Review of Arrival (2016) by Nedryerson1 — 21 Jan 2017

Arrival portrayed a whole new approach to a subject seen many times in sci-fi, first contact with extraterrestrial life forms. It is beautiful because not everything leads to war and practically all the answers are with a language expert.

The film is based on Ted Chiang’s short tale Story of your Life; the director and screenwriters succeeded taking this great story, but developing a mild yet interesting plot, by adding the pressure of an imminent war (the book is a bit slow and hard to follow without that); deciding to represent the Heptapod’s spaceships like a semicircular shape and the language in a circular form (much more clear that the book).

Another great choice was addressing the main conflict from multiple points of view, but keeping doctor Banks in the spotlight, with her own conflicts and the way she embraces this new communication style.

One big problem was the way in which it is revealed the gift that learning the language gives, both in book and film are forcibly explicit. So here we face a reflection about clash of different forms of consciousness and the paradox that arises when incorporating free will to the equation.

The construction sequence of the movie is very coherent to the developed theme, and it is understandable when the gift is acknowledged. Here Amy Adams consecrates herself within the great actresses of cinema; the rest of the cast is pretty good too.

Strong direction, bold script and unsettling score of Johann Johannsson. One of the finest films of the year.