although Authority is a bit slow to get through at times (but necessary for the whole arc). The movie is very loosely base on the first book. They left out a lot, and changed even more.
@drewburdett78867 ай бұрын
Authority is probably my favourite part of the trilogy, now. If you enjoyed the weirdness of this movie, and are happy not to get all the answers, I can heartily recommend the series.
@lordhoot17 ай бұрын
Watched this film several times and I never noticed it was a copy of Lena's house. You guys had some good insights into a film that defies easy interpretation.
@ctakitimu7 ай бұрын
That damn bear unnerves me!
@manxgirl6 ай бұрын
I called it a "mimic bear". Since, it seemed to be imitating the last sounds of Cassie.
@BarryHart-xo1oy6 ай бұрын
I know what you mean.
@ajnorth439318 күн бұрын
Man bear pig
@gitgud13716 күн бұрын
@@manxgirlit's not mimicking the last sounds of Sheppard. That literally is the piece of Sheppard's consciousness that went through the fear and pain of being eaten alive by the bear. Her consciousness and soul is now condemned to living the pain and fear she felt during her death for as long as the bear exists. You can even see that there's a human skull on the side of the bears head that connects to its eye. The shimmer refracts everything, even down to memories and thoughts. The bear absorbed or copied Sheppard's consciousness during the moment she was being eaten by it. That's true fucking horror.
@Klayhamn7 ай бұрын
i think the movie makes a pretty strong point that the "alien" does not "decide" anything -- it is more like a phenomenon or a process than a conscious or sentient being, necessarily so what happens to whom seems relatively arbitrary / random
@gundabalf21 күн бұрын
no, it makes a point that we cannot UNDERSTAND what it wants, it's beyond us. This is Cosmic Horror.
@Klayhamn21 күн бұрын
@@gundabalf I think that the biologist saying she's "not sure it wants anything" is a good indication that the concept of "want" in the sense we understand it - I.e. Sentience , might not apply to it - and that this is what we're supposed to take from it. It exhibits complex activity but it might not be much different than an alien jellyfish
@TheLegendOfOblivion7 ай бұрын
During the bear scene you can see a human skull fused with it on it's left side.
@BarryHart-xo1oy6 ай бұрын
That’s really creepy and terrifying.
@EChacon7 ай бұрын
Apparently the film had some behind the scenes drama between David Ellison of Skydance who co-financed and produced the film for Paramount and Scott Rudin the producer of the film during a test screening in the Summer of 2017. Ellison became concerned that the movie was “too intellectual” and “too complicated,” and wanted changes made to make it appeal to a wider audience which included making Portman’s character more sympathetic as well as tweaking the ending. Rudin on the other hand who was Alex Garland’s cheerleader and also produced _Ex Machina,_ sided with Garland, defending the movie and refused to take notes. Paramount who was caught in the middle of the conflict eventually decided to sold the international distribution rights to Netflix where it was streamed instead of being released to theaters while Paramount retained the theatrical rights in the US & Canada and China where the film underperformed at the box office.
@michaelsegriff33627 ай бұрын
Rudin was the inspiration for Les Grossman.
@michaellaporte49517 ай бұрын
It's all a damn shame since I think it's one of the best sci-fi films of the past couple decades.
@o0pinkdino0o7 ай бұрын
Thankfully those changes were rejected according to the same IMDB quote.
@UberNoodle6 ай бұрын
It always ends up like that. Some producer thinks that a movie is too intellectual, to surreal, to foreign or whatever and tries to change everything. And either they change it and the movie bombs because it's been mutilated, or they don't change it but they sabotage it instead, and the movie bombs.
@Sam117476 ай бұрын
@@michaellaporte4951 one of the best of the past couple of decades, what?
@CT.19827 ай бұрын
Ill never forget seeing the bear scene in theaters. An old coulpe immediately left in terror😂
@stressfreepaperchase32157 ай бұрын
Everybody reacts to Arrival. Finally a reaction to this great epic movie.
@72tadrian656 ай бұрын
No kidding! Now everyone will jump on the bandwagon and do this movie as always… The herd is on the move!
@TheGoIsWin216 ай бұрын
I saw this movie on a whim one day, having gone to the movie theater as an excuse to get out of the house. I'd heard absolutely nothing about it and just thought the poster looked interesting. Boy when I say it blew me away. Such a fascinating examination of loss, self-destruction, the flaws of humanity, love, relationships... so many things. It stuck with me for days, and I still think about it from timw to time. Absolutely phenomenal.
@TerryVogelaar6 ай бұрын
Think of it as a movie about cancer. Mutating cells that mimic our own, self-destruction, and trying to fight it.
@Wash8697 ай бұрын
This movie is excellent and underrated
@Corn_Pone_Flicks7 ай бұрын
Evey movie is underrated, no matter what ratings it got, such as this one getting an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
@wakkadakka91926 ай бұрын
This movie is mediocre and overrated. A cheap parody of the novel Roadside Picnic, remade into a stereotypical Hollywood popcorn horror film.
