Arrival

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O'Brien, Tzi Ma
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A linguistics professor (Amy Adams) is brought in to decipher an unknown alien language when extraterrestrial crafts appear around the globe.

Review:

Tim: I loved director Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners and Sicario, so I had high hopes for Arrival. Despite my high expectations, Villeneuve's beautiful, powerful film surpassed them. This is a science fiction film, but it's so much more. I love science fiction movies that reveal something to us about our own humanity. This is an emotionally deep, wonderful movie and absolutely one of the best films of 2016.

From the science fiction perspective, this movie is astounding. You have alien spaceships (which look unbelievably cool) that mysteriously arrive on earth. The film is about trying to communicate with them and this is approached from an intellectual, scientific perspective. I loved the deep look at linguistics, mathematics, and science that this movie takes. There's no exploding monuments here- the film tackles the subject of an extraterrestrial race arriving on Earth from an intellectual, thoughtful, realistic viewpoint. If you told me I'd be riveted by sequences of humans trying to figure out an alien language, I'd probably have laughed. Yet that's what Villeneuve manages to accomplish here- this is a deeply thought out, fascinating film. For a movie about two separate races trying to communicate, it's shockingly intense and entertaining. I give Villeneuve so much credit- this is truly an exceptionally directed, crafted film. It's a movie that is expertly created by someone who will one day be regarded as one of the masters. I'm so blown away by Villeneuve, I'd now watch anything he directs, no matter what.

The cast here feels small, but the performances are so huge. I love the focus on a few characters and giving them significant amount of time for character development. The film gets a huge thumbs up for having the main protagonist be a strong, intelligent woman. We need more movies like this, especially when you have someone like Amy Adams giving such a remarkable performance. Adams is hit-or-miss with me, but she's fantastic in this film. I loved her performance and she makes the movie better with every scene she's in. Jeremy Renner was good, although his talent doesn't approach Adams' and it on occasion shows. Still, Renner proves he is more than just an action flick guy, giving a solid performance. Forest Whitaker was great in a smaller supporting role and it was nice seeing Michael Stuhlbarg giving his consistently underrated, strong performance. I really enjoyed the cast, but most especially how much time we spent with Adams' character.

I also have to give this film credit for the meticulous detail. From the alien crafts, to the shockingly detailed alien language, the depiction of the aliens themselves, the whole thing feels lovingly crafted. It sucks you into this world and makes you believe what you're seeing could actually take place. We need more grounded science fiction films like this because it truly elevates the genre. The film does offer up a shocking, unforgettable twist which I loved. I still so clearly remember sitting in the theater when the pieces of the puzzle finally made sense to me- that moment when it all clicks together and you think, "Oh my god". The movie dazzles you with its brilliance in that moment. You realize that this movie about aliens isn't really about aliens- it's about time and choices and living with the consequences of our actions. It's about the indestructible power of love. It's about fate and communication. It's a surprisingly deep film that also happens to be a terrific science fiction movie.

I'd hoped Arrival would be good, but it's easily one of the best films of the year and a movie I won't ever forget. Villeneuve has now crafted three great movies and this one could potentially be his best. I cannot wait to see where he goes from here, but no matter what he does in his career, he'll always have this wonderful gem of a film on his resume.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Prisoners, Sicario