Review of Arrival (2016) by Rathael — 12 Nov 2016

ARRIVAL.

THE REVIEW Science Fiction with a brain. Its not common to have a movie like this anymore, there were few and far between lately. Sunshine, Midnight Special, Edge of Tomorrow are few movies that come to mind. Even the last one IARRIVAL.

THE REVIEW.

Science Fiction with a brain. Its not common to have a movie like this anymore, there were few and far between lately. Sunshine, Midnight Special, Edge of Tomorrow are few movies that come to mind. Even the last one I mentioned is a big spectacle movie, it was still very smartly written. This movie deals with one of the most existential question of our time. What would happen, if aliens landed unexpectedly, not just in one spot but across the globe. How would we behave as species, both as regular people and as the governments in general. This movie manages to balance those questions and more, in this tense sci-fi drama.

There are quite a few notable things about this movie, obviously the actors and Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner both give fantastic performances in which they enter this new reality both with what they know as a linguist and a scientist, but moreover as almost childlike wonder, as no one could prepare them for the exhilaration of the first contact, and what it means to them as just human beings. Both performances are subdued but there is enough tension that you just can't wait what happens next.

Forest Whitaker plays a colonel that recruits Adams' and Renner's characters to help them communicate and ultimately translate the ultimate question that anyone who would get in contact with an alien species the first time would have: “Why are you here”. He plays a skeptic with an open mind (oxymoron I get it), but he lets them proceed with how they believe would be the best way to get to the final answers.

Another big character in this movie is a music, which is very operatic, and with some could say somewhat religious overtones, which should have been detracting but actually adds the layer of suspense to the entire movie, and the aliens themselves. Direction in this movie is great, and that is very important in a movie like this. Mostly because it is not played out to be shoot them up action blockbuster, Dennis Villeneuve of Sicario and Prisoners fame, finds a perfect balance where even the explanation part of the movie is very tense, and never boring. This is very important in this movie as they could become “talky” and go over the heads of people, with people losing interest and that's not what we here, its very well balanced.

Overall the movie is a fantastic watch, and quite a break from all the big blockbusters of the summer, and shows that an alien encounter movie doesn't have to be all about big explosions or monuments falling, but actually be about finding out about ourselves as much as about the aliens.