@crazyfvck7 ай бұрын
This movie was very unsettling (if that's the proper term) to see in the theater. It's the first movie that has made me feel that way.
@ieyke7 ай бұрын
The bear in dark theater surround sound was fucking CRAZY.
@shainewhite27817 ай бұрын
YES!! The screaming bear is pure nightmare fuel! The design of the bear reminds me of the mutant killer bear Katahdin from the 1979 environmental horror thriller PROPHECY 1979, where an E.P.A. scientist (Robert Foxworth) and his wife (Talia Shire, Adrian from the ROCKY Franchise) discover Maine animals mutated due to 20 years of industrial pollution.
@daustin88887 ай бұрын
Not many people have seen Prophecy. It is underrated
@wilsonserv7 ай бұрын
My dad use to read every horror book he could get his hands on in the 70s. I was ten at this time and read 2-3 books a week, mostly fantasy but would read dad's horror paperbacks when he was done with them... for some reason he let me. Remember vividly the day the movie came out, we had both read the novel version a few weeks earlier so dad took me to a matinee viewing. I hadn't thought of the film in 40 yrs but your comment brought in all back. It was somewhat cheesy but also intense with some impactful scenes: boy in a sleeping bag, injured guy tied helplessly to a truck. John freakin Frankenheimer directed it! According to him he was drinking heavily at the time... ok I'm going to go download it now.
@michaelsweenie-lane3597 ай бұрын
@@daustin8888 I saw Prophecy in the theater on release -
@johnw85787 ай бұрын
@@michaelsweenie-lane359 Me too -- when I was a kid!
@subliminallime43217 ай бұрын
I saw this in theaters & couldn't figure out the metaphor entirely until I read an analysis about how it's basically about cancer. The fire is chemotherapy. The relationship between Lena & Kane at the end would be post-chemo... it makes sense to me now at least. There are many, many layers to it.
@philosofree6 ай бұрын
It's about loss, not just cancer. It's about grief, disease, a life-shattering break-up... Shepherd says it best: "i lost 2 people: my beautiful girl, and the person I once was."
@philosofree6 ай бұрын
Loss, and how it CHANGES us.**
@anontay9167 ай бұрын
So, it was Lena who came back, but her DNA was irreparably altered when she was in the Shimmer. The alien had already taken hold in her body through her cells themselves. I really like this film. The music, the visuals, the cinematography are like a rich meal.
@RustinChole7 ай бұрын
The sound design on that mutant bear gets to me every time.
@aintsam99526 ай бұрын
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1932">32:12</a> That bear developed the ability to mimic to draw in prey. So when it opened it's mouth and you hear Shepard's(Shepherd?) cries for help, it was actually hunting the others.
@thefatman27807 ай бұрын
THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING GENUINE & ENTERTAINING ESPECIALLY WHEN SOME OF US NEED IT THE MOST
@sircdrom7 ай бұрын
"pretty and disturbing" pretty much sums this up. I remember I felt so weird after the first time I saw it. Love the visuals of this and the way mutation is portrayed.
@Lannisen7 ай бұрын
The tall blonde of them is played by Tuva Novotny, a great Swedish actress. I've always wondered why we don't see more of her internationally.
@MogMonster876 ай бұрын
I remembered her from Dag which was a great little Norwegian series
@Henry-fn1zw7 ай бұрын
the opening scene is so haunting, I love it
@huangjun_art3 ай бұрын
If you're confused about the meaning of the film, it's an allegory for cancer and how different people deal with it. One dies quickly, another gradually accepts her fate, another is in denial and acts out, one fights back and loses, the last one fights back and recovers.
@o0pinkdino0o7 ай бұрын
This was a book. Alex Garland is one of the most intelligent writers and film makers out there. The book The Beach is an astounding piece of work. Dredd is a cult classic. Ex-Machina is wildly intellectual. So don't look at this as a movie. It is a metaphor about cancer. Ventress has Cancer. Lena was a lecturer on diseases. Sheppard's daughter died of leukemia. Annhilation is subjective, so it’s open to interpretation. "Great art invites interpretation, not by being needlessly obtuse, but by encouraging the viewers to explore certain ideas and concepts" - MATT GOLDBERG - Collider
@UberNoodle6 ай бұрын
It was a book, but it wasn't one of Garland's novels. But you are right that Garland is a very creative and intellectual writer.
@danzthename6 ай бұрын
I don't know if this movie is good or bad, but I love it for some reason. I know a lot of it is the score. It's hypnotic. Soothing and terrifying and otherworldly. The whole movie sort of reminds me of a dream - the way people and things can just randomly become something else or have the wrong personality or characteristics. It's like reality is just running through a blender. So cool.
