As February comes to a close, there are two new releases that stuck out this past weekend. “Annihilation” is a sci-fi thriller starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Oscar Isaac. Its box office rival, “Game Night,” is a dark mystery comedy that stars Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler and more. If you’ve already seen the big film of the month, “Black Panther,” and are still looking for something to see, consider checking out one of these two films, which both provide a solid level of entertainment.
Based on the novel by the same name, “Annihilation” involves a group of female scientists who embark on an expedition into an unknown quarantined zone called “The Shimmer,” which contains multiple scientific or potentially alien mysteries. Upon entering “The Shimmer,” also called “Area X,” the team quickly discovers that this phenomenon is ultimately altering the genetic makeup of all plants, animals, and even humans, causing unexplainable mutations to everything in the zone. As they venture further and spend more time in the zone, everything about their mission begins to fall apart.
Written and directed by Alex Garland (“28 Days Later”, “Ex Machina”), the film also stars Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriquez, Tuva Novotny and Benedict Wong. While the novel is currently the first in a trilogy, Garland started developing the film before the second and third books were completed, so future adaptations on the big screen are not confirmed. Like many sci-fi films, parts of the story may seem a bit bizarre or over-the-top to some, yet the film is receiving praise for its visuals, thrills, casting, various themes and more. There are also more than a few shocking/graphic scenes that feature violent, horror-like content.
“Annihilation” was released in theaters in the United States on February 23, but due to a conflict regarding the final version of the film, it will soon be distributed to the rest of the world through Netflix on March 12. The film is rated R for violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality. Running time is 1 hour and 55 minutes.
"Game Night"
While attending trivia night at a bar, Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) experience love at first sight when they realize they both have a competitive nature and passion for playing games. After getting married, they begin hosting a frequent game night with their closest friends. When Max’s brother, Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to town, their longtime rivalry heats up, and Brooks comes up with a new elaborate idea for game night, which includes one of their group members being kidnapped for the rest of the players to find, with only a given set of clues. Brooks’ plans quickly become complicated by his secret criminal past, which eventually provides the most epic game night ever.
In addition to Bateman, McAdams and Chandler, “Game Night” stars Jesse Plemons as a somewhat odd, divorced and lonely police officer who lives next door to Max and Annie, desperately awaiting his chance to attend game night. Jeffrey Wright and Danny Huston appear to be curiously casted (and potentially underused) as an FBI Agent and rich criminal, respectively, while Michael C. Hall fills the role as another primary bad guy. The rest of the cast includes Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, and Kylie Bunbury.
Overall, the film features a fairly simple narrative, yet the cast, dark slapstick comedy, and multiple twists provide more than enough laugh out loud, quality moments. Similar to “Annihilation” and various comedies like this one, parts of the story venture into over-the-top territory, but not to the point of hurting the final product. “Game Night” seems to be one of those films that doesn’t look like anything special at first glance, but ultimately provides an experience that most audiences will likely not regret, or forget, for that matter.
“Game Night” is rated R for language, sexual references and some violence. Running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Although “Black Panther” is still the leader at the box office and likely will remain so for the foreseeable future, “Game Night” and “Annihilation” are solid alternatives if looking for another movie to see. This next weekend, another two movies will be released - “Red Sparrow” (Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton) and “Death Wish” (Bruce Willis, Vincent D’Onofrio) - and both films look to be decently appealing.
