Alex Garland already had a solid foothold as a noteworthy name in American science-fiction cinema with his work as a writer on projects like
Sunshine and
Dredd, but with 2015's
Ex Machina, he made a high-quality leap into the world of directing. His follow-up directorial effort to that feature is
Annihilation, a feature film adaptation of a novel by Jeff VanderMeer, that allows Garland to expand his scope as a filmmaker without losing the contemplative nature of
Ex Machina. Interestingly, despite having a larger canvas to work with this time, as well as a major studio footing the bill, Garland has written a film that engages in more unorthodox narrative techniques than
Ex Machina, believe it or not.
