After a good few years gap, I've re-watched two American disaster movies.
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How it Ends (not Howard's End!) is essentially a road trip flick with a bit of added Sci-Fi chucked in. A prospective son-in-law and his ex-military and aggressive father-in-law-to-be set off in a car from Chicago to find the apple of both their eyes, the wife-to-be/ daughter in Seattle.
Much fresh gasoline is needed and there appears to be no end of huge, full Jerry cans along the road as long as you're prepared to shoot, ram and burn your way to get to them.
Basically, a growing bromance set against a global and unfathomable catastrophe, it's dour tone and vision of rising civilian violence reminded me of the more recent Civil War.
We never get to find our what caused the world-wide disaster.
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Annihilation is about the Shimmer, a strange and rapidly expanding geographical zone where everything mutates.
Soldiers were sent in. One came back. Scientists were sent in. One came back. They were a married couple and the film is more or less an analogy of grief, a terrible world turned upside down.
Within the Shimmer things are changing. Crocs are massive, bears scream with human voices and plants grow into people. There are some fantastic special effects and startling imagery here.
Yukky moments include large internal organ snakes and scary bits include a tense mutated bear attack.
The cause of the shimmer remains unknown but there's a definite suggestion it's alien.
I enjoyed it more than How it Ends as the sci-fi is cranked up to the max.
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Have you seen either of these readers?
Never watch anything new like that, but my favorite end-of-world movies are FIVE (1951), DAY THE WORLD ENDED (1956), PANIC IN YEAR ZERO (1962) and IN THE YEAR 2889 (1968). All based on a devastating atomic war, which seems to be where we are heading these days! SFZ
ReplyDeleteThey all sound fantastic SF! I'll bring the popcorn! It'll be an all nighter!
DeleteUm, I'd like to add Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man
Delete(but not I Am Legend
-which really annoyed me!)
Ive seen Annihilation, but couldn't make head nor tail of it. It seems to be a case on content over plot, with some psychedelic SFX going on, but little explanation of whats actually going on. Typical Alex Garland. I can recommend his more recent film, 'Men' which is about a young woman escaping from personal trauma and a past life to a remote county retreat, where she meets a succession of characters in strange 'folk horror' setting. The end has to be seen to be believed. Bill
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't recognize Garland's style Bill. I must watch Men. You've recommended it before.
DeleteAnnihilation the film is actually a better movie about “The Color out of Space” than the Nick Cage movie or DIE MONSTER DIE!
ReplyDeleteI rather like this take:
https://screenrant.com/the-thing-annihilation-sequel-connected-movie-theory-explained/
Screaming Bear and The Terror
https://the-terror.fandom.com/wiki/Tuunbaq
—were perhaps inspired by 1979’s PROPHECY
https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Katahdin
So is Annihilation a version of Lovecraft's The Colour out of Space? As for Prophecy, I love that flick. I've read the book too. The mutated bear is startling and I know what you mean about a possible inspiration.
DeleteI've just read through some of the Screen rant link Anon, thanks. I must say I feel the fan link between Annihilation and The Thing is tenuous, although it is interesting. It's certainly not something I thought of watching Annihilation. I wonder if the Directors have ever suggested a link?
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the Terror Tuunbaq link Anon, also interesting. The Terror is on my To Watch list and I know Bill is a big fan.
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