Annihilation Review

     

     Science Fiction has been one of the most influential genres in history of films and for good reason. Sci-Fi has always enlighten audiences by introducing them to fascinating concepts and intriguing ideas all through a story that’s more fantastical compared to the average film. Every so often, a science fiction movie comes along that ends up being refreshing, original and one of the most ingenious things to come on the big screen in years. Annihilation is one of those movies; it is everything that a science fiction film should strive to be.

   The story of Annihilation deals with a biologist named Lena played by Natalie Portman, joining a team of scientists to investigate a strange forest infected by some unknown entity and they have to figure out what’s the cause of these surreal events. Not much should be revealed further as Annihilation’s story is incredibly well done with some twists and turns through-out the entire film. It does tread on some familiarity in the same way movies like Cloverfield Paradox and Alien Covenant have, however unlike those films where they’re too fixated on tired tropes and ideas that aren’t as fleshed out, Annihilation an incredible job making it feels more refreshing with better characters and also ingenious ideas. Much like Alex Garland’s previous film Ex Machina, the film goes into a more human element to its themes being fixated on the idea of fear and how it ends up being more harmful yet also hard to avoid since it is a a motivation for humans everywhere. It challenges the audience on this idea on how we should handle fear and much like every great science fiction film, it doesn’t talk down to the audience and instead enlightens them on these ideas by letting them come to their own conclusions about the films themes. A film like Annihilation is one that’s definitely needs to be talked about just on its themes and how it discusses its themes alone.

     

     One of the strongest elements of Alex Garland’s Ex Machina is how he was able to create three dimensional characters that weren’t just regulated to one basic archetype. In Annihilation, he is able to achieve that again, giving us characters that aren’t only intelligent, but have some unique development and more than just serving as a basic archetype of a survival movie like this. Add to the fact that actors like Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac deliver incredible performances that might be some of the best in their entire career. They sell their roles greatly with a wide range of emotions but also just simply being well realized characters that aren’t just the basic good or bad guy; they are complex and given many moments that make the audience more intrigued by their characters. The supporting cast of actresses like Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson and Gina Rodriguez also serve as excellent supporting roles, being a little more developed even with less time dedicated to them compared to the protagonist. The films characters and their motives also help exemplify the theme of fear the film tries to get across and although some minor moments may not portray it as well with some weak writing at points, the films character depth is enough to really make this film incredibly fascinating to watch.

     A science fiction movie is nothing however without some incredibly and original imagery and Annihilation delivers exceptionally. Starting with the film’s cinematography, the film is so incredibly well shot just from its opening frames; it lures you in with some striking imagery that’s profound and beautiful to look at. The rest of the film from the minor set pieces of the home life and even when they’re in the mysterious world, is also shot beautifully where nearly every single frame has some sort of visual spectacle to the point where it could definitely be worthy of an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography. Sound and special effects are also top notch as well, minus a few moments where the CGI isn’t up to par with the rest of the film, the special effects team gave their A-game to this film with some of the most believable and stunning effects seen in a small budget Sci-Fi film like this. The highlight is one of the most disturbing creature effects ever seen in a horror like Sci-Fi film like this one, creating for a haunting moment in the whole film. The film spectacle is worth seeing on the big screen alone, not since Blade Runner 2049 has a science fiction film looked this stunning.

     Annihilation is a breathtaking film that should be on everyone’s radar, especially for those who are in love with the science fiction genre. Like any of the best films of Sci-Fi, it enlighten and impresses on nearly all aspects and is one that later down the line will be considered a classic in the vain of Alien or Blade Runner. Even if the film isn’t loved by everyone, it should be seen as any movie that creates great discussion about incredible ideas should be looked at, and Annihilation does an amazing job at being a unique film experience.

Black Panther Review

     The Marvel Cinematic Universe manages to consistently be popular with every major release they have by providing solid adaptations to their iconic comic book characters. One of the most talked about characters making his theatrical debut is the Wonder Woman of Black Superheroes himself Black Panther. Even with Marvel’s track record of average to good films, the addition of talented newcomer Ryan Coogler to direct this heightened more of an interest of this film making for what would hopefully be one of their best films. Lucky that is the case as Black Panther is one of the most well directed films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving a new sense of style this series of films needed.

