Arrival (2016)

 

Genre: Sci-fi/ Thriller          Time: 2hrs          Director: Denis Villeneuve

Quick summary: Louise Banks, a linguistics expert, along with her team, must interpret the language of aliens who have come to Earth in a mysterious spaceship.

This is a very unique alien film I will tell you that, and I'm so glad it gave a refreshing take on them. The story follows Dr. Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams), a seemingly troubled and lonely professor of language. When alien spacecraft touch down in various locations across the globe, the Army enlists her help in an attempt to decipher the alien race's language. A mathematician named Dr. Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner) becomes her partner in this mission to try to communicate with these new visitors to figure out why they're here.

It's very thought-provoking, the whole film leaves you trying to decipher your own interpretation, and it doesn't come across as a grand Hollywood picture. It gives very much of an indie film vibe that doesn't depend itself on its special effects, although the film is very pretty and spectacular with its cinematography. You really do sit in awe at the grand landscape scenes. 

This is very carefully paced so that it brings out the emotion of this story very perfectly, and it really does get deep. Some may think the pacing is a bit too slow, but I tend to enjoy films like that a lot. But I will say, it can get confusing, even when the whole truth is revealed, you might even feel incredibly dumb. (I did)

You really have to experience the wonder that Arrival is, as no other film tells the story it has done and no other film has done it like Arrival. It leaves such a big impact you will be thinking about it for days. 

At the beginning of the film, we are presented with Amy Adams as a broken woman, and we experience exactly why she is broken. With the death of her daughter, and the breakdown of her marriage it appears she has nothing. Then, we witness the arrival of the aliens to the Earth and them being pulled into the communication attempts.

Where Arrival works is that Amy Adams puts on a very good performance as banks. While we may not be language experts like her, she plays the part of the audience. We experience the meetings with the aliens and get to share in the highs and lows of communication.

Most of the action, such as it is, involves Amy Adams’ linguist and Jeremy Renner’s mathematician trying to speak to the aliens and figure out what they’re saying back. All the chat about nonlinear orthography can get a bit tough to understand and potentially leave you with a headache. 

I absolutely loved how every scene was drained of color to really set a mournful mood, reflecting how the world feels within this film. They are all scared and stressed, trying to figure out what these aliens actually want. 

Every single shot is filmed with such pitch-perfect pure beauty, the scene when they all enter the spaceship man it was so damn good. All the camerawork was very smooth and felt very free to watch. I love how this film is not afraid to be different and outside of the box and breaks all traditions we know about alien films. 

There’s no Independence Day-like bim-bam-boom here. No little green men or giant robots with laser eyes, either. In fact, this intelligent, multi-layered pic is likely not what you’re expecting it to be at all.

9/10

• Despite knowing the journey... and where it leads... I embrace it... and I welcome every moment of it.

• Now I'm not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings. There are days that define your story beyond your life. Like the day they arrived.

• Let's say that I taught them Chess instead of English. Every conversation would be a game. Every idea expressed through opposition, victory, defeat.