The Nature of Fear in 'Annihilation': Venturing Into the Unknown Yasser Owino 12th Grade

The greatest fear of all is the unknown. When a person is about to die, fear creeps in because he/she has no idea what will happen next. Doing anything that does not have a definitive outcome is very scary. This is mostly because people are afraid of what they don't understand and in this case, unknown to them. ‘Annihilation' by filmmaker Alex Garland tackles the idea of venturing into the unknown and how scary and irresistible it can be. As much as we are afraid of something we don't understand, we also cannot help ourselves but be curious enough to venture into it. When the audience is heading into a film theater to watch a sci-fi film, they usually have certain expectations. They expect marvelous visual effects, deep emotional connection and a final act that is so mind-bending, beyond reason. With Annihilation, it's best to leave all expectations at the door and simply take the leap with an open mind into the terrifying expedition into the unknown.

In Annihilation, Lena (Natalie Portman) is a biologist who's looking for answers on what happened to her husband after he comes home with a disease of an unknown origin. They are both transported to a facility where scientists have come upon a biological anomaly. Lena volunteers...