Annihilation (2018)

[imsounoriginal]

A Paramount poster that isn't a Photoshop Floating Heads Hack Job? Wow.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

A Paramount poster that isn't a Photoshop Floating Heads Hack Job? Wow.

Yet ironically this is also the movie going direct to video (Netflix) in some area.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Very much looking forward to this and as I rarely go to the cinema anymore, very happy that this is going straight to Netflix where I am.

[tigertron]

I was planning on seeing it at the cinema, but as it's going to be on Netflix that just saved me a cinema ticket.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by tigertron

I was planning on seeing it at the cinema, but as it's going to be on Netflix that just saved me a cinema ticket.

Netflix, FTW. This has the looks of being good but viewers have been burned plenty of times by "cant miss" films and all-star casts before. Lets see it before we whack off over it. Right?

[Gacivory]

Very strong chance that this will come to L.A., and I am gonna be there day 1! Since Dredd, been an Alex Garland fan! Gonna try and read the book before the movie, but we'll see how that works out.

[Worship.my.wreck]

Never heard of this until like last week and saw the trailer. Looks good so I'm looking forward to it.

[aiman04]

Natalie Portman is credited above title. Was expecting an ensemble film but looks like this is Natalie’s.

[MattJ1991]

I'm really glad this is going straight to Netflix. I for one love movies and dislike theaters so I want every movie to go Digital right away.

[javy]

Originally Posted by Mr.F

Brainy sci-fi hasn't really done well with audiences unless there's an action aspect to it. Just Look at Blade Runner 2049- they spent $150 million, and a bunch more on marketing, had incredible reviews and it still flopped.

Damn, maybe Jodie Foster was right.

[CelluloidPal]

Are they pimping this movie as some monster flick? Saw the new trailer and it looks like they're selling it as a monster flick unless someone either has made changes to the movie or they're gonna pull a rope-a-dope.
Despite that and my dislike of Natalie Portman, I'll wind up checking it out anyway.

[Rodney-2187]

I hear those strange tones in my head whenever I think about this movie.

[Creed]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

I hear those strange tones in my head whenever I think about this movie.

Odd.

[javy]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

my dislike of Natalie Portman

[ArrestedDevelopment]

"Brainy sci-fi" has been the epitome of film making for the last couple of years. Ex Machina, Arrival and (arguably) Blade Runner 2049 were by far the strongest films of their respective years.

[P-Rock]

Originally Posted by ArrestedDevelopment

"Brainy sci-fi" has been the epitome of film making for the last couple of years. Ex Machina, Arrival and (arguably) Blade Runner 2049 were by far the strongest films of their respective years.

Not sure why you'd call this brainy sci-fi when they take you by the hand and explain everything that happens along the way. You really don't have to think about stuff nor are you left with any questions after watching these movies (and if you do you didn't pay attention). Even movies like Prometheus, which raised questions about our beliefs and existence, are extremely dumbed down to the point of overlapping a chromosome chart to prove the engineers created us.

When I think of brainy sci-fi I think of 2001, Stalker, Solaris, The Zero Theorem and Primer.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by P-Rock

Not sure why you'd call this brainy sci-fi when they take you by the hand and explain everything that happens along the way. You really don't have to think about stuff nor are you left with any questions after watching these movies (and if you do you didn't pay attention). Even movies like Prometheus, which raised questions about our beliefs and existence, are extremely dumbed down to the point of overlapping a chromosome chart to prove the engineers created us.

When I think of brainy sci-fi I think of 2001, Stalker, Solaris, The Zero Theorem and Primer.

Last time I checked the Arrival thread on this forum, there were a lot of people who appeared confused as to what the film was about and what happened in it. The way it explored a genuinely alien life form via linguistics was something I have not seen done before.

You've already mentioned a Shane Caruth film and I'd like to add his more recent Upstream Color, a meditation on empathy via the criminal exploitation of a symbiotic life form, as the most thoughtful science fiction film I've seen in recent years.

[P-Rock]

Originally Posted by Todd Tomorrow

Last time I checked the Arrival thread on this forum, there were a lot of people who appeared confused as to what the film was about and what happened in it. The way it explored a genuinely alien life form via linguistics was something I have not seen done before.

Really? I guess they didn't pay enough attention then or they have forgotten how to think for themselves when watching a movie. Everything is explained and the whole linguistics thing is extremely dumbed down so even Joe Schmoe could understand it. Not many (if any) movies show the whole learning an alien language thing, but the way it progresses is as straight forward as it gets. In the end it's extremely clear that

[Show spoiler]her future daughter dies from an illness but she still chooses to have the child despite knowing she will die.

If they watch Stalker I think their heads will explode.

You've already mentioned a Shane Caruth film and I'd like to add his more recent Upstream Color, a meditation on empathy via the criminal exploitation of a symbiotic life form, as the most thoughtful science fiction film I've seen in recent years.

Cool, will look that one up.

[Todd Tomorrow]

Originally Posted by P-Rock

Really? I guess they didn't pay enough attention then or they have forgotten how to think for themselves when watching a movie. Everything is explained and the whole linguistics thing is extremely dumbed down so even Joe Schmoe could understand it. Not many (if any) movies show the whole learning an alien language thing, but the way it progresses is as straight forward as it gets.

[Show spoiler] In the end it's extremely clear that her future daughter dies from an illness but she still chooses to have the child despite knowing she will die.

Cool, will look that one up.

Maybe spoiler that.

It's all very good being snooty about things getting "dumbed down" but movies only are two hours long and Arrival does manage to get across complex scientific and philosophical concepts via its focus on linguistics.

[Show spoiler]The plot with the dying daughter is just the delivery system for the theory that when one learns another language, ones perception changes. Louise learns an alien language and starts to perceive time the way the aliens do: in a non-linear way. That then throws up some philosophical questions like these creatures don't experience grief because they don't experience life as starting with birth and ending with death. I think for a science fiction film to leave you pondering these things, achieves more than most science fiction films do. It's genuinely thoughtful about what an alien consciousness could be like and how limited we are by the way we experience life due to the more limited amount senses we have.

It's even kind of hopeful via an exploration of science rather than religion, which is how humanity usually deals with questions of death and beyond.

[dgoswald]

It's good to see a slight renaissance of sci-fi of varying degrees of complexity in cinema.