Denis Villenueve. A solid lineup. A different take on first contact. I loved Sicario but went in expecting a cerebral epic sci-fi.
That was a mistake.
Good things:
- Some really nice visual scenes
- Interesting aliens Calligraphy aliens!
- Clear theme of communication is omnipresent
- A neat score that might be awesome in a different movie
Bad things:
- The acting
- The lack of emotional reaction to ALIENS! The students asking to turn on the TV, all of the main characters
- Lack of useful characters Only the aliens and Louise actually did anything the entire movie.
- Supporting characters are very stupid in an attempt to foil the main character slightly
- Very clumsy exposition. Genre-typical news reports, voice-overs, dumb characters asking stupid questions.
- Very slow pacing. This worked in parts of Sicario, but didn't work in this movie because there was no tension. The main characters never seemed remotely threatened.
- Lousie showing up at school thinking everyone will be there after aliens arrive and there's a state of emergency
- Why can't you translate alien language like you can translate Farsi. This is a paraphrase but in the spirit of what Colonel Weber was saying.
- Useless love interest when the costars have no chemistry.
- Ultrasecure military base lets someone steal a ton of explosives and put it in an ALIEN SPACECRAFT without anyone noticing.
- Many unbelievable plot points
- Poor dialogue Let's make a baby - real quote
- Poor handling of the major plot points Looking through time seems to undermine the fact that the aliens need help. Why did one have to die if they could see the future? Why did only one die when they were right next to each other?
- Very heavy handed moral messaging that didn't align with the rest of the movie.
- Why couldn't Ian also see into the future as he studied the language, or any of the others?
Overall extremely disappointing. I'm honestly surprised critics or general moviegoers like this. The premise was very good. It's a real shame the execution failed so miserably.
does anyone remember the original name this movie had?
[8.2/10] It’s hard to talk about Arrival without spoiling the film. So much of what makes it more than just a well-done first contact story is tied up in its later developments. They recontextualize enough of the prior proceedings that trying to discuss the import or quality of the film without mentioning them is like trying to give someone directions without letting them know the destination.
But its premise is fairly straightforward. Aliens have come to Earth, in twelve ships scattered across the globe. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) a linguist, is brought by the U.S. Military to the ship in Montana, in attempt to help us communicate with the extra-terrestrial presence. With the help of theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), and buffer provided by Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker), Banks slowly but surely finds ways to talk to these beings, with the American team alternatively working with and against similar groups in other nations attempting the same.
And then there’s the twist. The birth, death, and tragedy of Louise’s daughter, implied through the grammar of film to have occurred prior to the alien encounter we witness, actually happened afterward. The estranged husband hinted at early on turns out to be Donnelly. And Banks herself, through learning to think like the heptapods, and eventually direct contact with the aliens, becomes unstuck in time. She experiences moments from what we’d consider the past, present, and future, in non-linear splendor, mixing them up like a memory collage.
Despite the narrative trickery employed, the reveal itself isn’t so unfamiliar to those acquainted with the novels of Kurt Vonnegut, Watchmen, and even Star Trek: The Next Generation. But what the twist lacks in novelty, it makes up for in thematic resonance. Like those works, Arrival uses the time-dilated nature of its story to comment on processing trauma, the value of one’s experiences and life itself in a chaotic universe, and the potential of the human mind to expand to contemplate greater possibilities.
You’re unlikely to find a film this year with as many intriguing philosophical implications as Arrival. In that, it is akin to The Prestige, as a film with a twist that initially knocks over the viewer with how it changes the reality of what’s been depicted up to that point, but that makes its bones from the implications of that new reality. In both films, what the reveals show about the characters, and say about the value and nature of human life, linger long after the shock of the twist dissipates.
But the force of the movie does kick into high gear after the non-linear way in which Louise begins to experience time is unveiled. It answers the plot-specific mystery that Arrival presents – why did the heptapods come here? They, it turns out, have experienced time in this fashion from the beginning, the thoughts and information able to exist simultaneously in the past and the future. Their journey is to help Earth unify, to serve as a catalyst for cooperation, so that three millennia in the future, humanity will be able to help them. It is an intriguing and clockwork explanation for their presence.
Beyond, however, the on-the-ground (so to speak) plot mechanics of Arrival, what makes it stand out is its exploration of how this change in temporal perspective changes how individuals think, how they value different things in their lives, how they approach and view the world. The film reflects this in interesting ways.
