ANNIHILATION Trailer

Anyone waiting with bated breath for Alex Garland’s follow up to Ex Machina got a bit of relief when the first trailer for Annihilation dropped to much fanfare.

Despite being based on the 2014 novel of the same name, the trailer keeps the plot vague, mostly keying in on how little Natalie Portman and her fellow scientists know about the area they’re exploring. There’s something about an ill husband, a viscous-looking divider, and an inexplicable creature, but the trailer is mostly setting a mood, an anxious, twitchy mood.

Fans of Garland’s enigmatic directorial debut are probably happy to keep it that way, and they are surely satisfied with how immaculate this trailer looks. His coldly beautiful shot compositions are on full display here, but excitement for this movie should be based on more than just Ex Machina and Portman’s front and center presence.

Let’s not forget that Garland had an impressive writing career before taking up directing, having penned screenplays for the very tricky Never Let Me Go, the cult hit Dredd, and that little film 28 Days Later. Then you have the rest of the cast, which boasts Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, and Gina Rodriguez, all people with careers hot enough to be picky about their projects.

That’s enough to overshadow the perhaps outdated February release date stigma, but there’s one more fact that should help incite a frenzy for this movie. Its source material won the prestigious Nebula Award, so when you really step back and look at it, nearly everything is pointing towards Annihilation being one of the top movies of 2018.

Annihilation is directed by Alex Garland and stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Tessa Thompson. It will be released in the U.S. and the U.K. on February 23rd, 2018. For international release dates, click here.

What has you excited for Annihilation? Let us know in the comments!