If you love movies that make you think, analyze, and ask, "What am I just seeing?", then Annihilation is the movie you should put on your list. Released in 2018, it combines science fiction and psychological horror in a completely unconventional cinematic experience, immersing you in it from the first scene to the mysterious ending that will leave you confused yet amazed.
The story begins when a strange place called "The Shimmer" appears. It's surrounded by a rainbow-like barrier and anyone who enters it never returns and the government tries to understand what's happening there so it sends exploration teams but no one returns until one soldier returns in a strange state unable to explain anything.
This is where Lena, played by Natalie Portman, enters. She's a biologist and her husband is the only soldier to have returned from the area to understand what happened she decides to enter the Shimmer with a team of female scientists and explorers. There they go on a journey into a place filled with incomprehensible phenomena and strange creature that deny the laws of nature.
Watching Annihilation, you'll feel as if you're entering a nightmare. Nature within The Shimmer is unnatural plants merge with animals, and time passes differently. The team begins to see frightening things—not just monsters, but psychological nightmares, as if the place itself is manipulating their minds.
There's a particular scene in the film that remains etched in the minds of everyone who's seen it and the talking bear whose voice is the screams of its last victim so this scene gives you a sense of terror that's not just the fear of something attacking you but the fear of losing yourself and becoming something else.
The film isn't just a science fiction story as it attempts to raise questions about identity, change, and self-destruction. Is humanity truly static, or does it constantly change? Is destruction a part of life and evolution? The film makes you ponder these questions without providing direct answers, which is what makes it a different experience from the usual science fiction films.
If you like films that break the rules and keep you thinking after you finish them Annihilation will be an unforgettable experience. It's not just a horror or science fiction film but a visual and psychological experience that makes you feel like you've entered a parallel world filled with mystery beauty and horror all at once. It's not a film for everyone, but it's a gift for anyone who loves cinema that plays with both the mind and heart.
