Arrival

Arrival (2016)

Image From IMDB

Sometimes I just want to watch a beautiful sci-fi. I’m sure I said something similar about 2001 Space Odyssey, but Arrival gives me the same vibes––even if it’s closer to Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama. Denis Villeneuve’s film is gorgeous, poetic, and definitely has a tinge of sadness throughout, but it’s also stunning in its whole presentation.

Arrival is about alien crafts landing across the planet, and our attempt to communicate with them and get an answer to the simple question, “why are they here?” In order to get this answer the military call upon the expertise of a Linguist (Amy Adams) and a Theoretical Scientist (Jeremy Reiner) Together, they must decode the alien’s unique language, before tension boils over across the planet.

The unknown alien craft arriving on Earth isn’t a unique trope, but what makes Arrival different is they don’t instantly want to blow up all our monuments, or capital cities… So much so, they land in Montana! The tension created throughout the movie more comes from our previous cinematic experiences rather than anything within the narrative. It means the director can instead spend his time on the human drama and gorgeous haunting cinematography, rather than artificially creating horror where there isn’t any.

Amy Adams gives a fantastic performance as a grieving mum who’s trying to give meaning to the meaningless after the death of her young child. She’s backed up superbly by Jeremy Reiner, who is always great, and Forest Whitaker who is also always a study hand––i’m ignoring Rogue One when I say that.

The movie sets out slowly as the aliens arrive, and first contact is made. A lot of scenes are drawn out as we experience each step of the investigation, the momentous event. And, in my opinion, that methodical pace suits the film perfectly. Anyone hoping for Independence Day or Battle: Los Angeles, you ain’t getting it. This is hard, intelligent sci-fi, blended with human drama and mature performances.

Speaking of, I loved all the little scenes between the two leads as they got to know each other. The Malick like shots of them in the field or back of the truck comptemplating the task at hand. Beautiful. It’s rare to see scenes like that in these sort of movies.

The military stuff was on the other hand as expected. I thoroughly believe if aliens ever did make a wrong turn and end up on our planet we would instantly want to blow them the fuck up. It always feels like it’s in our nature in these films––and probably real life.

Arrival is a quiet, often haunting movie. Shot gorgeously, with stunning performances. It isn’t for everyone as there’s no real action to speak off, but as a sci-fi drama, it’s hard to beat. It’s a prime example of why we need more original cinema, and what the director can do with a unique story. It isn’t one to watch when you’ve had a hard day at work, but it’s something to be greatly admired and appreciated when you’re in the mood.