Review of Arrival (2016) by Ryan B — 18 Jun 2018

More and more, every year, especially in the late Fall into Winter, there are movies that are released that have a message or agenda, sometimes hidden, usually not. Often these movies are described or intended to be marketed as "Oscar Buzz Movies" I'm not saying that promoting action or change is a bad thing, I'm just saying these things exist. Sometimes the message is diversity or social justice, sometimes it's a comment on political corruption or journalistic integrity. Whatever it is its almost a lock that a movie will get recognized for it.

This year, a movie called Arrival demonstrated a message that called for its audience to, for once, don't speak, just listen. In an era of global communication through countless channels, we sometimes take for granted our ability to understand one another. More than ever people are told they have a voice and they have a platform and they need to use it, and while in moderation that can be true. However, the ability to listen and objectively think, to proceed with caution instead of just attacking with what you think is right, that notion is losing ground. More than anything else the ideas of listening, thinking, and understanding before acting is what the movie Arrival is about. Science Fiction has a way of molding philosophy, like clay, in a way that we can use our imaginations to better understand ideas. While the movie isn't perfect (Jeremy Renner's character is basically a plot device and some of the conflicts seem forcefully thrown in without any real catalyst) as a whole, Arrival is the most optimistic and imaginative movie I saw this year. Amy Adams' performance though subtle was incredibly powerful, and the nuances in her delivery are worthy of multiple revisits.