Annihilation

Annihilation is Alex Garland’s follow up to his stunning debut Ex Machina. Once again it’s a highly intelligent and thought provoking sci-fi. Worryingly for the future of mid to high budget non-blockbuster releases, the studio decided to scrap plans for a theatrical release outside the US and sold the international rights to Netflix (the modern day equivalent of a straight to DVD release).

Films that ask philosophical questions often prove divisive and tend to score badly at preview screenings. Preview results don’t necessarily translate to box office failure though, in fact Ex Machina also tested badly and yet it recouped it’s budget. We’ll never know how Annihilation would have fared at UK cinemas but with Netflix up to almost 118 million global subscribers at least plenty of people will still see the film, although not on the size screen the director intended. I would urge anyone who watches it to try and do so on the biggest screen they have available - watching it on a phone or tablet won't do justice to the fantastic sound and visuals.