Black Panther story centers on T’Challa and his destiny to become king shortly after the assassination of his father as seen in Civil War. With this great responsibility coming to him, he has to deal with a new threat that could potentially ruin his home of Wakanda. Thus he has to prove himself as King that he is an important leader that can save his world. The downside of Black Panther as a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is that the film ultimately goes down a predictable pathway. Any major twist and turn the film tries to do can be seen from a mile away which does leave a little more to be desired if the film went in the way of Winter Soldier where the film has less predictable twists to appear. What save the film from being a predictable dull romp are the mature themes and ideas that Black Panther talks about. This is a film that unlike a typical Marvel movie doesn’t make a simple story about heroes trying to save the world, it’s a film about betrayal, culture and knowing what is the best for your society even in tough situations. It is a movie that indulges itself with a unique setting Wakanda, a world that has so much to offer with celebrating African culture and for a huge big budget movie to do something like this, makes the film much more refreshing to see instead of the typical American setting we are used to seeing in these types of films. Plus, a film like this could suffer from what other Marvel movies suffer from with it having an over-reliance on jokes and thankfully, Black Panther might be Marvel’s most serious movie behind Winter Solider. There are moments of humor that work to varying degrees, yet it doesn’t change the fact that T’Challa’s story is taken more seriously making the drama feel much more effective. Thus, despite the film’s predictability in some areas, Coogler’s direction with the story was incredibly smart for a hero like this.

   Black Panther’s story works on its own quite well, however the film’s characters and performances is what helps sell this movie even further. T’Challa was likable and kind in Civil War and here his character has been given more development with an actual character arch of dealing with being leader of his home and the struggles that entails. The film gives you enough to care about him and seeing Chadwick Bosman presence as this character makes him very enjoyable to watch. However, more than T’Challa himself, surprisingly enough, the supporting cast is what really shines in Black Panther. Most notably Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira as Nakia and Okyoe, as they stand out as some of the strongest and most bad-ass female characters Marvel has ever created. Nakia in particular, could have been just a standard female secondary lead but the script gives her enough of a likable and strong personality and enough excellent action sequences to really make her shine as an excellent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Danai Gurira’s Okyoe also stands as a total badass, being a leader of one of Wakanda’s strongest army, being strong and fierce and knowing how to kick some ass during the action sequence. The rest of the cast also give it their all in terms of having so much likability and character to this world, though the standpoint performance is most definitely Michael B Jordan as the main antagonist Killmonger. Jordan’s character ends up being one of the best Marvel villains, due to Jordan as always giving his all when it comes to acting with a high range of emotions. Even taking Jordan’s performance out of it, the character is still incredibly well written being more than just the typical bad guy seen in Marvel films, with more of a motivation and sympathetic nature to his character. Given that this movie has accomplished the impossible of having a great villain in a Marvel movie; it’s safe to say that Black Panther nails its characters.

   Coogler’s direction is the main element that could make this film excel as a Marvel movie and for the most part, his style translates very well into a big budget blockbuster. The cinematography is top notch, with a lot of gorgeous shots, especially during either the more surreal and visually impressive moments. This is also true for the action sequences which are tightly edited to make it feel less like a Marvel movie but more like a spy thriller, making the sequences incredibly exciting. Sound wise, the score is one of the better scores from Marvel in recent memory, rather than being a typical generic score, it takes more from African culture and feels very much in place with the setting of the film itself. The film also just has a very slick look to it, as the colors pop out much more than the average Marvel films and the set and costume designs help make the world of Wakanda alive and real. The only downside with the film on a visual level is that, there is an over reliance on CGI at various points. Not to say that the CGI is poorly done, there are moments where it looks quite good, but then there are moments where it looks like it needs to be touched up. This is most apparent near the end of the movie which has an overabundance of CGI to the point where the final act doesn’t quite feel as strong as the rest of the movie. Not to mention, while the design of the film looks outstanding with its culture, it doesn’t quite look as immersive as it should with the overabundance of CG. Places that is incredibly well design in terms of set lose their sense of immersion as it just looks more or less like a studio green screen room. Even despite that, Black Panther still looks impressive and Ryan Coogler’s direction does save it from feeling too overkill of effects.

  Black Panther is certainly one of the better Marvel movies out there. In comparison to Coogler’s other films, it is not nearly as strong and some elements could be a bit more to desire, however there is enough great elements to make it better than the average Marvel film. The film’s themes, characters and over-all direction, make Black Panther a joy to watch. It’s not quite the best Marvel movie or Superhero movie ever made, but it is one definitely worth seeing due to how it manages to stand out from the crowd of typical superhero movies out there. Even with its faults, a movie to stand out like this should definitely be noticed in terms of genres like the Comic Book Movie.