“Annihilation” is a mind-bending sci-fi flick starring Natalie Portman (“No Strings Attached”, “Jackie”) and it’s one of the most shocking sci-fi films of recent years. It starts off a little slow but once it gets going, it really engages you. This is an intellectual picture that makes you think.

In “Annihilation”, a team of scientists embark on a mission inside a zone known as the ‘Shimmer’ where the laws of nature do not apply. The phenomenon appeared after a meteor crash and is expanding with the potential to threat the world as we know it. Once inside this strange place, the scientists will be test both physically and mentally.

Natalie Portman plays biologist Lena. She joins the mission after her soldier husband (Oscar Isaac “The Nativity Story”) is the only one to survive a trip inside the Shimmer. I think Natalie Portman does a really good job and I think character is very interesting. The other members of the team were not as good as I really did not care for Oscar Isaac’s performance. I’m not really sure why but he seems to be in so many films lately. I will not go into much detail but the things the team encounters inside the Shimmer are incredibly creative.

“Annihilation” is a stunning film; it creates a terrific visual experience. However, it’s not just the special effects that make it so good, it’s the intensity of the science-fiction. There are a few very realistic depictions of violence and I think I would have toned down the violence had I been making it. I really enjoyed the film once they enter the Shimmer and I loved it up until the last two minutes or so. If you enjoyed sci-fi movies including “Sunshine”, “Event Horizon”, “The Abyss” and “Red Planet” then I think you should definitely watch “Annihilation”.