Director: Denis Villeneuve
Running time: 116 minutes
A wonderfully poignant Sci-fi movie that dares to ask questions
Arrival is a rare, contemporary Sci-fi film that is small in scale but grand in its premise. It challenges the audience into wondering what could be better achieved if humanity were to set aside its differences and communicate with one another, instead of always turning to conflict. It also helps that the film never falls into the trap of being preachy and taking its audience for granted.
When twelve bizarre, extraterrestrial spaceships (otherwise known as shells) land on Earth, the film centres on one that has landed in rural Montana. To communicate with the mysterious alien beings inside, linguist Dr. Louise Banks is selected to help in trying to communicate with them. She is partnered with Theoretical Physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) and senior military commander, Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker).
On entering the shells, they come face to face with two of these alien beings that are hiding behind a glass wall. They begin to communicate to them in a strange, symbolic language, so in order for them to understand the purpose of their visit to Earth, they have to find a way to translate it.
While most alien invasion films focus on survival, Arrival succeeds in not initially giving any indication of what the alien beings actually want. The impact on human society is only addressed in small news clips, for better, Arrival is a very contained character story. And the mystery of why they have come to Earth doesn't come into play until the final acts of the film.
Only Amy Adams stands out amongst the casting, her performance is sombre and sympathetic, so we believe and feel her plight and growth as she learns more of what the aliens intentions really are, and the connection she has to it.
The film has a dark tone for the most part, nothing here is particularly polished and shiny. The design of the extraterrestrials are intriguing, and the wait is worth it when you finally get to see them in their entire form. The shape-ship designs are nothing special in design, and rather bland on face value, but it makes their appearance more foreboding and menacing (but in a good way).
Arrival does have some minor problems that hold it back, while the underlining message of human co-operation is valid, by the end of the film its message is very fatalistic. The mid part of the film does begin to feel like it a bit of a lull, and another minor gripe is that some of the plot revelations are left to the audiences own interpretations, but these can be forgiven for the most part.
The ending might also come across as emotionally manipulative, but it's earned because everything in the lead up meant something to the characters involved, and they grew as a consequence of what had happened to them.
Verdict: In a year of few surprises and genuine standouts, Arrival is highly recommended, it's a real gem of serious Science fiction that is thought provoking. which is becoming a rarity these days.
8/10
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