Annihilation (2018) First Time Watching! Movie Reaction!

[@samantha_schmitt]

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!

[@bankbarcomo806]

originally a patreon exclusive?

[@TBRSchmitt]

Yes!

[@williamjeffery8210]

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!! 😅

[@SubZeroCommander]

I could tell right away, weird how three years can make a difference; you two also look much younger!

[@santiagohardy2728]

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.

[@TomVCunningham]

The entire lighthouse sequence is probably the most perfectly realized visualization of surreal cosmic horror ever put to film.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

You may be right.

[@duffmanx2000]

100% agree.

[@vishnunair7623]

You guys should definitely watch 'Color out of space'. Another cosmic, lovecraftian horror. Unnerving stuff.............and not to forget Nic Cage

[@MicolashHostOfTheNightmare531]

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.

[@o0pinkdino0o]

Nice analysis.

[@dzc2805]

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

[@SirMan48]

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 Everything was retracted together and Lena had all of the women's DNA in her to be imparted and refracted.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.

[@baghead777]

The movie is based on a book. It is a Trilogy: Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance. The author is Jeff VanderMeer.

[@EvanFowler]

There's a fourth book coming this year, too!

[@baghead777]

@@EvanFowler Cool! I didn't know that. Thanks.

[@ROLANDSONOFSTEPHEN690]

Awesome! Didn't know! Can't wait!!

[@demopem]

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.

[@drewburdett7886]

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.

[@lordhoot1]

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.

[@TerryVogelaar]

Think of it as a movie about cancer. Mutating cells that mimic our own, self-destruction, and trying to fight it.

[@TheGoIsWin21]

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.

[@CT.1982]

Ill never forget seeing the bear scene in theaters. An old coulpe immediately left in terror😂

[@ctakitimu]

That damn bear unnerves me!

[@manxgirl]

I called it a "mimic bear". Since, it seemed to be imitating the last sounds of Cassie.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

I know what you mean.

[@ajnorth4393]

Man bear pig

[@gitgud137]

​@@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.

[@Klayhamn]

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

[@gundabalf]

no, it makes a point that we cannot UNDERSTAND what it wants, it's beyond us. This is Cosmic Horror.

[@Klayhamn]

@@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

[@phoenix9531]

​@@gundabalf So what? That's not a blanket term you can use to say your interpretation is correct. Something beyond us could also have no concept of "wanting", and it would still be cosmic horror.

[@EChacon]

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.

[@michaelsegriff3362]

Rudin was the inspiration for Les Grossman.

[@michaellaporte4951]

It's all a damn shame since I think it's one of the best sci-fi films of the past couple decades.

[@o0pinkdino0o]

Thankfully those changes were rejected according to the same IMDB quote.

[@UberNoodle]

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.

[@Sam11747]

@@michaellaporte4951 one of the best of the past couple of decades, what?

[@TheLegendOfOblivion]

During the bear scene you can see a human skull fused with it on it's left side.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

That’s really creepy and terrifying.

[@stressfreepaperchase3215]

Everybody reacts to Arrival. Finally a reaction to this great epic movie.

[@72tadrian65]

No kidding! Now everyone will jump on the bandwagon and do this movie as always… The herd is on the move!

[@Wash869]

This movie is excellent and underrated

[@Corn_Pone_Flicks]

Evey movie is underrated, no matter what ratings it got, such as this one getting an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

[@wakkadakka9192]

This movie is mediocre and overrated. A cheap parody of the novel Roadside Picnic, remade into a stereotypical Hollywood popcorn horror film.

[@shainewhite2781]

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.

[@daustin8888]

Not many people have seen Prophecy. It is underrated

[@wilsonserv]

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-lane359]

@@daustin8888 I saw Prophecy in the theater on release -

[@johnw8578]

@@michaelsweenie-lane359 Me too -- when I was a kid!

[@subliminallime4321]

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.

[@philosofree]

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."

[@philosofree]

Loss, and how it CHANGES us.**

[@anontay916]

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.

[@o0pinkdino0o]

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

[@UberNoodle]

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.

[@huangjun_art]

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.

[@phoenix9531]

Do you mean to say that this is THE main meaning or that it is one possible meaning or theme?

[@RustinChole]

The sound design on that mutant bear gets to me every time.

[@alabamapilot244]

It doesn't just remix DNA, it remixes reality itself... like a broken computer program, reforming, refracting, and shifting patterns it reads in reality. A tattoo jumps to another person's arm, a voice jumps into the throat of a bear, houses manifest from patterns of memory, accents shift from person to person. It remixes reality itself. Fire didn't kill it - it survived reentry into the atmosphere, a phosphorous grenade wouldn't have killed it. Leena taught it self-destruction. That's what stopped it - she gave it that part of herself.

[@aintsam9952]

32:12 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.

[@sircdrom]

"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.

[@ariadnepyanfar1048]

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.

[@Lannisen]

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.

[@MogMonster87]

I remembered her from Dag which was a great little Norwegian series

[@Picking.a.name.is.hard1]

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😂

[@danzthename]

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.

