First reactions to Annihilation hail it as "mesmerizing" & a "masterpiece"

First reactions to Annihilation hail it as “mesmerizing” & a “masterpiece”

February 8th 2018, 11:35am

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

With EX MACHINA Alex Garland delivered an unsettling, eerie and intelligent sci-fi movie that further solidified him as a major voice in the genre. He makes his second directorial effort with ANNIHILATION, and many have been wondering if he can live up to the Oscar-winning MACHINA. Though the full review embargo hasn’t been lifted a few critics have seen the movie and are praising it as a sci-fi masterpiece. Many are hailing the performances, but the movie as a whole is being touted as a complex, disturbing and riveting piece of work that begs to be rewatched.

Take a look at some of the reactions below!

Alex Garland's #Annihilation is absolutely phenomenal. It's gorgeous and mesmerizing, with brilliant performances from the entire ensemble. It's a remarkable vision, and has a sequence so thrilling that I was left literally dizzy. It will be on my Top 10 of 2018 without question. pic.twitter.com/zGmDGlyh0M

— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) February 8, 2018

Make no mistake, #Annihilation is a new sci-fi classic. Brilliant, thrilling, and provocative, it has as much metaphoric depth as it does narrative tension. I’m floored. pic.twitter.com/o2taDg2Z7L

— Drew Taylor (@DrewTailored) February 8, 2018

ANNHILATION is, in wholly inelegant terms, one hell of a mindfuck. Most of the time, I didn't want it to end; occasionally, I was so unsettled I thought I might keel over.

— Kate Erbland (@katerbland) February 8, 2018

Alex Garland’s #Annihilation is another example of the kind of brainy sci-fi we don’t see enough of. Badass female cast and a story that’s both beautiful and wickedly disturbing, and an ending you will talk about for days. Dug it so much pic.twitter.com/fW77z6xX4v

— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) February 8, 2018

#Annihilation is big budget Alex Garland with all the head-spinning intelligence of "Ex Machina." It's violent and patient and then suddenly so transfixing you're pinned to your seat.

It'll take time to process. Another auteur studio gamble from Paramoint after "mother!"

— Zack Sharf (@ZSharf) February 8, 2018

#ANNIHILATION: This is the type of sci-if we always say we want to see. Bold, challenging, singular, visually dazzling. Would not be the least bit surprised to see it hailed as a masterpiece (and it might actually be one).

— Ben Pearson (@benpears) February 8, 2018

Alex Garland’s #Annihilation is another example of the kind of brainy sci-fi we don’t see enough of. Badass female cast and a story that’s both beautiful and wickedly disturbing, and an ending you will talk about for days. Dug it so much pic.twitter.com/fW77z6xX4v

— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) February 8, 2018

Just saw #Annihilation, and damn, it’s gorgeous. Beautifully done, riveting and smart. Going to need to process this one for a while, and I want to see it again! pic.twitter.com/rFl5cnacon

— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) February 8, 2018

I’ve found the trailers for the movie engaging on a stylistic level, so I’m excited to hear from this first wave of response that the movie has a lot going on underneath as well. Garland has tons of amazing writing credits to his name, like 28 DAYS LATER, SUNSHINE and DREDD, and he’s making a stellar transition into direction. The visuals look great, the cast is terrific, and now the movie has words like "masterpiece" linked to it. How can you not be excited for a movie like that?

ANNIHILATION with Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny and Oscar Isaac arrives, February 23.