@TheGoIsWin216 ай бұрын
I think its excellent at doing what it sets out to do. It's just that what it sets out to do is to be wildly unsettling and discomforting. At it's core, its a body horror movie, but it's so subtle in it's horror and so complete in its destruction of the characters (you could even say... annihilation 😂) that it leaves you genuinely uncomfortable, but in ways you don't immediately understand. Absolutely brilliant, imo
@chuckshingledecker22166 ай бұрын
I think it’s a bad movie if no one can figure out what the story is or the point is. Visuals are great. I was not and still am not sold on the “story.”
@J4ME5_6 ай бұрын
Its about space cancer @chuckshingledecker2216
@abelmulato89917 ай бұрын
One of my favorite alien designs! Plus that alien soundtrack is so dope, so hypnotic
@anguspham20517 ай бұрын
Watching this in the theaters when this was first released with surround sound was the best way to experience this movie.
@SgtWicket7 ай бұрын
I think I read that Garland had read Annihilation years ago and based this movie off his half remembered version of the book without refreshing his memory, which ended up producing an amazing product and also seems thematically appropriate.
@dwhelm847 ай бұрын
Alligators have a rounder face, and Crocodiles have a pointier one. So Crocodiles heads look more like an "A", and an Alligators head shape is more like a "C"
@toddjones14807 ай бұрын
I've known that almost my whole life and it doesn't help. To me the only useful method is whether or not they have protruding lower teeth with the mouth closed.
@dwhelm847 ай бұрын
@@toddjones1480 I'm upvoting your reply because you seem like you've been in closer proximity to a lot more of them than I have.
@UberNoodle6 ай бұрын
Also you can often tell geographically. Alligators and crocodiles are often in specific geographic locations.
@Envy_May5 ай бұрын
this has always bugged me. their names should be swapped
@Hauns917 ай бұрын
One of the top 5 movies of 2018. I remember watching this a million times getting friends/family to watch it. Probably one of my main recommendations The score in this is so good. Can't wait for 28 Years Later with Danny Boyle and Alex Garland.
@Jordashian937 ай бұрын
This is a great, weird, yet fascinating movie. The movie did a great job with the atmosphere and sounds.
@SuperScottCrawford6 ай бұрын
You guys totally gave me insights i missed!
@francescapatti2934Ай бұрын
That bear is the scariest thing Ive ever seen in a horror movie. The fact that it just SCREAMS with Shepherds voice is so insanely terrifying. But I the thing about this movie I like is that there is no like villain. The shimmer isnt evil, its just THERE. I dont think it has ANY intentions in its basic form, we see it mirroring. It mirrors Kane, he seems like hes given up and is calm, so the shimmer is calm too. He talks to it and instructs it to shield its eyes. He asks for it to look for Lena and it does and it recognises her because it is Kane kind of. Meanwhile Lenas shimmer is aggressive, it attacks her because she wants to get out, she attacks it first. Tbh I felt bad for it, seeing it holding the phosphorus granade like that. Because it doesnt KNOW things, it just seems to kind of trust in a way. Idk its a really cool movie and its probably a metaphor for SOMETHING. But my brain isnt big enough for that😂
@taya120207 ай бұрын
One of my favorite movies. It's so underrated.
@AlessaParker7 ай бұрын
it's unclear in the film since it's dark but concept art shows that there is half of a human skull fused into the bear skull which can either imply that Sheppard's consciousness merged with the bear or the bear is simply mimicking her last words which either way is horrifying and I love the concept
@ely_oh7 ай бұрын
One of the best Lovecraftian horror films in recent years (even though the author of the book that the movie's based on blatantly rejects the idea of it being Lovecraftian).
@nightfall9027 ай бұрын
The Southern Reach Trilogy is amazing. This film is very loosely based on the first book. Being a fan of both Lovecraft and VanderMeer, I will say that while slightly similar, they are completely different in writing style and story telling.
@SolidSnake2407 ай бұрын
@@nightfall902I was gonna say this. While there are some similarities, they ultimately have totally different feels and styles, and deal with different themes.
@nightfall9027 ай бұрын
@@SolidSnake240 To be fair, I find Lovecraft to be a more pleasant read. VanderMeer tends to ramble quite a bit and can be a chore for some. The books are only around 300+ pages each so are a pretty quick read at any rate.
@alexandretorres50877 ай бұрын
New Weird is not cosmic horror, but cosmic embrace. That´s why the area X is both beautiful and terrifying. The books are better at doing that. Lovecraft is about impeding unavoidable doom, fear and madness. This is about what lies ahead of doom.
@GasparGa7 ай бұрын
I also reject the idea of it being Lovecraftian
@TheDenigreur7 ай бұрын
One of the best Lovecraftian movie out there. The dread is palpable .
@rosamariasalazar60666 ай бұрын
This is a good example of a book adaptation that isn't exacly faithful to the source material but retains the essence of the book.The "bear" was stolen from another classic scifi novel, it's the alzabo from The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. Alex Garland does very good scifi movies.
