Based on the earlier looks at Annihilation, Ex Machina director Alex Garland‘s upcoming film promises to be very thought-provoking if not perplexing. For one thing, Paramount and producers are worried that the film may be too smart for the average audience. In fact, this has led to some conflicts that have occurred on set.

It’s not clear what the end result will be, at least not until the film is released, but a new trailer should provide some clarity about the film. Or at least it should try to. Check it out below.

The film is based on Jeff VanderMeer’s novel that tells the story of a group of scientists exploring unnatural habitats created by a strange force. These habitats defy all the laws of science, and anything that enters it, will most likely not come out. However, there is one scientist who makes the daring decision to embark on that journey into the unknown world. She takes over the expedition that her husband could not complete. But what she realizes is that there is a reason why nothing ever comes back from these journeys into this mysterious world.

There’s a lot to process. But what this trailer tells us is that Annihilation won’t be your traditional sci-fi film. There will be a lot of questions, questions that the audience will have to answer on their own. But it’s these kinds of films that provide a refreshing take on the genre that is normally dominated by crazed CGI-explosions and redundant plots. There are some of those elements in this trailer, but just because they are in the trailer doesn’t mean that it will overshadow the film’s intellectual themes. Let’s just hope that it isn’t too intellectual and goes over the audiences’ heads, though.

Annihilation stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac.

It is set to open in theaters on February 23, 2018.

Trailer

[Source: Paramount YT]