The heptapods’ language is circular, more symmetrical and again, non-linear to reflect their perspective, tying into the motif that learning a language rewires your brain to a certain extent. Louise naming her daughter Hannah, which the episode notes is a palindrome, reflects the way this same symmetry and perspective has filtered down to her. And the film itself often frames Louise symmetrically, using a flat background or one-point perspective to balance the images.
But most notably, that mode of thought changes Louise’s perspective on life writ large, estranges her from eventual husband Donnelly, and motivates her to both marry him and have a child, knowing that each choice will end in pain. The cinch is that for Louise, these decisions do not “end.” They simply are. They exist on the same continuum as all moments, not greater or lesser in priority or order than the others.
And for that, for the gift given to her by the heptapods, she chooses the path that will increase the amount of bliss she enjoys, where she experiences love, where she is enriched. Amy Adams understated performance gives life to this epiphany. Freed from constraints, in philosophy and temporal perspective, of having to fear loss and hardship, she pursues those paths that will make her life more worthwhile, that will give her more moments of happiness and wonder and fulfillment, regardless of any chronological path from joy to sadness.
It’s a laudable message, that applies even to the humble folks who still experience time in a linear fashion. Much of cinema tackles ideas about coping with loss or valuing the good times even in the shadow of the bad. But the device of the scattered timescape of Louise’s life, seen as an accumulation of experiences and not a linear progression, drives that point home in a unique way. Much of Arrival is about broadening perspectives, and the scattered scenes combining what was, what is, and what will be help to cast the same broadening spell on the audience that the heptapods do for Louise.
That’s part of why talking about this film without talking about its twist is so hard. The way Arrival tells its story, the ways those moments are sequenced in the film, is so essential to what the film is trying to say that discussing it apart from that perspective is unavoidably lacking. In a film about altering perspective, there is only so much to say without talking about how it attempts to shift the audience’s own perspective in the process. Arrival uses the alien and unfamiliar to tell a deeply humanistic story, about unity, philosophy, and worth, through one individual who comes to see them all very differently.
A fairly pedestrian tale of first contact wrapped around an idea that is bound to spawn debates, discussions and headaches for years to come.
Clouded potential. It was good, but not the typical sci-fi movie I was expecting. It was more along the lines of something like Contact or Interstellar, where there's some good meat for the sci-fi hungry, but is interspersed with the lead character's emotional past. In other words, it's been done before.
However, Arrival just didn't do it quite as well as the others, and tried to end it with one of those "uber-deep/strange" twist endings that almost seem like cheap way to end a movie when you run out of ideas. Instead, you're left with an ending that just leaves you hanging, and is probably supposed to seem clever. But instead, it left me thinking that they indeed couldn't come to a complete closure. So they said "And then this weird crap happened, and (insert emotional attempt here), THE END."
I gave this a rating of 6 purely because of the good acting, and the good, but not over-the-top special effects. My initial rating was a 5/10, but only because I hated the forced and unnecessary backgrounding. After some thought, I went with a 6 to be fair, but that was only after I got over the fact that this is just yet another movie that's been released before, mixed with a few similar movies, thrown in a blender and rebaked into a casserole of tired stories, and sprinkled with some new fresh actors to make it taste decent.
I was really positively surprised by this movie. I mostly expected it to be yet another SciFi movie with action and war and stuff but there's a huge twist. A really great plot twist distinguishing it from all the other alien encounter movies out there.
I'm really surprised that Arrival is not nominated for an Academy Award, when La La Land is…
Decent movie. One time watch. Very good concept, but what's missing is a gripping storyline. Felt at some parts that the pace of movie was very slow.
Thinking persons scifi flick...no getting to da choppa...no game over man game over...and definitly no goin out there with them things runnin around lol but a solid entertaining well acted flick...no replay value though...the best scifi flicks have replay value...they mostly have replay value....mostly
Excellent sci-fi movie that requires an active brain to enjoy it... But I still wanted to know more about Portuguese! D:
I'm eagrly waiting for a great, thoughful sci-fi movie. Please tell me this one isn't just a dumb sci-fi action film, not to say pure dogsh*t like Indep day... anyone?!?
I have not watched Arrival since the year it came out (and even then I was late to the party). This rewatch definitely made me appreciate it more than the first time around.
I think my problem from the get go has always been that I thought the movie was massively overhped and I still do. I also get why people love it.
