Review of Arrival (2016) by Steven D — 26 Feb 2017

The majority of 2016's crop of best picture nominated films underwhelmed at the box office, but the thought-provoking sci-fi drama 'Arrival' struck a chord with audiences in a way that few others in the genre have in recent memory.

The film, which revolves around 12 mysterious alien spacecraft that land across Earth with unknown intentions, is a smart piece of cinema thanks to its themes of the concept of time, loss and the notion of language as a unifying force. This sets it apart from many less serious sci-fi offerings that have been heavy on action and an "us vs. them" mentality rather than curiosity and discovery. 'Arrival' is also helped out by beautiful cinematography thanks to the rural Montana setting and an ominous soundtrack that fits the on-screen actions like a glove.

From an acting standpoint, Amy Adams chocks up another Oscar-worthy performance as renowned linguist Louise Banks (it's a shame she was not recognized for this role), while Jeremy Renner joins her as a cocky scientist. The two have chemistry together and are believable as they try to help the U.S. government get to the bottom of why the aliens decided to park their spacecraft on our planet. Forest Whitaker does a respectable job as a a tired, by-the-books colonel who oversees the mission.

While some who are not paying attention could understandably get lost in the plot, due to the non-linear timeline that is used, everything more or less makes sense once the credits roll. This is why 'Arrival' has won so much acclaim - it doesn't spoonfeed audiences and asks that they put in a little bit of effort to think about the messages that are built into fabric of the film. For this reason, director Denis Villeneuve ('Prisoners,' 'Sicario') deserves a lot of credit, along with the writers, for bringing it to life.

'Arrival' will not win best picture at the 89th Academy Awards, but it is definitely worth a watch for anyone who enjoys smart, dramatic thrillers.