Review of Arrival (2016) by Dawdlingpoet — 21 Nov 2021

This is quite an eery film - I felt it seemed almost more like a documentary than a sci-fi drama film at one point, with a narrator explaining to the viewer what had been learnt about the mysterious new beings from outer space who have apparently taken up residence in a number of locations on Earth. I liked the nostalgic flashbacks shown, a reminder of childrens curiosity and wonder when faced with seeing certain things for the first time. Its a relatively atmospheric film, with looming music used in the background, not dissimilar to that present in other previous sci-fi films, most notably Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It also reminded me somewhat of Jodie Foster in the film Contact from the 1990s.

Its a somewhat deep film that makes you think about how threats are handled, at a global level, the responses by various governments and the like. If anything, I found it refreshing that in this instance, the US didn't exactly go in 'all guns blazing' and I appreciated that the main character, Louise Banks, tries very hard to understand and see things from the unknowns' point of view. I don't think I can say much more but suffice to say, I recommend this film.