The movie does know how to deliver on its atmosphere and sets a very unique tone. It's something between melancholy, dread and even a sense of uncomfortable unsettlement. Different from any other science fiction film I've watched.
I also like the concept of the movie. Instead of your typical alien Invasion with a lot of explosions it's all about the communication, the use of language and the importance of it. That aspect is brilliant.
The lead performance by Amy Adams is also again fantastic. She gives a beautiful performance and deserved all the recognition for it and more. Or as we should call it: Another performance Amy Adams should've gotten the Oscar for and somehow didn't.
Also great in this despite not having much to do, Jeremy Renner.
The aliens also have a unique and interesting design and their form of communication is imaginative and new.
Then the plot twist happens and the film kinda loses me.
Before you think I'm nuts, hear me out on this one. I understand the film. I understand the twist. I like the general thought of this personal and also moral dilemma Louise is going through by knowing the future and still letting it play out. It certainly makes for an interesting discussion and keeps you thinking about it long after you finished the film. I appreciate all that. I also think this is one of the better uses of non-linear storytelling.
I just...found myself honestly not caring much about it all. Again, I like the thought provoking element of it, not the whole time travel hijinks and the "let's stop the Chinese from blowing up our new alien buddies" aspect, that's when the film suddenly borders into cliché territory.
The pacing is also a big issue for me. It starts out intriguing, slows down too much in the middle part and then turns into a messy third act. The middle part is especially frustrating because a lot of the linguistic centric parts of the story are told via montage and voice over. How was that thing with the show not tell?
Despite great performances I also think for such a "prestige" film the characters fall pretty flat. Especially the whole military cast surrounding Forrest Whitaker (who I can't take seriously no matter what he's doing) who are all pretty run-in-the-mill been there done that characters.
"Arrival" is an interesting film that certainly deserves it's fan base. For me it's trying a little bit too hard to be meaningful and important but "not for me" definitely doesn't equal "not good."
Interesting movie. You will not get bored at any point while watching. A treat for the sci-fi fans.
Best Sci-Fi movie since Interstellar.
I really didnt expect to enjoy this movie as much as I did. I was smitten.
From the first seconds, Arrival, pulls you in with the soft voice of Dr. Loiuse (Amy Addams) Dr. Loiuse's thoughts and experiences makes you think about time , choices and who you really are. This movie not only makes you think , but also makes you calm down and relax. In our fast paced life this movie guide you to take a moment and just breath.
I think the choice of cast was spot on. The cast is made of well known and good actors and actresses. They complimented the movie even futher.
The cinematography is astonishing and I really hope this movie wins the Academy Award for best picture , because what i saw was beautiful and tranquil!
What a fantastic movie! I was hoping for a less dramatic/action packed take on the 'first encounter' and that is exactly what I got. Such thought provoking and emotional messages throughout. I honestly was a little lost for words towards the end, definitely not a movie you can watch in the background you need to savour and enjoy every moment so you don't get confused.
Sure there were questionable moments, and a few times the characters actions were questionable but nothing's perfect. I will definitely be watching again, and recommending to family and friends. Amy Adams puts up a stellar performance
I can tell half of the reviewers here didn't understand the film, cus Jesus Christ that was spectacular.
Definitely not a snoozer. Lots of crazy cool writing and ideas going on.
If you're just looking for action this isn't it.
But if this isn't one of the best Scifi concepts and stories idk what is.
Masterpiece
I enjoyed this one a lot. The score and visuals were great. The movie had me emotional a few times throughout. The story/theme isn’t anything new, but it’s something that sometimes we all need to be reminded of. To try and not spoil, the movie reminds us that the juice is worth the squeeze, no matter how painful it is/will be.
One of the best movies of all time. I'm so glad that I'm alive to witness this masterpiece.
The senses are what I look out for the most in movies, I want to feel as if I'm there, and Arrival does just that. From sight to sound, smell to taste, I could perfectly invision myself in this story. The score is erethreal, the acting is heavenly, the visuals are angelic, the dialogue is genius, the sfx are unworldly, the story is breathtaking, and the emotion is heart wrenchingly beautiful. This was the movie that made me realise how much of a wizard Denis Villeneuve really is. He managed to blend the meaning of life, love, death, and a lot more into a grippingly, satisfying, slow burn thriller. If this hasn't made you want to watch it, then I don't know what will.
This is not Kubrick's "The Odyssey" or Spielberg's "Close Encounters." The film tries to be a serious commentary, but it only ends up being a long-winded one.