@timothyhedrick52957 ай бұрын
One of my wife's favorite films, which I've watched 7-8 times and neither of us has EVER noted the migrating tattoo before. Nice early hint what's happening that we never picked up on before.
@toddjones14807 ай бұрын
The whole lighthouse part was so consistently loud when I saw this in a theater that I think I suffered hearing loss. I almost left, but I ended up watching the end from the exit hallway near the door with my ears plugged.
@carterasics6 ай бұрын
That’s one of my favorite parts of the movie. I remember it in theaters being very loud as well but so entrancing with the visuals like it was luring you in and trying to speak with the watcher 🙌🏼
@theoneandonlyoni7 ай бұрын
You should probably watch “The Color Out of Space” now after seeing this... same concept pretty much..
@mr.vesper56597 ай бұрын
Underrated film. That bear scene still gives me chills
@wakkadakka91926 ай бұрын
Highly overrated. A cheap parody of the novel Roadside Picnic, remade into a stereotypical Hollywood popcorn horror film.
@GuyDudeman6 ай бұрын
On any given video, someone says 'x' is underrated. They can't all be right.
@philosofree6 ай бұрын
I'm so glad y'all reacted to this. It's one of my top 3 movies of all time, and nobody reacts to it! A criminally underrated gem.
@stormy21846 ай бұрын
Brokenness and self-destruction are integral themes of Annihilation, and the five women represent this going into this mission. The Shimmer is a mirror image of this problem on a larger scale. Mutating and destroying the world on an environmental level, Lena's inability to stop what is happening reflects what is happening in the world. Natural resources continue to decay and be misused daily. As the world dismantles due to humankind's own self-destruction, all one can do is watch.
@corvettesplus49136 ай бұрын
I lost it when she said “or maybe they just have a better chance at survival due to their knowledge” 😂
@Philistine477 ай бұрын
The book which this movie is (very, very loosely) based on was the first of a trilogy. Knowing that, you will probably not be surprised to hear that the novel actually provided _fewer_ answers than the movie instead of _more._ The book is also a lot weirder than this - though to be fair, I can't imagine how you'd film some of the stuff in the book. Unfortunately, the novel of _Annihilation_ is better at setting up questions than its sequels are at answering them; so while I enjoyed the first book and may re-read it eventually, I doubt I will ever go back to either of the sequels.
@DarthMohammedRules7 ай бұрын
Totally agree. I always say that this movie is more like a completely different expedition into Area X. And I'm fine with that (though I know that's not the case with this adaptation). And yeah, the book is amazing, but the sequel books, while kinda interesting, mostly pale in comparison, and none really capture the "weirdness" of the first book.
@asian-americanwithanopinio89547 ай бұрын
Loved it in the theater. This is my favorite 2nd Jennifer Jason Leigh film. 1st is "Hateful 8" and third "Fargo 5".
@susanalexander67216 ай бұрын
I love Rush.
@munkeypantsman7 ай бұрын
There's a rabbit hole of notable inspirations for this film and the novel it's based on. -1927, H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Colour Out of Space" -1972, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's novel "Roadside Picnic" -1979, Andrei Tarkovsky's film "Stalker" -2007-2009, GSC Gameworld's videogame series "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl" -2014, Jeff VanderMeer's novel "Annihilation" -2018, Alex Garland's film "Annihilation" -2019, Richard Stanley's film "The Color Out of Space" -2024, GSC Gameworld's sequel videogame, "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl"
@eddietucker70057 ай бұрын
So, is there a book or not? Do I have to read each one of those you listed in order to read the “book”? Your answer was a lot like the movie. I don’t understand where you were trying to lead me. Thanks!
@DaveWeston7 ай бұрын
Perhaps not an inspiration, but I definitely felt similar vibes with Vesper [but more a grimdark version] and Prospect, although that's in 'space'.
@kylegacy7 ай бұрын
Also, I'd add, J.G. Ballard's 'The Disaster Area' short stories collection, as well as 'The Crystal World' and 'The Drowned World' novels. Garland truly loves his work; the characters in the film are named after those in Ballard's stories.
@munkeypantsman7 ай бұрын
@@eddietucker7005 The movie Annihilation is based on the book of the same title. There are some other books in that series as well. The other books/movies/games are just different spins on the same common idea of an alien entity that creates a paranormal "zone" where it lands. If you like the concept then those other stories might interest you. And obviously, the films Stalker (1979) and The Color Out of Space (2019) are suggestions for the channel. There's also the Metro 2033 book & game series that I didn't mention, because it departs from that core concept a bit more.
@Guussa7 ай бұрын
One of my favorite movies. Everything is perfect. Cast, writing, soundtrack, visuals all outstanding!
