By Isabella Purdy
“Annihilation” is a cosmic horror film that came out in 2018, but recently people have realized how much of a masterpiece this film is, in a time when such films are hard to come by. Cosmic horror as a genre that is dying and films that are made today under the genre are rarely good. “Annihilation” is a rare exception.
Its haunting otherworldly score, brilliant effects and sound mixing truly immerse you into Area X or the Southern Reach and all the mysteries it contains. The film is an adaptation to the “Southern Reach” trilogy with “Annihilation” being the first.
In the book, readers are given more information on Southern Reach, which is a government agency that puts together expeditions to explore Area X. The screenplay, however, doesn’t really explore what goes on behind the scenes and instead focuses more on Area X.
Area X in the movie is top secret, but in the book, the general public is aware of this mysterious area that has killed everyone that has ever walked into its deadly shimmer. In the book, the readers are left up to imagine themselves what lies in Area X, while the movie fills it with mutated animals that are terrifying and fascinating.
The main character in the book is the biologist. Her husband was part of a previous mission and returned while everyone else did not. She goes on this expedition to learn more about Area X in both adaptations. In the novel, Area X is a very vague setting, but in the movie it is established that everything organic in Area X is mutating. The film has to add a bit more since it’s so visual, while the book can let the reader fill in the blanks with their imaginations.
More and more of Area X’s secrets are explored in the trilogy, but in the standalone film, “Annihilation” is the only installment that still manages to tell a compelling story despite the fact that it only represents the first book.
The biologist is desperately seeking answers in both adaptations as she wishes to uncover more of Area X. Hypnosis is also present in the novel but completely absent in the film. Despite their differences, both of these mediums are fantastic and I highly recommend them.
