Did the movie Annihilation get it right?

Homepage Forums Small Talk Did the movie Annihilation get it right?

This topic contains 13 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by  _Robert_ 1 week, 6 days ago.

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  • #55805

    Unseen
    Participant

    (NOTE: The question I’m raising is raised at the very end. Please read the case I’m making first.)

    The movie Annihilation is a masterpiece in the literary genre that’s come to be called “cosmic horror.”

    Cosmic horror is a subgenre of horror fiction that emphasizes existential dread and the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible. It often explores themes of human insignificance and the vast, indifferent universe, focusing on the fear and awe we feel when confronted by phenomena beyond our comprehension. This genre is closely associated with the works of H.P. Lovecraft, who is considered the originator of cosmic horror, and it is sometimes referred to as Lovecraftian horror or eldritch horror.

    Its association with Lovecraft is unfortunate because, let’s face it: Lovecraft was no Poe. His works are replete with silly monsters like Cthulhu and Yog Sothoth, but cosmic horror is far deeper than such childish things.

    Key characteristics of cosmic horror include:

    Fear of the Unknown: The genre thrives on the fear of entities and phenomena that are beyond human understanding, often leading to madness or despair.

    Existential Themes: Cosmic horror delves into existential fears, such as the insignificance of human life in the grand scheme of the universe.

    Incomprehensible Entities: These can be ancient, pre-human civilizations, or cosmic beings of immense power, such as Cthulhu, which are beyond human comprehension.

    Human Fragility: Characters in cosmic horror often face threats that are far beyond their control, highlighting the vulnerability of humanity.

    Pessimistic Outlook: The genre typically presents a bleak and pessimistic view of the universe, emphasizing the cosmic indifference to human affairs.

    Cosmic horror is distinct from conventional horror in that it does not rely solely on gore or shock to scare the reader. Instead, it focuses on the psychological and philosophical implications of encountering the unknown and the incomprehensible. This genre has seen a resurgence in popularity, with notable works in film, literature, and other media continuing to explore its themes.

    Cinematically, beyond Annihilation, which may be one of the purest examples of the genre, you have these movies: Alien and the whole related franchise, The Thing, Event Horizon, and The Lighthouse.

    While some of Stephen King’s stories are definitely cosmic horror there are less “pop” and  more classic examples in the existential fiction of Camus and Sartre, among others.

    And, while individual Poe stories generally do not qualify as cosmic horror, his worldview might. And certainly one of his less known poems, Alone, fully qualifies.

    So, here’s the question I’m asking: Living in a tiny planet, one among probably trillions in the entire universe, lacking in meaningful control over even our own actions, and conscious of our impending individual dooms, is cosmic horror our actual state of being?

    #55975

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    Not for me. But maybe people who often suffer from panic attacks? Many people’s normal condition is to never feel like they’re in control. Plus loss of control can be kinda contagious at times, contributing to mass hysteria. I think people like Trump know how to trigger it.

    Can we count people prone to psychosis?

    If the answer to your question is “yes”, I’ll bet it exists on a spectrum, and is also influenced by one’s current circumstances or one’s social group’s behaviours.

    I was never into horror flicks, unless it had lots of boobs.

    #55986

    Unseen
    Participant

    I was never into horror flicks, unless it had lots of boobs.

    Well, Natalie Portman, one of my very favorite actresses (and for me, a sex symbol as well), doesn’t deliver in that department.

    #55989

    Unseen
    Participant

    BTW, in case you’re clueless as to what Annihilation is all about, here is a trailer. It is based on a best-selling novel of the same name. It is sci fi, but it is very intelligent sci fi.

    #55995

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    I think I watched the trailer before because of Natalie being in it, but didn’t follow through. The audio effects alone were “manipulative”, and I mean it sets people up for dread. Very effectively, IMO. I’m just not into that. But I do generally like dark movies, especially dark comedies.

    So “no” to your question again. This movie is obvious manipulation, which pushes some people into horror and fear. But yes, some people are more manipulatable that others, while others, like myself, are better at maintaining a confidence in being able to weather challenges I’m not feeling I’m conquering, yet. Each of us baselines on a spectrum of cosmic horror, albeit will also be influenced by others around us, or current circumstances we’re facing.

    And back to a question I had: Does psychosis count? A mental illness can affect us. And then therapy might mitigate it. I’ll concede that some of us can have tendencies you’re asking about.

    #55996

    PopeBeanie
    Moderator

    I’ll bet you’ve seen this one before. In case you’re feeling down recently, this might help? (I did a search to see if it’s been linked to here before, but I didn’t see one.)

    Turn on captions, and set translation to Auto, English.

    And then from a mature therapist’s perspective…

    #55997

    Unseen
    Participant

    I think I watched the trailer before because of Natalie being in it, but didn’t follow through. The audio effects alone were “manipulative”, and I mean it sets people up for dread. Very effectively, IMO.

