Over the years, Alex Garland has become one of the most established filmmakers in Hollywood. After years of experience as an author, Garland became known for his screenwriting work for Danny Boyle’s “Sunshine” & “28 Days Later.” Later on, his directorial efforts like “Ex Machina” & “Civil War” were positively received by the critics. One of them is his 2018 sci-fi film, “Annihilation.” It’s an adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s fascinating sci-fi novel about a group of scientists discovering the truth about a mysterious alien presence on Earth. It shows writer-director Garland relying more on cinematic tools to bring out a sense of profundity in his narration.
Spoilers Ahead
Annihilation (2018) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Alex Garland’s “Annihilation” is about a group of scientists who enter a mysterious quarantined zone called ‘The Shimmer’ – to learn the truth about its alien presence that is causing major ecological changes on the Earth. What you read further is a summary of the film and not the book, which explores its subjects in more depth.
What happens in ‘Annihilation’?
“Annihilation” begins with Lena (Natalie Portman), a college professor and an ex-U.S. army officer, being investigated after she becomes the sole survivor who escapes a quarantined zone called ‘The Shimmer.’ Lena was part of a mission to investigate the truth about this zone, which emerged from a meteor that landed on a lighthouse in a refuge in Florida three years ago. Over time, it started expanding its boundaries. Then, we get an insight into her past before entering this expedition. She used to teach cellular biology at Johns Hopkins College.
Lena’s husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac), was a part of one of the expeditions in the Shimmer. He was missing for over a year, which affected Lena’s mental health. One day, he suddenly appears in the house and surprises her. She wonders where he had been. He does not respond to any of her queries and speaks vaguely. Moments later, his nose starts bleeding. Because of his deteriorating health, she calls an ambulance. Along the way, a group of armed people stop the ambulance and kidnap the couple. Soon after, Lena finds herself in the Area X.
The Truth about the Shimmer
After waking up in Area X, Lena gets questioned by psychologist Dr Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) about Kane’s return. Lena refuses to say anything until she gets answers herself. So, Ventress shows her the unusual layer of the Shimmer and reveals how no one who entered this zone has returned except Kane. The scientists have worked on multiple theories but haven’t figured out anything by then. Therefore, as a biologist, Lena decides to join Dr Ventress’ expedition with three other women – geomorphologist Cass (Tuva Novotny), physicist Josie (Tessa Thompson), and paramedic Anya (Gina Rodriguez). Their mission is to reach the lighthouse (the supposed source of the Shimmer), enter it, acquire relevant data & return.
The Expedition
Once the female scientists enter the Shimmer’s territory, their communication devices stop functioning. They look for other means to figure out their path. Along the way, they notice mutated plants growing from a known branch structure. While they try to understand the reason behind its existence, an albino alligator attacks Josie. After rescuing her and killing the alligator, Lena notices concentric rows of teeth inside the creature. During the further journey, Cass realizes that Lena is volunteering because of her husband. Other scientists volunteer to risk their lives due to similar past traumas.
Eventually, the scientists reach an abandoned military base that was swallowed by the Shimmer. Inside, they find a memory card that leads them to a video message left by Kane. In the video, the group notices Kane cutting open another soldier’s abdomen with a knife to find intestines slithering like a reptile. Then, they find a bizarre, overgrown structure of lichens that seems to be over the dead soldier’s corpse. Later that night, Lena tries to analyse the cell structure of these species. While sharing a watch over their base, she & Ventress talk about humanity’s peculiar, innate desire for self-destruction.
The Bear Attack
At night, a mutant bear attacks the military base and drags Cassi away. The others try to locate her but fail to do so. The next morning, while Ventress prepares to move forward to the lighthouse, Josie & Anya argue they should return. Although it results in distress, Lena supports Ventress’ decision. While walking through the wilderness, she finds Cassie’s mutilated corpse. In an abandoned village, they notice plants taking on human physical forms. Earlier, Josie realized that the radio signal was not gone but scrambled. So, she theorizes that the Shimmer acts as a prism, causing light waves to get refracted. It distorts everything in its territory and transforms its DNA. This means it also transforms them.
Soon after, Anya notices her fingerprints change and succumbs to paranoia. At night, she ties other scientists to chairs and accuses Lena of killing Cassie since they trust everything Lena says. Suddenly, from the outside, Anya hears Cassie calling out for help. So, she rushes out to realize that the mutant bear is using Cassie’s voice to lure them. When it enters the room, Anya shoots it repeatedly. Moments later, it kills her. Then, Josie recuses herself from the chair and shoots the bear to death. The next morning, Ventress leaves for the lighthouse by herself.
Lena’s Journey
Lena agrees with Josie’s theory of refraction. Josie believes a part of Cassie’s fear became a part of the mutated bear while killing her. It reflects Cassie’s last moments of intense pain and suffering while being killed. Soon after, she gets refracted into a humanoid plant, leaving Lena on her own. Lena heads toward the lighthouse and enters to find a burnt-out corpse and a videotape. In the footage, she notices Kane sitting at the exact spot of the corpse, reflecting on his conflicted state of mind. He burns himself with a phosphorous grenade. Right after, his replica walks in the frame.
Annihilation (2018) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Lena return from the Shimmer territory?
After witnessing Kane’s horrifying death in video footage, Lena enters the hole the meteor created. In its unusual structure, she finds Ventress, who explains her experience with the Shimmer. She reveals that it is inside her and will keep growing until it encompasses everything, until the absolute annihilation. Then, she transforms into a shimmering cloud-like structure that approaches Lena. It absorbs a drop of Lena’s blood, changes into a faceless humanoid, and starts to mimic Lena’s movements. While struggling to escape, Lena tricks the shimmering humanoid into destroying itself. It takes Kane’s leftover grenade and hands it over, which turns it into her replica.
Then, Lena ignites the grenade and leaves the lighthouse as her replica torches itself. The lighthouse gets consumed with fire, making the Shimmer vanish since it tries to replicate the fire. As Lena recalls these details during her interrogation, she mentions not knowing the purpose behind the Shimmer’s existence and why it was mutating their environment. She notes that it didn’t want to destroy their world but to transform it. Afterward, she meets Kane’s replica, who comes to visit her after a year of disappearance. She asks whether he is Kane. He doubts that and asks whether she is Lena. She doesn’t answer. They hug each other while their irises shimmer. They both meet each other’s transformed selves, with parts of them that will likely never be the way they were.
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Trailer:
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