Assignment 17 - Tahsen Hossain - Annihilation

I would apologise for how long this is but honestly, I'm not sorry and you're lucky I didn't write about Star Wars because that would never end. (:

   In 2018 Netflix aired a documentary about a man named Bob Lazar called "Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers". In this documentary, Lazar claims to have worked for a government base like Area 51 and to have done extensive research and testing on potentially alien technology which we know very little about because it "breaks the known laws of thermodynamics". (He also appears on this free podcast on youtube where he explains his story as well) He recounts that he was chosen to research the propulsion systems of a "flying saucer", which he claimed functioned on a concept thought to be purely theoretical; an anti-gravity engine. He doesn't claim to know how it works or where it comes from but he claims that the US government through years of trial and error now understood how to turn it on and off. He details that the uncertainty of working with such a byzantine device terrified him because he didn't know what device could do. He eventually had internal conflicts with the management there and was exiled from the area. Now my actual review is not of this documentary but Lazar's story may serve as a comparison and may, in fact, have had an impact on the movie, to which this review pertains.
   Annihilation is hard not to spoil. Its beautiful multi-coloured visual style which reflects organic structures found in flora and fauna is closely intertwined with the narrative which hinges on uncertainty in times of change and relishes in its (sometimes brutal) semi-realism despite its science-fiction premise. Annihilation asks what would really happen in the event of introducing alien life but instead of viewing it from the lenses of warmongering or peacemaking (calling on heroes to defeat an invading alien force or go on a mission of diplomacy to learn about our new neighbours), it takes a much more scientific and methodical approach. The movie treats the aliens not as ally or enemy but as indifferent forces of nature; a combination of invasive species and mysterious geothermal phenomena caused as a side effect of the aliens are what the researchers are simultaneously horrified and astonished by throughout the film.
   The protagonist essentially gets Lazar-ed. They are enlisted to research a potentially dangerous and alien environment for the government. What they find there is beautiful and intriguing and also terrifying and new. It is something that breaks the laws of nature and they are not prepared for it. They spend most of the movie searching for answers.
   While I did thoroughly, enjoy this movie there are inevitably flaws. The movie often becomes inconsistent with its theme of realism in order to artificially maintain the pace of the film. For instance, the people sent into the "Shimmer" often react to incredibly odd situations as if they are normal or as if they had spent a long time under these conditions. Now, this happens often throughout cinema, especially in the science fiction genre but when the entire film is built around humanity's realistic reactions to the discovery of aliens on earth, it becomes a much more noticeable hindrance on the narrative. Additionally, while it offers many philosophies on how to interact with such an unprecedented change it never really commits to one but rather chooses to fumble around with all the concepts throughout the movie.
   Overall, I still really appreciate this movie for not using the "they're a hive-minded alien species; kill the queen" cop-out like most sci-fi's do, but rather entertaining real scientific ideas without being boring (like this review probably was to read.) 

Solid 3/5, Would recommend to anyone that likes sci-fi - Tahsen Hossain 


P.S I don't necessarily believe Bob Lazar's claims, they were just useful for the review.