[@TheGoIsWin21]

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

[@rev.chuckshingledecker]

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_]

Its about space cancer ​@chuckshingledecker2216

[@Henry-fn1zw]

the opening scene is so haunting, I love it

[@SgtWicket]

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.

[@AlessaParker]

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

[@anguspham2051]

Watching this in the theaters when this was first released with surround sound was the best way to experience this movie.

[@ely_oh]

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).

[@nightfall902]

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.

[@SolidSnake240]

​​@@nightfall902I was gonna say this. While there are some similarities, they ultimately have totally different feels and styles, and deal with different themes.

[@nightfall902]

@@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.

[@alexandretorres5087]

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.

[@GasparGa]

I also reject the idea of it being Lovecraftian

[@dwhelm84]

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"

[@toddjones1480]

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.

[@dwhelm84]

@@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.

[@UberNoodle]

Also you can often tell geographically. Alligators and crocodiles are often in specific geographic locations.

[@Envy_May]

this has always bugged me. their names should be swapped

[@abelmulato8991]

One of my favorite alien designs! Plus that alien soundtrack is so dope, so hypnotic

[@rosamariasalazar6066]

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.

[@corvettesplus4913]

I lost it when she said “or maybe they just have a better chance at survival due to their knowledge” 😂

[@stormy2184]

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.

[@Jordashian93]

This is a great, weird, yet fascinating movie. The movie did a great job with the atmosphere and sounds.

[@philosofree]

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.

[@Hauns91]

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.

[@KronnangDunn]

Such a beautiful looking cosmic horror film...

[@timothyhedrick5295]

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.

[@taya12020]

One of my favorite movies. It's so underrated.

[@theoneandonlyoni]

You should probably watch “The Color Out of Space” now after seeing this... same concept pretty much..

[@TheJohhnyE]

The difference between an alligator and a crocodile is that an alligator will see you later, and a crocodile will see you after a while. 😂

[@Philistine47]

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.

[@DarthMohammedRules]

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.

[@toddjones1480]

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.

[@carterasics]

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 🙌🏼

[@munkeypantsman]

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"

[@eddietucker7005]

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!

[@DaveWeston]

Perhaps not an inspiration, but I definitely felt similar vibes with Vesper [but more a grimdark version] and Prospect, although that's in 'space'.

[@kylegacy]

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.

[@munkeypantsman]

@@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.

[@maximillianosaben]

Leo DiCaprio could've taken that bear on his own.

[@nightfall902]

The should have taken a ripped, powerful, Comanche girl from the 1700s with them.

[@TheDenigreur]

One of the best Lovecraftian movie out there. The dread is palpable .

[@Trepanation21]

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!

[@ChronosTachyon]

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!)

[@mr.vesper5659]

Underrated film. That bear scene still gives me chills

[@wakkadakka9192]

Highly overrated. A cheap parody of the novel Roadside Picnic, remade into a stereotypical Hollywood popcorn horror film.

[@GuyDudeman]

On any given video, someone says 'x' is underrated. They can't all be right.

[@adampare8088]

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

[@gluuuuue]

So glad we finally got to see your reaction to this. It’s one of my favorite creepy, alien horror films!

[@WelshAmethystGirl087]

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

[@Guussa]

One of my favorite movies. Everything is perfect. Cast, writing, soundtrack, visuals all outstanding!

[@BloodylocksBathory]

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.

[@thefatman2780]

THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING GENUINE & ENTERTAINING ESPECIALLY WHEN SOME OF US NEED IT THE MOST

[@shep4life]

The sound design is spectacular

[@CapricornBG]

Lena is self-destructive and teaches the alien self-destruction at the Lighthouse.

[@renee7407]

Oh let’s go, I love this movie!

[@MZAH1986]

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.

[@ConanGoodwin]

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.

[@DavidAugustine-lc4cj]

The ending of this movie from the Lighthouse to to the end was so eerily brilliant and strange! It's so hard to imagine Alien life forms in an original way to what has has been done before in movies! 😮

[@synthetic240]

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.

[@eraigames]

The director, by his own admission, made his own take on the story for the movie. He wanted to explore the idea of identity and what it means to be oneself. For example, there's no aliens and no doppelganger in the end. That is just supposed to be a visual representation of the question of whether the Lena that began this journey is the same Lena that is now there in the lighthouse. In other words, looking at the mirror Lena is like looking at who she his own admission, made his own take on the story for the movie. What he

[@SuperScottCrawford]

You guys totally gave me insights i missed!

[@josefgordon7712]

I remember the first time watching this and just being confused and terrified most of the time 😵‍💫 ☠️ great film

[@el34glo59]

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

[@SpookyBibi24]

Fantastic movie, love the haunting score and the creativity of the visuals

[@Schizm1]

Such an underrated movie. A truly unique SF. The closest mainstream movie we got to Tarkovsky's Stalker

[@Theomite]

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.

[@ianstopher9111]

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.