@Trepanation216 ай бұрын
I _love_ this movie (and series *"The Southern Reach"* trilogy). One of the things I appreciate the most about it is that the answers are kind of unnecessary, apart from a viewer just desiring a full explanation. The story of these events just feels so fascinating without the answers. Without the motives of... whatever came with the comet. I absolutely love their creative decision at the end, in the lighthouse, to have Lena and the mimic move like dancers - like it's a very specific, obvious choice in the movement and falls to be a bit "theater", and idk why, I just really loved that. It felt so unnerving and intimate, but also gave the mimic a less dangerous impression. The idea of this entity having no conscious motive, just a compulsion to explore and combine and create is such an interesting take on an "alien" story. Absolutely no negotiable intent, just some kind of _other nature,_ defying what we know to effortlessly combine things that we believed couldn't combine, and in such a grotesquely dispassionate way. It's truly this like, deep offense to our consciousness, our instincts and our understanding of our own world and environment. Just being here, taking over, and violating the very foundations of our science and world. It's cold and it's violating (and violent) in a very existential way that you (the creators of this story) can't achieve if you explain everything beyond the open-endedness that I'm attempting to articulate here. Ahh! I love it. It's so weird and unnerving. I also love the idea that we (the researches/government) just had no fucking idea what to do with the lack of information we have about it, that they were just like... Okay, we've been sending men, let's send women. We've been sending soldiers, let's send academics. And the idea that everyone in this group had _loss,_ like a hole in their heart, as they venture into this unknown of _creation and building_ is so... I don't know. Beautiful and horrible. The events of this story play out very differently to the novel, and the weird part is that *they both work to tell their own interesting story.* I vaguely recall the director saying something like he specifically felt compelled to write this film like it was a dream of the story he read. Specifically, Garland said, _"In the end, in a way, what I felt like I was adapting was my dreamlike feeling while I was reading Jeff [VanderMeer]'s book."_ He had actually written this screenplay before "The Southern Reach" even had Books 2, and 3. It was just "Annihilation" the novel when Garland was working on this, so he intended on giving _this_ story some kind of conclusion. Interesting stuff! The series is _even more weird,_ and tackles the experience of this event from several different points of view. Worth reading if you're into weirdLit. I'm glad you guys liked it, and glad you shared it with us!
@josefgordon77127 ай бұрын
I remember the first time watching this and just being confused and terrified most of the time 😵💫 ☠️ great film
@maximillianosaben7 ай бұрын
Leo DiCaprio could've taken that bear on his own.
@nightfall9027 ай бұрын
The should have taken a ripped, powerful, Comanche girl from the 1700s with them.
@KronnangDunn7 ай бұрын
Such a beautiful looking cosmic horror film...
@ariadnepyanfar10486 ай бұрын
I agree with you that Lena was driven to make it back. Everyone else volunteered for a suicide mission, but Lena, although wracked with guilt over cheating on Kane, felt a ray of hope that if she could only find answers to what happened to Kane in The Shimmer, that she could save his life if she made it back with those answers. I think she wants to save him both because she loves him, and because that would expiate her guilt. She discovered Kane died, but also that Kane told his echo to find Lena. In a way, Kane left his echo to Lena like in a will. I don’t think she or we know why Kane wanted the Echo to go to her. There are a few possibilities that jump to mind immediately. One of the hopeful answers is that Kane knows that Echo Kane loves Lena, and as physically wrecked as Original Kane is, that’s Kane’s only way to kind of get back to Lena and live out life with her. So Lena accepts Echo Kane as her husband, because Original Kane wanted her to.
@flippert06 ай бұрын
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="424">7:04</a> funny thing is, that this movie was almost entirely filmed in some park in or nearby London. The power of set decoration.
@BloodylocksBathory5 ай бұрын
I really like the symbolism in this film, and one of my favorite scenes is after they lose Shepard, when Lena spots the floral deer and fawn. It's of course not literally Shepard and her daughter, but it's a reassuring thought. And then of course that scene with the bear, so nightmarish and existential. When looking at the story symbolically, the ending is more about how Caine and Lena are forever changed after their time in the shimmer. The shimmer itself may be literally gone, but it lives on in their experiences and memories, an echo if you will.
@gluuuuue7 ай бұрын
So glad we finally got to see your reaction to this. It’s one of my favorite creepy, alien horror films!
@samieltheinfamous6 ай бұрын
The novel this is adapted from was itself inspired, at least in part, by The Colour Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft.
@SpookyBibi247 ай бұрын
Fantastic movie, love the haunting score and the creativity of the visuals
@renee74077 ай бұрын
Oh let’s go, I love this movie!
