Review of Arrival (2016) by Michael1208 — 07 Jan 2017

A rare type of Spielberg-Nolan style science-fiction drama full of metaphors that is steep in its specific themes told in a sense of realism. The film is an unusual discovery, it starts emotionally, moves in a deliberate pacing, slowly builds up a puzzle of complex paradox and ends up stunningly impactful, amplifying the questions of existential dilemma.

It does not need any action sequences, it is all about life, language and unity that bring to the twisted concept of the overall plot development with several hints throughout the entire story, further surprising audiences to view it from different fascinating ways.

Amy Adams gains respects for her brilliant performance as a believable thinker and expert communicator while her emotions are handled well in order to engage the entire structure of the film. The theme song "On the Nature of Daylight" in both the opening and ending of the movie, as well as scores composed by Johann Johannsson enhance the the atmosphere of the film especially the thrilling suspense of invasions, the horror moments during the contact and the emotional depth on life perception.

The arrival of the extra terrestrial amazes viewers on how creatively a science fiction may diverge from its generic aspects and link to life - telling us that life is a journey without destination and to live as if the answer is, even if you have known everything about the future.