Inför den amerikanska premiären som äger rum imorgon har de första recensionerna av Alex Garlands (”Ex Machina”) efterlängtade ”Annihilation”, baserad på Jeff VanderMeers bok med samma namn, trillat in. Filmen, som handlar om en grupp kvinnliga forskare som ger sig ut på en expedition in i det mystiska området ”Area X”, kommer dessvärre inte gå upp på bio i Sverige utan har premiär på Netflix den 12:e mars. Den stjärntäta rollistan inkluderar namn som Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuva Novotny, Gina Rodriguez och Oscar Isaac.
Att säga att de första omdömena om filmen är positiva räcker inte riktigt till, utan ord som ”mästerverk” används och paralleller dras till science fiction-klassiker som ”Alien” och ”2001: A Space Odyssey”. Många tycks också förtrollas av de väldigt utmanande och psykedeliska bilderna och det långsamma berättandet. Kolla in några utdrag från de skinande positiva recensionerna nedan:
Peter Debruge från Variety kallar filmen för ”visually stunning” och skriver följande i sin recension:
”For those willing to put in the effort, “Annihilation” achieves that rare feat of great genre cinema, where audiences are not merely thrilled (the film is both intensely scary and unexpectedly beautiful in parts) but also feel as if their minds have been expanded along the way: It is, or at least could be interpreted as, an alien invasion story in which the extra-terrestrial entity has no form, but instead works with whatever it comes in contact with — like some kind of nasty virus, or a particularly malignant cancer”.
Eric Kohn slår till med ett A- i betyg i sin Indiewire-recension och beskriver den som ”an alluring sci-fi puzzle”:
”“Annihilation” is quietly progressive on several levels, as both a female-centric blockbuster and a smarter alternative to big budget spectacle, which makes the charges of whitewashing it has faced especially ironic. While it’s true that Lena’s character was revealed as an Asian American in VanderMeer’s second novel, in the first, she’s a blank slate — and that extends to the movie’s thematic concerns. Its ill-fated characters wander a world overtaken by natural processes, rendering identity of any type — white, black, flower, gator — into a distracting construct. Nobody’s safe. The monsters come for all of us”.
Entertainment Weeklys Leah Greenblatt tycker också att A- är ett lämpligt betyg, men har vissa reservationer:
”The dialogue can be stilted and sometimes hokey, in that particularly sci-fi way; characters aren’t so much developed as sketched for utility. But the overall effect is extraordinary: a lavish, magnificently unnerving visual feast threaded through with well-earned jump scares and real metaphysical force. It’s the kind of film that leaves you dazzled, shellshocked — and not entirely sure whether your own moviegoing DNA hasn’t been altered a little in the process”.
Vultures Emily Yoshida tycker att filmen är ”flawed”, men stämmer samtidigt in i hyllningskören:
”Something at the intersection of the end of ”2001: A Space Odyssey” and modern dance, it left me breathless with its unforgiving depiction of the relentless weight of depression; the impulse to self-destruct. The film has one eye on the “final girl” structure of horror films throughout its expedition, and the ending takes that phrase, turns it inside out and shatters it into a thousand refracted points of light. Like all things this cosmic, it will certainly be snickered about as “trippy shit.” But I suspect a sizable portion of the audience will see themselves there”.
Richard Lawson från Vanity Fair passar på att lyfta fram en av våra största svenska talanger i sin recension:
”I was most taken by Swedish actress Tuva Novotny, whose character, Sheppard, emits an otherworldly auric energy. There’s a softness, a kindness to her incisive empathy, but something watchful and suspicious about it, too. It’s not a terribly big role, but Novotny is utterly magnetic whenever she’s on screen, casting a mysterious, mournful glow over her scenes. She’s served well by Garland’s writing, which has an elegant rhythm and cadence that’s a little sideways, a little unnerving”.
I The Guardians 4/5-recension skriver Benjamin Lee att filmen kombinerar ”gut-wrenching body horror and trippy science to compelling effect”:
”It’s hugely refreshing, and remarkably uncommon, to watch a genre film that revolves around intelligent characters reacting intelligently to fantastical events. The team is made up of briskly efficient problem-solvers who remain practical and focused while dealing with otherworldly mayhem. Unlike with so many superficially similar films, as an audience we understand and empathize with the decision-making process, the script never sacrificing its smarts for suspense. It’s tightly constructed and devoid of unnecessary exposition yet the characters mostly feel like they are more than their various professions”.
Rodrigo Perez från The Playlist sätter ett skinande A och kallar den till och med för ett ”spellbinding sci-fi masterpiece” och skriver följande:
”If “Annihilation” is Garland’s shot at his own psychedelic space odyssey, he’s not far off the mark. At the very least, one cannot deny how ambitious the picture is. “Annihilation” is spellbinding and its awe-inspiring conclusion will leave your mind blown and splattered against the wall. In its final, surreal biopsychological moments the movie goes into an astonishing interstellar gear. A visionary experience with monumental dimension, Kubrick, his Starchild and his lasting sci-fi legacy would be proud”.
Cinemablends Eric Eisenberg tycker också att den är värd högsta betyg:
”In an age when cinematic sci-fi tends to be more consumable than cerebral, it’s easy to appreciate the big films that come few and far between. With ”Arrival” and ”Blade Runner 2049”, Denis Villeneuve has emerged as an important name on this front, but right beside him is Alex Garland. ”Annihilation” is perfect proof that that he is the real deal as a director and visionary — not only creating a world that you will fall right into, but one that’s so fascinating that you’ll want to investigate it over and over. It’s been a long wait since ”Ex Machina”, but Garland proved it was worth it”.
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”Annihilation” har premiär på Netflix den 12:e mars, ser du fram emot den?