@adampare80887 ай бұрын
This movie is good, weird, but good. They also previously did Ex Machina. Short, 1hr 40min, very straightforward, and the best movie I've seen in last 20 years
@jillianmcclennan5767 ай бұрын
Thanks - this film always reminds me of Tarkovsky's Stalker, an alternate version of the story in which Stalker has action sequences
@ChronosTachyon6 ай бұрын
I love how, even though this is very much a horror movie, it's... not malicious in any way, and maybe not even a bad thing? The horror is less about the Shimmer and more about what you bring with yourself into the Shimmer, because it will be spread around and mirrored back to you, and most people don't have the degree of self-insight required to even *know* what they carry inside, nevermind accepting it. It almost works as a metaphor for therapy. As far as the literal plot... I think the point is that, even though Kane is "fake" and Lena is "real", neither is exactly the same person who went into the Shimmer and both carry part of the Shimmer inside of them. Lena left part of herself behind in the duplicate that caught fire -- her self-destructive part, the part of her that made her have an affair -- and Kane's duplicate kept the parts of Kane that Kane gave to him, with Kane keeping his own self-destructive part and setting *himself* on fire. Part of the point of the ending, I think, is that it doesn't matter which is the "duplicate" and which is "real": the Shimmer sparked a reaction, sort of a next phase of evolution, but the reaction is still burning inside of both of them, as well as in all of the other living things that were still inside the Shimmer when it vanished. It can't be stopped, in the same way that a coal-seam fire can't be stopped. (Look up Centralia, Pennsylvania to learn more about those!)
@KitTaylorOfficial6 ай бұрын
This is my all-time favorite movie, unequivocally... up until this came out I had a list of "ties" like most of us, but something about this movie just hit every button for me. Thanks for the reaction!
@wsn00097 ай бұрын
The original that inspired this called 'Stalker' is a masterpiece made by one of the greatest directors. Definitely recommend seeing that one too.
@Timmayytoo7 ай бұрын
This film is a loose adaptation of the book by the same name and written by the director, Alex Garland, based on how he felt after reading the book the first time. The author of the book has said that any resemblance to Stalker is purely coincidental.
@nightfall9027 ай бұрын
The books are better (as usual) The Southern Reach trilogy by VanderMeer.
@nightfall9027 ай бұрын
@@Timmayytoo Jeff VanderMeer directed this film? He was and still is the author of The Southern ReachTrilogy as far as I know. I have the books right here but I'll check online as well.
@demopem7 ай бұрын
No, Alex Garland directed. He wrote the script together with Jeff VanderMeer who wrote the book its based on.
@nightfall9027 ай бұрын
@@demopemThis I know. I was responding to the original comment...." This film is a loose adaptation of the book by the same name and written by the director, Alex Garland " I realize now that he meant a script adaptation of the book (that he did not write).
@DavidAntrobus7 ай бұрын
I imagine others have said this, but the mood and general conceit of the film, as well as being an adaptation of author Jeff VanderMeer's first _Southern Reach_ novel, is an echo of the classic Tarkovsky film _Stalker_ , which itself was influenced by the apocalyptic novel _Roadside Picnic_ . It's eerie and beautiful. And ironically, it carries the DNA of so many incarnations before it. More people should watch this.
@Schizm17 ай бұрын
Such an underrated movie. A truly unique SF. The closest mainstream movie we got to Tarkovsky's Stalker
@shep4life6 ай бұрын
The sound design is spectacular
@KyleArmstrong6 ай бұрын
This is such an interesting and complex movie - it's designed to leave you thinking what it was all about. Cancer starts the movie, there's a theme of mutation, and cancer is a random mutation that occurs within us that causes our annihilation. So these damaged women enter into the shimmer that reflects everything and they each face their trauma. Is the Natlie Portman that entered into the Shimmer the same as the one that emerged? Is the copy of her husband not still her husband? Very underrated, complex, and deeply disturbing but it's become one of my favorites.
@daustin88887 ай бұрын
Not many cosmic horror movies
@laelmesquita14395 ай бұрын
The bear: "Hello, ladies. You must be wondering how I speak your language."
@gelsol7 ай бұрын
Haven't even watched yet and gave this a like. I love this movie.
@CapricornBG7 ай бұрын
Lena is self-destructive and teaches the alien self-destruction at the Lighthouse.
@TacoBarato7 ай бұрын
This is a great movie, I'm waiting for it to go on sale on 4k bluray to add it to my collection. Great reaction!
@codyporter85997 ай бұрын
Well worth it. This is one of my favorite 4K UHDs. I use part of the ending scene as a demo when showing my friends the new OLED tv and surround sound.
@Corn_Pone_Flicks7 ай бұрын
The first scene in the film basically sets up what the deal is: the alien entity is a form of cancer. It grows unchecked, can reproduce by division indefinitely, and its cells don't die automatically like normal cells...Lena refers to cell death as a fault in our genes, without which she could stay the same age forever. Ironically, it's one of the greatest threats to human health, cancer, that actually can function that way. I wonder if the Kane and Lena we see at the end will never age or die. I saw this film for the first time while on a mild dose of psychedelics, and I felt like it made more sense than any film I'd ever seen. I wouldn't be surprised if LSD or mushrooms had been part of the inspiration for this film (along with the source novel, of course). Having what is called a "bad trip" often results from trying to resist where the experience is taking you. Josie decides not to resist and becomes one with the entity. The dissolution of ego is another major symptom, seen in the fact that the alien doesn't have any wants...it just is. That coupled with the extremely trippy imagery gives me the definite feeling that the director may have had similar experiences.
