Lit. of Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi: Annihilation

"ANNIHILATION"

Annihilation is one of my top favorite sci-fi movies, along with Ex Machina and Interstellar. I hadn’t realized that the movie was based off a book until my second time around of watching it, so I was curious as to what the book itself was all about.

Before reading, I did a bit of research on the book to see how much was different compared to the film adaptation; while the movie does branch off from the book, it’s not a bad thing. If anything, the visuals of the film help add to the story in a way the book couldn’t.

One of the big differences between the book and the movie is that the research team all have names and backstories in the film, whereas in the book the only thing known about the others are their jobs—biologist, anthropologist, surveyor, psychologist. The only character we know much about is the protagonist, who is the biologist. I personally preferred the movie’s direction with this because it helps the audience build a connection with the characters and actually feel dread or relief when something happens.

Another difference between the book and the movie is that the monsters in the movie never appear in the book; the skull bear and albino alligator are creations solely for the film, but boy do I wish that they did exist in the book. However, the fact that these creature do only exist in the movie makes it a bit special; I sure left me asking, “Why didn’t the book have that?” In ties with building connections with the characters, when Sheppard, the anthropologist, is brutally killed by the skull bear and you later hear her voice come from that creature gives one a sense of horror and dread.

A third big difference is with the word “annihilation” itself, and what it represents in the book versus the movie. In the book, the word is used by the psychologist as a trigger word for the research team to commit suicide—except for the biologist. But in the movie, Ventress—the psychologist—uses the word as to how the alien being is changing the world. This is another case where I much prefer the movie’s direction with this because I doubt anyone would want to see the characters take their own lives against their will because of hypnosis.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lit. of Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi: The Star

"The Star" For this week, I read the short story, "The Star" by Arthur C Clarke in 1956. With how short it was, there was a lot in it that piqued my interest.  The story crosses science fiction with religion, two topics that always seem to clash. The study of science had a way of calling the works of God into question, either causing people to doubt or outright prove this couldn't have happened. There are those, of course, who believe regardless, but none of those people are featured in this story. I had no idea how much it involved Earth's Christianity until the very end, that the dead star the explorers go to investigate--the white dwarf whose death wiped out a civilization on nearby planets--is actually THE Star, the Star that shone over Bethlehem to guide shepherds and the Three Wise Men to where Jesus was born.  Upon discovering this and finishing the story, I did sit for a moment to reflect; the story is basically saying that the death o
Read more

Lit. of Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

"The Ocean at the End of the Lane" This was quite an intriguing story; just when I thought I'd figured out the story, another curve-ball is thrown at me and I end up with more questions as to what the heck is going on in this story.  It starts out normal, the unnamed protagonist attending a funeral then strolls down memory lane--almost literally--and we, the reader, are catapulted into the past and go on the most bizarre adventure imaginable. In order to understand what is happening, you have to throw rationality out the window; rational thought does not exist in this world. I'm not even sure what kind of world this is, or what the inhabitants are. Clearly something walks among the humans, hidden in plain sight like the Hempstock family. One would think, from an outsider's perspective, the events of the story are nothing more but the fabrications of a seven-year-old boy who spends more time in the world of books than in the real world; it would be the o
Read more

Lit. of Horror, Fantasy, & Sci-Fi: House of Usher

"The Fall of the House of Usher" Edgar Allen Poe is well known for his writings of the macabre and supernatural. When people think of gothic literature, Poe is what many instantly picture. His work in poetry and short fiction was perfect in creating senses of dread and madness. That is essentially what "The Fall of the House of Usher" is about. The story is as gothic as it comes--with a dark and depressing atmosphere recognized by our unreliable narrator (a classic in Poe's writings) that lingers evermore throughout the story and seems to worsen as the story itself progresses. Our narrator is deemed unreliable because the negative energy within the House of Usher has an effect on him to the point he's unable to differentiate reality with fantasy. So how are we, the readers, supposed to know what he says is true? Indeed supernatural elements are used throughout the story, evident as to how the House of Usher seems to deteriorate along with twins Roderick--
Read more