Annihilation Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

Ups

8. Natalie Portman's Terrific Performance

Natalie Portman gives one of the strongest performances of her career in this film, playing a complex, expectation-defying heroine who manages to be both incredibly smart and believably capable in combat scenarios.

Portman's Lena has a lot to juggle here, pondering on her wobbly relationship with her critically ill husband Kane (Oscar Isaac), while also dealing with the visceral existential threat of the Shimmer itself.

The actress is fantastic in the quieter, more typically emotive scenes, the brief moments of shoot 'em up action and also as the awe-struck explorer desperate to reach the lighthouse at the centre of the Shimmer.

Don't expect any Oscar nominations or anything, but it's some her most inspired work to date and surely the strongest lead performance in just about any film this year so far.