@Kainlarsen7 ай бұрын
I see it as more of the key to immortality, but something that does not compute with our genes. At least, as it is now, and as we are now.
@CineRam7 ай бұрын
One of the best movies of 2018, and my favorite Alex Garland film so far.
@ConanGoodwin6 ай бұрын
Annihilation is based on the book of the same name, which is part of the Southern Reach trilogy (Annihilation, Authority and Acceptance) by Jeff VanderMeer. This trilogy is part of the literary movement known as New Weird. It is speculated that this subgenre emerged at the beginning of the 21st century with the productions of writer China Miéville - mainly in his novel Perdido Street Station (2000) -, although some of its roots manifested themselves during the 1990s. Within the so-called genre fiction, which encompasses “market” literature produced for mass consumption, there are the branches of speculative fiction, which encompasses all literature that involves supernatural, futuristic and fantastic elements. It is here, for example, that we find fantasy, horror and science fiction literature, and, permeating these genres in a transversal way, we have weird fiction. Emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, with roots from the 19th century, such as Poe and Chambers, weird fiction, in the words of China Miéville, "is generally, roughly speaking, conceived as a distressing and generically uncertain macabre fiction, a dark fantastic (' horror' with 'fantasy'), often featuring non-traditional alien monsters (thus with 'science fiction')." New Weird is a subgenre of Fantasy that, in general, combines its narrative with horror, science fiction and other genres in a mysterious and grotesque setting. Named at the beginning of 2000, the genre consists of an attempt to follow the same concept as (old) weird, in terms of the search for transgression to the molds and common places of literature in its search for quality stories, which contribute to speculative fiction, reaffirming the intention of the original movement to break with these traditions. By following in the footsteps of the old weird, in its transgressive essence, the new weird tries to open a new range of possibilities for speculative writing. Here again the maxim of repulsion to the rules established in favor of the author's creative freedom becomes a central key. Similar to weird literature, new weird presented, at first glance, elements of fantasy, horror and science fiction. The proposal is, in fact, a genre that arises from the hybridization of these previous ones. But, as you investigate, you realize that the thing is deeper and more comprehensive. Although it starts, in fact, from a mixture between the three genres, new weird is not content or limited to this, but rather radically stands up against the rules that govern all genre fiction. New weird is not fantasy, horror or science fiction. It is that, for sure (or maybe), but it can also be a detective novel, comedy, drama, or even pure nonsense, seeking to use these elements to build a quality narrative without the prejudices of “That can/can't”. The supernatural is an ever-present element, and the relationship with it marks the genre. The fantasy is there. Far from Tolkien's wings, the new weird thinks of beetle-faced women, lizard men and aliens who reproduce by laying eggs in humans, but also uses magic, be it a strange mix of thaumaturgical technology, talismans and energy or shadow emitted by masked fingers. Science fiction is present, whether in the form of advanced technology (or why not good old steampunk?), but mainly in its approach to the supernatural. Its creatures, although not always deeply explained, are strange to the point that they often cannot be easily conceived as a result of our folklore, especially in their approach. Horror often, different from the cosmic, distant and unknowable Lovecraftian horror, presents itself as something close, real and personal, but still deeply questioning reality, both of the characters and of the reader himself. No element is “forbidden” when the objective is to build an effectively good narrative. Freedom of writing is the rule. The entire collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction is at your disposal, all the writer needs to do is stray a little from traditional models and create something worth telling. “Abandon the clichés!” says the new weird. “Break your limits”, “Try something new”, “Dare to do it!”. There are no standards! The good story itself justifies itself.
@tastyneck6 ай бұрын
I love that this film doesn't tell you what's happening nor what things really mean. You can view it in whatever way you want. For me, the best (and correct) interpretation of this film is best explained by Folding Ideas' "Annihilation and Decoding Metaphor" video.
@abatage7 ай бұрын
hell yeah - saw this in my sub feed and immediately started watching - love this movie and love you both :D
@MikeB128006 ай бұрын
I don’t get deep movies, but I’ve seen a lot of analysis of this movie, and it’s more of a metaphor than literal. The annihilation of self.
@leethememerwolf3 ай бұрын
The Shimmer is such a awesome concept.
