--- title: "Annihilation: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/annihilation/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/annihilation" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 19 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Annihilation (2018): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 19 reviews: 17 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Annihilation, praising Alex Garland’s blend of science fiction, body horror and ideas about grief and self-destruction. The strongest agreement concerns the strange, dreamlike imagery and the sustained unease of the expedition into the unknown. Several reviews also praise the all-female ensemble, particularly Natalie Portman. Admirers find the film intellectually ambitious without losing its capacity to frighten, and welcome its willingness to become more abstract in its final stretch. The spread of opinion is wide, though outright rejection is rare. Reservations concern character depth, the opening’s pace and whether the themes receive enough exploration. The New York Times admires the world-building but finds the setup cumbersome and the protagonist emotionally thin; /Film likewise wants more depth beneath the imagery. The i Paper is the clearest dissenter, finding the plot implausible, the dialogue leaden and the seriousness unearned despite some visual interest. ## The Telegraph Rating 5/5. An exhilarating and terrifying achievement with rich, dreamlike imagery and a blood-freezing vision of human consciousness under threat in its risk-taking final act. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/alex-garlands-latest-chilling-vision-human-consciousness-threat/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2018. The critic calls the film a ferocious, feral, female-centric update of monster classics like The Thing and Alien. He singles out Garland’s unerring hand in building unease about the unknown force in the forest and the striking, elegantly eerie visuals created with cinematographer Rob Hardy. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/annihilation-review-1085770/) ## Radio Times — Ben Allen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2018. Annihilation is a brilliant existentialist genre piece that builds a typical sci-fi premise into something unique and delivers a massive, gut-punch pay-off in its final act. The critic singles out the film's exploration of consciousness and core human anxieties for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/annihilation-netflix-review/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 21 February 2018. A beguiling, female-driven sci-fi/horror head-scratcher that is visually stunning and imagination-tickling, achieving the rare feat of great genre cinema by expanding viewers’ minds while delivering scares and beauty. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/annihilation-review-natalie-portman-1202706321/) ## Empire — Jonathan Pile Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2018. Garland has crafted an intelligent film that tackles weighty issues like depression, grief and self-destruction through an all-female expedition into a mysterious zone, blending cerebral sci-fi with body horror and strong performances. It is sci-fi at its best, confirming Garland as one of the most accomplished directors working today. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/annihilation-review/) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 4/4/4. 5 March 2018. Garland delivers a visually stunning, coolly affecting allegory for life, loss and human fallibility. The critic singles out the film's profound beauty and complexity, including its haunting dance sequence. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/annihilation) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2018. Garland’s movie is a remarkable, skillful sophistication of a B-thriller template that welds genre mechanics with ideas and features a hypnotic final half-hour of cosmic images, though it bears the industry’s flawed imprint in its casting. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-annihilation-review-20180221-story.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2018. Able to generate dread and awe with equal skill, Annihilation is an absorbing amalgam of genres that produces a dazzling creation. The critic highlights its beautifully sustained mood, bracing intelligence, and Natalie Portman's gritty performance as it explores grief, marriage, death and environmental catastrophe. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/annihilation-review/5126923.article) ## The Times Rating 4/5. 12 March 2018. An audacious sci-fi horror purpose-built for the big screen, with a dreamlike phosphorescent world and visuals that challenge classics like 2001, though it was dumped to Netflix. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-annihilation-2g68gqcx8) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 21 February 2018. A visually rapturous and sometimes unsettling sci-fi that derives from serious source material and explores grand concepts of self-destruction and rebirth. The critic praises Garland's creeping, molecular pace and the way the film invites viewers to open their minds despite its unsettling changes. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/annihilation) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 February 2018. Garland delivers a hypnotic and pulse-quickening ecological parable that merges sleek conceptual art with messy drama through an all-female team's mission into a mutating zone. The critic singles out the film's refracting of the source material, especially the climactic mirroring pas de deux and its playful ambiguity evoking Tarkovsky and Kubrick while remaining original. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/deep-focus-annihilation/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 March 2018. The film is an exciting if imperfect genre success that shifts from science-driven sci-fi into horror-thriller territory before settling on a more poetic and mood-based approach in its ambitious final section. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/18/annihilation-alex-garland-natalie-portman-review) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 22 February 2018. The film tells an enigmatic tale of love, death, and alien invasion with strong visuals and world-building, but the setup is fumbled with too much narrative throat-clearing and the protagonist lacks soul. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/movies/annihilation-review-natalie-portman-oscar-isaac.html) ## The i Paper — Michael Day Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 March 2018. The film features interesting visuals but is undermined by a ludicrous plot, leaden dialogue and portentous self-importance, with nonsense science that fails to compensate for its flaws. It is better than some straight-to-streaming duds but ultimately disappointing. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/annihilation-netflix-review-natalie-portman-alex-garland-134401) ## Collider — Haleigh Foutch Rating A-. 23 February 2018. The critic finds Annihilation a surreal stunner and wildly ambitious film that is a meticulously prepared feast for the eyes and mind. She singles out Garland's gorgeous capture of intrigue and terror through spectacular, disquietingly familiar yet otherworldly exploration. [Read the review](https://collider.com/annihilation-review-natalie-portman/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2018. The critic finds Alex Garland's film a smart, scary sci-fi journey into the unknown that blends thrills, gore and intellect without sacrificing either. It is praised for its strong performances, particularly Natalie Portman's, and its thoughtful pacing and style. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2018/02/annihilation-review-natalie-portman-gina-rodriguez-alex-garland-tessa-thompson-1202298259/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4/5. 12 March 2018. Garland crafts a perceptive, ambitious, and kaleidoscopic sci-fi character study about self-destructive impulses amid an ecological disaster, with strong performances from an all-female cast. The critic singles out its beauty, melancholy, and challenging third act as a shimmering art installation, while noting some stumbles that may limit its audience. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/annihilation-review/) ## The Wrap — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2018. The critic describes the film as an elegantly unsettling psychological mystery with environmental and alien elements that delivers mind-bending sci-fi entertainment along with an empowering all-female cast. It is singled out for its ambitious blend of horror, philosophy and visual spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/annihilation-film-review-natalie-portman/) ## /Film — Karen Han Rating 7/10. 23 February 2018. The critic finds it a mesmerizing nightmare that doesn't dig deep enough, praising the elegant, strange, and dreamlike imagery while complaining that themes and character elements are not explored sufficiently. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/556466/annihilation-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/annihilation.md