No story at all. Why do the main characters even get together? The entire movie is terrible except the language looks interesting. That is literally the only thing that kept me confused enough to be semi interested until I'm here writing about there being nothing to even write about. There is no movie here. Don't watch.
After watching Dune I've heard of this movie and I was interested to know more about Denis Villeneuve (not that I loved Dune part 1, I was just curious about the stunning-created world).
Arrival was a big surprise! Loved the atmosphere here, the story is not slow-paced like Dune and I was entertained the whole part. The sound and images are just stunning! Kept my interest the whole time. Didn't expect to like this one that much.
woah - really went into the movie knowing nothing - very cool concept well done - music woah
In my opinion, this movie falls into the category of a concept that would have worked better as a captivating TV show rather than a film. While the idea is interesting, the execution of the script leaves much to be desired. Perhaps another filmmaker, apart from Denis Villeneuve, could have handled it more effectively.
I really enjoyed the performance of the main actor; however, it was disappointing that she seemed to be the only one carrying the film, as the other roles felt empty and lacked emotional depth.
As an example let's take the role of the coworker physicist. It could have been completely omitted from the story as it didn't contribute anything substantial. It appeared that his sole purpose was to fulfill the obligatory love story element. If the filmmakers had taken the time to develop his character further, it would have allowed viewers to form a stronger connection with him. The concept of him being the man in the main character's future memories is actually quite intriguing. Unfortunately, since his character was introduced in such a superficial manner, it failed to make a significant impact on the overall narrative.
The writers omitted many things in the story, such as the absence of a political aspect. This absence made it difficult for me to relate to the characters and imagine the events happening in real life. However, they introduced politics only when it was necessary to create a rival. It would have been better if they had completely kept politics out of the story.
The pacing of the story is confusing to me. Initially, it seems impossible to understand the alien language, but later on, the characters suddenly have a significant amount of vocabulary. However, the writers failed to effectively convey this progress to the viewers. It felt as if they needed to expedite the plot and hoped we wouldn't notice the gaps.
The first hour of the movie focuses on understanding the alien language and their purpose for coming to Earth. However, after the explosion, the movie takes a sudden turn into total nonsense when the aliens mention needing help in 3000 years, despite already assisting us. It's unclear what they are helping us with exactly, considering their presence nearly triggered a world war between China and Russia in the first place. They show their gratitude to a scientist by giving her the power to see the future, which includes the tragic death of her daughter... In theory, this could have been an interesting idea for a movie, as tragic events often make for compelling stories. The phone call to prevent a world war felt like a hastily added plot device to patch up inconsistencies in my opinion.
At this point, what makes the movie enjoyable is the anticipation of understanding what will happen to the alien planet in 3000 years. However, to my disappointment, the film abruptly ends without any explanation or closure on that aspect. The credits roll, and there is no further elaboration. It seems as though they didn't even bother to provide an explanation.
This is one of the better and more nuisanced alien invasion movies that takes the audience along for the nonlinear plot. Amy Adams put in a really good performance as the main U.S. linguist trying to translate the alien language. The ending was truly touching. The film was shot beautifully. My only complaint, much like with Villeneuve's films, Enemy and Dune, the pacing is excruciatingly slow, and I hate the director's glacial camera work. I understand why he tends to shoot in this way, but it's hypnotic and snooze-inducing and maybe creates the opposite effect from what he's going for, which presumably is suspense or anticipation. Otherwise, this was a good watch.
Anti climatic but not bad
Fantastic watch, I really shouldn't have put this film off for so long. Loved it. Amy Adams' performance really shines through!
Saw this randomly… a different take on alien movies. Really liked !
Run of the mill sci-fi story with good visuals acting was good
"Language is the foundation of civilisation. It is the glue that holds the people together. It is the first weapon drawn in a conflict."
It's always so refreshing watching this one. Arrival isn't your usual "let's throw a bomb at the aliens" action blockbuster, it's more civilized, it's all about understanding the aliens and communicating with them—this is the approach we would take in this situation, hopefully!
Another perfectly directed movie by Villeneuve, one of my favorites. Flawless direction and storyline, loved every aspect of the story. Every shot looks gorgeous, love the violin score and great performances. Amy Adams was perfect for the role, she's so believable and knows how to pack a punch with the emotions. Good chemistry with Jeremy Renner, who also delivers.
