If you haven’t seen the cult sci-fi film before, now is the time to do so.
Netflix has announced that it will be removing its acclaimed, cult-favourite sci-fi thriller Annihilation from the service later this month.
Written and directed by Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Civil War, Ex Machina). the movie stars Oscar-winner Natalie Portman (Black Swan) and is an adaptation of the Jeff VanderMeer novel of the same name.
A loose interpretation of the book, Portman plays Lena in the film – a former US soldier turned cellular biologist.
She is married to Kane (Oscar Isaac), a fellow soldier she met while serving who is missing and presumed dead after a mysterious mission that the authorities won’t tell Lena about.
One day though, a severely sick Kane shows up on her doorstep and the pair are quickly whisked away to a secret government facility.
It turns out that three years previously, a meteor struck a lighthouse in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. The space rock then altered the area, creating a large mysterious bubble around it dubbed The Shimmer, which is gradually expanding and increasing its boundaries.
The government has sent a dozen military teams into the quarantined area – where compasses and communication technology can’t function – but only one person has returned: Kane.
Now, the authorities have a different approach. They want to send a group of female scientists into The Shimmer to study it. Lena volunteers in order to find a way to save her husband.
Teaming with psychologist Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), paramedic Anya (Gina Rodriguez), physicist Josie (Tessa Thompson) and geomorphologist Cass (Tuva Novotny), the five venture into the strange area that they quickly realise functions by its own rules and poses a huge threat to humanity.
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Annihilation features a string of extremely memorable and horrifyingly tense action set pieces, while also being a genuinely emotional and intellectual exploration of the nature of humanity and life itself.
A behind-the-scenes clash between financiers and producers on the sci-fi, which you can read about here, is believed to be one of the reasons why the movie was initially released in cinemas in North America and China but on Netflix everywhere else.
In a previous article praising Annihilation, JOE said of this:
“The Netflix deal does have its benefits though. The movie has always been available to stream in Ireland, which is great because Annihilation is one of those cool cult films with one foot in the mainstream and one foot in the arthouse that rewards multiple viewings – getting better with each one.”
However, it appears that the deal is now coming to an end as a note on Annihilation’s Netflix page in the UK and Ireland says that the movie is leaving the service soon.
The last day subscribers will be able to watch the sci-fi on the streaming service is 11 March.
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