Omitting the preliminary remarks about spoilers, I always have spoilers, you should know it by now.

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So what to say of the purportedly most intellectual scifi movie of the recent years? Director Garland's previous movie Ex Machina is one of my favorite sci fi movies and absolute favorite in 'feminist sci fi movie' category – quite an achievement for a movie that strictly speaking does not have a single female character! It was a truly gripping story and a the same time a clear-sighted analysis of certain male attitudes to (perceived) femininity in the era of Gamergate etc.

But Annihilation. Hmm. I wish I had managed to shield myself from any prior expectations. But short of abandoning social AND traditional media, no chance of that. So I expected a highbrow intellectual movie and got a emotional-aesthetic one, which is not bad in itself I guess, just different from what I assumed it would be.

It had such amazing designs. I almost feel I should review Annihilation in my other, fashion-oriented blog… it's focusing a lot of current aesthetics, from 90's holographic / soap bubble effects reappearance to no-make up look to crystals to disgusting-pretty florals and so on. I'm willing to bet a beer or two on a major fashion house doing an Annihilation inspired show next fashion week somewhere.

Anyway, I have to say I have the feeling that a movie where five women enter a mysterious area, are killed one by one and things are fixed with a bomb, is getting more leeway in being perceived as intellectual compared to a movie where five men enter a mysterious area etc. Maybe it's saying something smart about our technology vs untrustworthy biology, but I missed it.

It was good enough that I got myself the Vandermeer book. Curious to see how the ending is n the book compared to the movie!