You can now stream this surprising science fiction horror movie from Alex Garland on Paramount+ seven years after its original release. Writer and director Alex Garland put himself on the map as the writer behind 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go, and Dredd. Garland made his directorial debut with 2014’s critically acclaimed Ex Machina, and has since delivered some twisted and poignant grounded sci-fi hits, including Men, Civil War, Warfare, and the Devs miniseries, as well as an adaptation of a 2014 Jeff VanderMeer’s novel, Annihilation, that you can stream on Paramount+ as of August 1, 2025.
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Annihilation, an adaptation of the eponymous first book in VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy, originally premiered in the United States on February 23, 2018, distributed by Paramount Pictures. The movie was distributed internationally on Netflix, but can now be streamed on Paramount+ in the United States. Despite receiving positive reviews, continuing Garland’s hot streak after Ex Machina, Annihilation only grossed $43.1 million on a budget of between $40 and $55 million. Garland has previously revealed that he adapted Annihilation from a memory of the book, which gave it an ethereal, dream-like quality.
Annihilation stars Natalie Portman as Lena, a cellular biology professor and former United States Army soldier who becomes part of a team of scientists who enter a mysterious quarantine zone known as the Shimmer. Inside, the genetic code of every living thing – animal and plant-life included – has been mutated due to the Shimmer’s origin from an extraterrestrial meteor. Lena enters the Shimmer to find out what happened to her husband, Kane (Oscar Isaac), who led a previous expedition inside, but she soon learns that her own expedition’s members’ DNA has started to change, too, creating delusions, mutations, and disturbances.
Alex Garland’s Annihilation made many changes to Jeff VanderMeer’s novel, which doesn’t name its characters, with the whole story being narrated from the field journal of the biologist. The book’s expedition team enters Area X where they find a deep underground bunker, which the biologist names the “Tower,” while the psychologist – portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh in the movie – is more overtly antagonistic in the novel, using hypnosis to make the team more obedient and docile. Exposure to mutated spores inside Area X makes the biologist immune to the psychologist’s hypnosis, opening the door for some unexpected twists and turns.
Annihilation is one of Alex Garland’s most beautiful, touching, and memorable movies, with Portman, Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Tuva Novotny delivering powerful performances. The movie is visually-stunning and subtle in its delivery of its more science fiction moments, examining depression and grief in an extremely clever way. Annihilation hit Paramount+ on August 1, 2025, so you can now watch Alex Garland’s stunning adaptation for free online.
What did you make of Alex Garland’s Annihilation? Let us know in the comments!
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