Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • NPR

    Life Hacking Life: The Scary Premise Of 'Annihilation'

    As with Ex Machina, says Marcelo Gleiser, director Alex Garland is sending a warning: We are now hacking life itself and will continue to do so with growing efficiency. Are we creating our own doom?
    by Marcelo Gleiser Mar 07, 2018 4 minutes
    Natalie Portman plays Lena in Alex Garland's <em>Annihilation</em>, a fantasy sci-fi drama based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer.

    "Hauntingly beautiful." "Terrifying and seductive." "A bit too crazy for me."

    These are some viewer reactions after watching Alex Garland's Annihilation, a fantasy sci-fi drama that leaves you in a weird state for days.

    Garland's previous movie, the amazing Ex Machina (reviewed here in May 2015), explores the notion that artificial-intelligence machines will quickly surpass our human intellectual abilities and learn to control us by exploiting our weak spots. In the movie's case, the weak spot was our need to love and be loved. The message of Ex Machina is clear: If we hack intelligence, we may be our own victims.

    Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched Annihilation

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from NPR

    NPR4 min read
    Last-minute Candidate José Raúl Mulino Wins Panama's Presidential Election
    José Raúl Mulino was set to become the new leader of the Central American nation as authorities unofficially called the race Sunday night after his three nearest rivals conceded.
    NPR2 min read
    A Seafood Bounty Lures Sea Lions To S.F.'s Pier 39 In Numbers Not Seen In 15 Years
    It's a popular rest stop for sea lions, but the docks at the tourist hot spot these days are unusually packed out with the slippery residents. Conservationists are buoyed by the surge in visitors.
    NPR2 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
    U Of Mississippi Opens Probe Over Hostile Protest That Involved Racist Taunts
    Videos of Thursday's incident at the school were shared on social media showing heated confrontations between pro-Palestinian protesters and a larger group of counterprotesters.

    Related Books & Audiobooks