Annihilation

“An incomprehensible and malignant alien power from outer space infects part of our planet, mutating everything it touches in bizarre and horrifying ways. A strange allegory for cancer and disease. This film will make you feel weird. I enjoy this feeling. Some don’t. Regardless, it’s great and entertaining brain food. As an added bonus for my fellow synth nerds, the soundtrack has some incredibly inspiring sounds design in it. We need more cosmic horror. We need more Alex Garland movies.”

“Alex Garland can be kind of hit or miss, and the first time I watched this I didn’t entirely know what to make of it, but it stuck with me enough that I later rewatched it more than once, and I’ve been more impressed with it each time. Depression, grief, change (wanted and unwanted), and the battle against your own mind are packed into this story about a group of scientists who enter a mysterious zone called the Shimmer (a setup similar to Tarkovsky’s Stalker), and it’s full of haunting, memorable imagery.”