@WelshAmethystGirl0876 ай бұрын
Lena made it back because she had to get back to help jane. She went in with a goal of helping her husband get better, racked with the guilt of her affair she was willing to do anything to save his life. The others had no real reason to return or anyone truly waiting for them so we're easily consumed by the shimmer
@OneAndOnlyOmar6 ай бұрын
Even though I am late to watch this, I’m happy to see you guys reacted to this movie. I really enjoyed it but I also don’t see any other reaction channels I know of react to this. Underrated
@MZAH19867 ай бұрын
the movie revolves around how Cancer changes the person inside out and turns the person into completely different person that sometimes looks and sounds like an outsider creature or an alien through the others perspective. one of my dearest oldest friend suffer from voice cords cancer but lucky he got diagnosed very early thanks to god, and gone through operation that changed his voice for ever, even his little daughter got confused from his voice and scared little bit in the first month.
@gustonzimasheen7 ай бұрын
I love watching the full watch-along with you guys, and seeing how far you've progressed with your channel. Here's to 200K subscribers and onwards!
@UberNoodle6 ай бұрын
It's worth reading the novel this movie is adapted from. There's a lot in the movie that is highly generalised or summarised from the book. It's definitely worth reading.
@newdefsys6 ай бұрын
I like how the alien is portrayed in this movie. Its nothing like any organism we have ever seen, and not even sure if its an actual alien, alien technology or a merger of the two. Its so far removed from the human species that communication with it is impossible and its motivations are unknown and probably unknowable. Its a good representation of how a first contact could possibly go and I mean that in the sense of it not going well.
@Damiana_Dimock6 ай бұрын
I love both this film and the books, which are so totally different from one another that I will also recommend giving the book a read. It’s kind of interesting to note the production process which was basically simultaneous the completion of the books-The filmmakers and writer had conversations, a very similarly unusual process as 2001: A Space Odyssey.
@Loke66616662466 ай бұрын
This movie is, a dmt trip. Love it. Edit: After finishing this reaction, this absolutely a perfect representation of a dmt trip, down to the chrome beings. Everything is one with everything and ever changing/evolving. Such a great movie.
@synthetic2407 ай бұрын
After I saw this, I immediately bought the books. Kind of a generic name, but the "Area X" series was true cosmic horror and the movie reflects that. The Shimmer could be alive or it could just be a kind of energy, but either way... it doesn't want anything. It just is. Like sunlight or a bear eating trout or a river that destroys a town when the banks overflow. To the comet, to the trout, to the townsfolk the phenomenon affecting them is Bad or Destructive, but they're just doing what they do. I'm not even clear if it landed on Earth deliberately or not. Is it even capable of being human? It seems like Earth is doomed in the long run. The movie was inspired by the first book, where an unnamed Biologist is the main character in the all-female team. Naturally, they're very different in many ways, but the movie does capture the important story elements. If they ever make a sequel, there's plenty of story to mine regarding how the Shimmer first began and The Tower that descends deep underground. Plus the secretive organization that keeps sending teams into the Shimmer.
@santiagohardy27287 ай бұрын
It's probably one of the only truly beautific horror films i've ever watched. My first time watching it, my mouth dropped during the alien vortex reveal. The sound design of the movie and SFX overall are just stunning to me.
@Theomite7 ай бұрын
This film is an echo itself. It bears a massive resemblance to a famous Russian film called STALKER by Andrei Tarkovsky, who was basically the Russian Stanley Kubrick. It's an adaptation of the Struzatski bros. novella _Roadside Picnic_ about people venturing into an area called The Zone where the laws of physics have been warped by a brief alien visitation. It's a 3-hr. film and a heady, slow burn, but it's impossible to watch ANNIHILATION and *NOT* see the similarities with STALKER. I highly, highly recommend watching it, even if it's the only Russian film you ever see in your lives, it's *that* good.
@ianstopher91115 ай бұрын
Agreed. I only saw Solaris once, but I prefer Stalker as a visual treat. Knowing what happened to the crew makes it even more an imperative to see this masterwork.
@softwool73767 ай бұрын
Folding Ideas did a really great video on this movie and how steeped in theme it is
@alexhidalgo71107 ай бұрын
I love it great reaction
@michaelsegriff33627 ай бұрын
Absolute vintage Schmitts. Appreciate that you reviewed this one, which while far from great, has genuinely interesting, weird and disturbing moments.
@el34glo596 ай бұрын
One of my favorite movies of all time. Absolutely brilliant. And so disturbing. And I love how they didn't cheap out at the end. It just went deeper and deeper. They went full bore. Loved this movie. Anyone hating in this movie is absolutely delusional. Give me this over Arrival, which everyone loved, any day of the week
@zacharybear72436 ай бұрын
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="552">9:12</a> it was man alligator. Alligators have more of a rounded snout and the crocodiles have more of a triangle snout.
@punkinhicktown7 ай бұрын
I think this one is a bit less literal. I think the shimmer is kind of like what we all do to eachother, people you care about leave parts of themselves with you, and you leave yourself with them. We all change as time passes and in the end are we the same person who started the journey or not? I really like this movie though, its one I think about now and again.
@Bensonders7 ай бұрын
Thats a very beautiful interpretation/analysis! I never managed to phrase it or understand it like that, I guess.