Alex Garland, the director and writer of 2015's critically acclaimed science fiction thriller "Ex Machina," returns with a new sci-fi film called "Annihilation." Unlike "Ex Machina," however, "Annihilation's" theatrical release is only for the U.S., Canada, and China. Strangely, the rest of the world will get to see the film 17 days later — not in theaters, but on Netflix.
Natalie Portman stars as Lena, a cellular biologist and former soldier, along with "Star Wars" actor Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Tuva Novotny.
"Annihilation" opens with a mystery. Portman's character Lena is the wife of Isaac's Kane, a soldier who suddenly returns home after going missing for more than a year. Lena finds her husband in her home, although he is almost catatonic and confused as to how he managed to get there.
Lena soon finds out that Kane is the sole survivor of a mission into a mysterious quarantined area called "The Shimmer," a place surrounded by an equally mysterious wall made of a shimmering, opalescent material. Lena then becomes a member of a new expedition into The Shimmer, intent on investigating why the members of all other missions sent to explore the area have disappeared.
Once inside The Shimmer, Lena and the other members of her group find all sorts of strangely mutated flora and fauna — some of which turn out to be extremely dangerous. As they get closer and closer to unraveling the mystery of The Shimmer, the members of the expedition realize that The Shimmer can affect them right down to their DNA.
The film is based on a novel, also called "Annihilation," written by author Jeff VanderMeer. "Annihilation" is the first book of the VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy and is also the winner of the 2014 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Paramount Pictures and Scott Rudin Productions bought the rights to the novel in 2013, and Paramount hired Alex Garland to direct and write the screenplay in 2014.
Paramount released the film in the United States on Friday, Feb. 23. Based on a deal between producer Scott Rudin and Paramount financier David Ellison, Paramount will handle the film's U.S., Canada, and China release, while streaming giant Netflix will distribute the film to other territories. The Netflix release is on Monday, March 12.
This unusual arrangement reportedly stemmed from a disagreement between Ellison and Garland. Ellison wanted changes to be made with Portman's character as well as the ending, since the film did not test well with audiences and therefore might not make much of a profit in the box office. However, with Rudin's backing, Garland stood by his work and refused to make the changes Ellison wanted. Garland and Rudin won out in the end, and Garland's vision remained intact all the way up to the film's release.
Thus, the separate releases may be Paramount's attempt at a compromise that will not only decrease the financial risk for Ellison, but will please Garland and Rudin as well.
