Lena (Natalie Portman) is a biologist who volunteers for a dangerous mission into Area X. An expanding area masked by a shimmer of light which no one has returned from.

Based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer Annihilation is already a contender for film of the year despite its contentious release. Following the studio believing the film was “too intellectual”, it sold the international distribution rights to Netflix, resulting in it having a small theatrical release in the US and creeping out onto UK Netflix this week with no fanfare. This is a great shame as some of the special effects and vistas on display really deserve a cinematic presentation.

Writer/Director Alex Garland’s previous film was the exceptional sci-fi Ex Machina. Annihilation perhaps trumps this effort with a very complex look at alien life, animal and human DNA and the act of self destruction. Even fans of the book like myself are in for a treat as the film takes the premise but goes in a different direction entirely. I won’t discuss the story further though as I think it’s something best discovered fresh.

Everything technically about the film is equally astounding as the complex plot. The cast turn in universally brilliant performances with Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tessa Thompson the big names on display. The imagery is also startling. Inside the “shimmer” we see beautiful light effects and interesting flora and fauna. Combined with the melancholic score and bitter sweet Crosby, Stills and Nash song Helplessly Hoping drifting in and out, it creates a surreal dreamscape environment.

I really would implore you to seek it out and try to give it as cinematic an experience as you can muster at home. Once you’ve done that I would wholeheartedly recommend you read Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy of which this is partially based on the first book. The film though is entirely stand alone and not created to be a trilogy.