What Is ‘Annihilation’ And When Will Us Aussies Get To See It?

Annihilation is the female-driven sci-fi film you’ve apparently been waiting for, but its release schedule is a little weird… to say the least.

Source: Paramount Pictures

It currently has an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but there’s a good chance Australians haven’t even heard of the film. Starring Natalie Portman and an abundance of other badass ladies like Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Annihilation is being called an underrated, bold and thoughtful sci-fi film by critics. So, why is it only in cinemas in the United States?

Turns out, the rest of the world is getting a Netflix release for this bad boy (or, girl) and because of this, we won’t be seeing it until March 12th. Still, the highly-anticipated film was directed by Alex Garland (who brought us Ex Machina) and it also stars Oscar Isaac, so I’m more than happy to wait a couple of weeks and not have to pay an absurd amount of money at the cinema for it. Having said that, it’s not exactly the smartest way to release a film, especially if you want some international box office success.

The film has been praised for its female leads, especially considering they all get to be soldiers or scientists or something equally as cool and impressive. I’m sure there are some sci-fi fanboys out there crying right now and I’m not mad about it. Apparently the flick is also pretty scary, so horror fans might get a kick out of it, too!

Annihilation is based on a book series by Jeff VanderMeer, if you want to check that out before the film’s release. Also, the Twitter account for the film is really weird.

You can check out the trailer for Annihilation below. Be sure to check out the film when it rolls around March 12 on Netflix!