Review of Arrival (2016) by Richard S — 27 Jul 2017
When this was released at the cinema last year it did not stand out as a must see film and I was surprised when I read so many 5 star reviews afterwards. I had seen the 2 lead actors in many films before but neither of them have ever been in any films I would rate this highly and so this completely surprised me, it was unlike anything I was expecting.
The film is about the arrival of alien life on Earth and humanity's reaction to this which varies from attempts to communicate and understand to declarations of war. Anyone expecting an action packed alien invasion movie will be disappointed. This story is played out with a lot more intelligence and respect for it's audience and it has the greatest emotional gut punch I've ever experienced in an alien movie.
This is the first film by director Denis Villeneuve that has stuck with me, Prisoners, Enemy and Sicario all had their merits but were far from outstanding. I'm now looking forward to his next project, the Blade Runner sequel.
This review of Arrival (2016) was written by Richard S on 27 Jul 2017.
Arrival has generally received very positive reviews.
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