ANNIHILATION
Why it was a good idea (on paper)
From Marvel alumni to mutant bears, Alex Garland’s loose adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s 2014 novel spliced audience appeal with arthouse ambition. A star-powered female ensemble (Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and more), hard sci-fi ideas, hairy horror: here was a high-concept, mid-budget genre piece with brains.