50 Essential Sci-Fi Films of the 21st Century (So Far)

Alex Garland is a name that crops up time and again in 21st century sci-fi, rivalling Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve for sheer presence and achievement in the genre, but without the name recognition of the former or the studio/financial backing of the latter. Nonetheless, Garland has steadily chugged away, writing and helming many important sci-fi films across the past 25 years, not least his sophomore directorial effort, Annihilation.

Adapted from Jeff VanderMeer’s novel, Annihilation takes a virtually all-female cast into the heart of an alien invasion event. Following the arrival of a meteor containing a mysterious alien substance, an anomalous zone known as the Shimmer emerges, into which teams of troops and scientists enter, few of whom return.

Cellular biologist and former soldier Lena (Natalie Portman) ventures into the ever-expanding zone with an expedition team in a last-ditch attempt to save her Shimmer-sick husband Kane (Oscar Isaac), and hopefully find a way to stop it expanding before it’s too late. Once inside, however, things don’t go as expected, and after cutting the team off from the outside and pitting them against its many mutations, the Shimmer begins to distort and transform them on a genetic level.

In all, Annihilation is an unsettling piece of sci-fi cinema that pairs hallucinogenic visuals, horror imagery, and hints of larger ideas about personhood, challenging us to think bigger than the average alien invasion movie.