[@newdefsys]

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.

[@flippert0]

7:04 funny thing is, that this movie was almost entirely filmed in some park in or nearby London. The power of set decoration.

[@rendem8]

Now rewatch the movie with this in mind: It is all about the transformation of a relationship. Metaphorically. There are flashbacks about Portman cheating on her husband. So we know, that their marriage went wrong. Doesn't matter what was first - the estrangement or the cheating. The shimmering is the symbol of degradation, chaos, transformation. The expedition group of women is the depiction of inner splitting. Different personalities, like different possible desperate reactions in search of solution or escape from madness. The helplessness also reflects in the nature of shimmering, as the outside world sees it. It slowly consumes the whole world and deconstructs it. Like the the feeling of a broken relationship - everything falls apart. Also a good paralell the masculin part - the military expedition group - only men. And the other way to aproach the problem, the group a scientist women. The lighhouse scene is the symbol of rebirth, the personal transformation, the only way of saving their relationship, the rebuilding after annihilation. So I don't think it's a scifi. It's not about aliens. It's about psyche

[@KyleArmstrong]

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.

[@MikeB12800]

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.

[@samieltheinfamous]

The novel this is adapted from was itself inspired, at least in part, by The Colour Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft.

[@cardinalbaseballer5]

This movie is incredible

[@DavidAntrobus]

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.

[@laelmesquita1439]

The bear: "Hello, ladies. You must be wondering how I speak your language."

[@AndogaSpock]

Spoilers ahead.... I read an explanation online about this movie that kind of blew me away. So apparently this movie is about cancer. Literally, it's exploring how if the whole planet got cancer and is slowly spreading. Metaphorically, it's exploring how different people react to cancer differently. Some people accept it gracefully, some people go violently. Some people go through radiation treatment (like the bomb at the end) The mirroring image means that cancer is you and also not you at the same time. All girls team is supposed to represent breast cancer. And finally, if you survive cancer, you will never be the same.

[@KitTaylorOfficial]

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!

[@michaelsegriff3362]

Absolute vintage Schmitts. Appreciate that you reviewed this one, which while far from great, has genuinely interesting, weird and disturbing moments.

[@OneAndOnlyOmar]

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

[@nostalgibra4726]

Movie is about self-destruction imo. Everyone from the crew who enters the shimmer knows they're not likely coming back, as no one else did before, but they still enter it because they have self destructive tendencies. Natalie Portman's character has a happy marriage and loves her husband but still cheats on him and makes herself miserable because of her self destructive nature. Her husband learns about it and instead of confronting her, joins a suicide mission. She realizes her husband's motive for joining it and instead of coping with her guilt in a healthy way, does something self destructive again and enters the shimmer. In the end, alien is destroyed because it also copied her self destructive nature and accepted burning to death. As for the mutations part. Movie mentions things like aging and cancer a lot. Even though they're just the result of multiplying cells and have no real goal like killing us, they end up doing that. Mutations in the shimmer creates beautiful looking things while spreading, but they cost the life of the living organisms that affected by it, even if that's not the shimmer's real intent. I think that what its meaning to say is what makes life LIFE is self-destructive, even in the nature.

[@Loke6661666246]

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.

[@Psilocybin77]

Alex Garland is the greatest writer working in Hollywood. I am beyond excited for him and Danny Boyle (my favourite director) teaming up again for "28 Years Later"!!!!

[@asian-americanwithanopinio8954]

Loved it in the theater. This is my favorite 2nd Jennifer Jason Leigh film. 1st is "Hateful 8" and third "Fargo 5".

[@susanalexander6721]

I love Rush.

[@CineRam]

One of the best movies of 2018, and my favorite Alex Garland film so far.

[@gustonzimasheen]

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!

[@susanliltz3875]

Natalie Portman : in “Where The Heart Is” good movie based on a true story, young pregnant woman who’s boyfriend abandoned her at Walmart and she lived in and gave birth there and then the people of the town took her in..

[@wsn0009]

The original that inspired this called 'Stalker' is a masterpiece made by one of the greatest directors. Definitely recommend seeing that one too.

[@Timmayytoo]

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.

[@nightfall902]

The books are better (as usual) The Southern Reach trilogy by VanderMeer.

[@nightfall902]

@@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.

[@demopem]

No, Alex Garland directed. He wrote the script together with Jeff VanderMeer who wrote the book its based on.

[@nightfall902]

@@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).

[@Damiana_Dimock]

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.

[@abatage]

hell yeah - saw this in my sub feed and immediately started watching - love this movie and love you both :D

[@susanalexander6721]

The scene with the bear is in my top 5 most disturbing.

[@_Catskull_]

I read somewhere that this alien was a scientist. He studied. And finally, he studied fire. He multiplied it. And the husband and wife became, as it were, successful experiments.

[@jillianmcclennan576]

Thanks - this film always reminds me of Tarkovsky's Stalker, an alternate version of the story in which Stalker has action sequences

[@alexhidalgo7110]

I love it great reaction