    Fiction minus manipulation. Gee… I wonder how that would work(?).

    Having written some fiction, I can tell you it’s all about the effect you’re having on the reader and how to control it.

    #55998

    That therapist looks like she is going to need some therapy.

    #55999

    _Robert_
    Participant

    Looks like it may be a good one. I like the genre to a point. Movies that are so relentless with dread, terror, violence, horror, _______, just desensitize me and I don’t care what happens at some point. This is typically what happens in sequels.

    #56000

    Unseen
    Participant

    Looks like it may be a good one. I like the genre to a point. Movies that are so relentless with dread, terror, violence, horror, _______, just desensitize me and I don’t care what happens at some point. This is typically what happens in sequels.

    It has a couple jump scares but it’s more about weirdness than scares and gore. Whatever the entity is, it transforms.

    As the Portman character says at the end of the trailer: “It’s not destroying. It’s making something new.”

    In cosmic horror, it’s about how small, insignificant, and helpless humans are in the vast and impersonal cosmos. My question was, basically, doesn’t that describe the human condition?

    #56003

    _Robert_
    Participant

    Looks like it may be a good one. I like the genre to a point. Movies that are so relentless with dread, terror, violence, horror, _______, just desensitize me and I don’t care what happens at some point. This is typically what happens in sequels.

    It has a couple jump scares but it’s more about weirdness than scares and gore. Whatever the entity is, it transforms. As the Portman character says at the end of the trailer: “It’s not destroying. It’s making something new.” In cosmic horror, it’s about how small, insignificant, and helpless humans are in the vast and impersonal cosmos. My question was, basically, doesn’t that describe the human condition?

    Yes. No denying that. Even on our home planet conditions for human survival are dicey again (they have been before). We could easily become extinct, maybe in the very near future if we don’t apply technology wisely. Even worse, we will take all or most of the highly developed species with us. Many are already doomed. What biology that survives on Earth will adapt around the toxic mess we leave until eventually there will be little trace we ever existed, except for some space craft. All of this way, way before the red giant stage incinerates the Earth.

    Good thing we have heaven so us believers can live forever with the Canaanite storm god, his son who is also Him as well, LOL and Adolf Hitler who was a faithful believer.

    #56006

    Unseen
    Participant

    I think Annihilation, which didn’t do well at the box office will go down in history as a landmark in cinematic history like Blade Runner, which also didn’t knock it out of the park in terms of box office on its initial release, but now is recognized as a one of a small handful of classics.

    While the roots of cyberpunk easily go back at least as far as the 1800s (Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Edgar Allan Poe), it took Blade Runner to define it as a genre. Likewise, cosmic horror’s roots also go back as far as the 1800’s and I can cite works by the same three authors as examples. The appeal of Lovecraft to adolescent minds is obvious ana cosmic horror gelled and matured through, for example, the three pod people movies, best exemplified by The Body Snatchers. However, with Annihilation, the genre finally has a fully-mature movie worthy of philosophical discussion in a way that even The Body Snatchers can’t match. It is the Blade Runner of cosmic horror. For now, the definitive film. And it’s for adults, not teenage boys.

    #56015

    Unseen
    Participant

    What characterizes mature cosmic horror from its predecessors/progenitors is the impersonal and amorphous nature of the threat. Rather than being a monster, as in the movie Alien (yes, a cosmic horror) or invaders, as in The War of the Worlds, in mature cosmic horror the threat simply is there as a fact, not because it wants to be there or has some intention or goal in mind. The most frightening kind of threat is, as in Annihilation, mindless. Spreading like a cancer or fungus, taking over wherever it appears. A fungus is a better analogy because cancers are not contagious. Fungi very much are.

    Fungi don’t think or plan. They just do what they do. Why BECAUSE that’s what they do.

    Consider cordyceps, the mind-control fungus (between the less than stellar audio and the narrator’s accent, you might want to turn on closed captioning):

    But other fungi don’t control minds. They simply kill their hosts by feeding on them. And yet, lacking minds, they don’t hunt and are not predators.

    #56017

    _Robert_
    Participant

    That theme is the reality of the natural world. It is not just simple lifeforms such as the fungus among us. The untold suffering of animals being consumed alive by others just for the purpose of nutrition and without malice is a standard feature. On our property we have a private pond. I witnessed a blue heron being drowned by a snapping turtle that grabbed its leg. It went on for 45 minutes. When I thought it was over, the bird’s head would pop up again, only to get pulled under, feathers floating to the surface as the bird was being ripped apart.

    The insistence that there exists a loving, universe-creating god is an idiotic proposition. People with genetic defects, such organs that develop outside the body are exploited by another genre called “body horror”. That damn “Eraserhead” flick messed me up or weeks, LOL.

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