I'm so fascinated by the language and the aliens, excellent original concept, could have taken an extra ten hour documentary on this. I was already blown away and content with what was given but then a twist happens and it adds another level of complexity to the story. Mind blown. Peak sci-fi!
This was so good especially the ending and the whole concept of time
but tbh they should not have been able to translate all those alien words like “donate” “give” “death” like literally when did they do an acting scenario of that to be able to figure it out
Now, this is what a movie about meeting the aliens for first time should be like. Movies like independence Day & War Of The Worlds are shit. Movies like this and interstellar should be made more often. I'm not saying these types of movie are 100% realistic but at least they try to express themselves and have some meaning to them. Overall, it's a 10/10 from me....
Arrival is a science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve, which tells the story of Louise, a linguist who is recruited to help communicate with aliens who have landed on Earth. The film is based on a short story "Story of Your Life" and the filmmakers consulted experts in phonetics, linguistics and art to ensure accuracy in the movie's language and visuals. The story explores themes such as communication and the nature of time, but the reviewer found the film to be slow-burning and lacking in impact. The movie looks good and has a solid premise, but it did not grip the reviewer as much as it hoped, and the ending felt unsatisfying. The performances by Amy Adams and the rest of the cast were good, but the supporting characters were underused. Overall, Arrival is a cerebral and well-crafted film, but it did not fully deliver on its potential.
La llegada es una película de ciencia ficción dirigida por Denis Villeneuve, que cuenta la historia de Louise, una lingüista que es reclutada para ayudar a comunicarse con los extraterrestres que han aterrizado en la Tierra. La película está basada en una historia corta "La historia de tu vida" y los cineastas consultaron a expertos en fonética, lingüística y arte para garantizar la precisión en el lenguaje y las imágenes de la película. La historia explora temas como la comunicación y la naturaleza del tiempo, pero el crítico encontró que la película se desarrolla lentamente y carece de impacto. La película se ve bien y tiene una premisa sólida, pero no atrapó al crítico tanto como esperaba, y el final se sintió insatisfactorio. Las actuaciones de Amy Adams y el resto del elenco fueron buenas, pero los personajes secundarios fueron infrautilizados. En general, La llegada es una película cerebral y bien hecha, pero no cumplió con todo su potencial.
I chose to watch this film as I read and enjoyed the short story on which it is based (Story of your life by Ted Chiang). I would have preferred the movie to follow the story more faithfully. Certain elements don't feel rightly put.
A very abstract movie about love and aliens and time. While the ending is not going to satisfy everyone, I thought it to be very thought-provoking and interesting.
This film was incredible. I do think the pacing was probably a bit slow though, despite the fact that it did an excellent job of building up the tension. While heady, this film somehow manages to convey feeling, meaning and emotion, in most cases without uttering a single word.
Denis Villeneuve i love you, second rewatch of this movie hits even more than the first one, the directing and coloring of this movie was perfect, and that sound design? beautiful.
the whole concept of Louise being able to perceive small flashbacks, but in a sense, from the future, was really well delivered, and Hans Zimmer's music is as heart wrenching as ever, melancholic, and at the same time so beautiful
Language is a powerful tool.
competent movie with a scenario that has his limits but all other aspect are great
This is my first UHD movie. Nice in all aspects. Picture, audio all is good balanced.
Movie is slow on some points, to the point of wanting to put it forward.
Regardless of that, the history, the structure of the movie, the aliens and their purpose, was well put.
I like the movie
I loved the premise, but the execution was poor. The first half is great, I loved this take on first contact with aliens; but in the second half focuses on telling the story of just one person, instead of the much more interesting story of the aliens and their relationship with humanity. Louise also comes of as extremely selfish. She either should have told Ian what would happen to their daughter beforehand or never at all. And as others have pointed out, she can relive her time with their daughter any time she pleases, but Ian can't. All he has is the pain of losing a child. I don't find her story sympathetic at all, I just feel sorry for Ian.
The investigation of Language was what made "Arrival" so interesting. After the aliens land, Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited to try and communicate with them. The film was very thought-provoking, especially in its early stages, because it broke down the challenges of communicating with something that is totally foreign.
The film moves at a slow pace and there are going to be viewers who won't have the patience to enjoy it. It was entirely engrossing and the purpose for the aliens' visit could make your imagination run wild. There is a twist that is pretty satisfying but hard to grasp and it concerns the dream-like states that Banks experiences. It makes "Arrival" better but presents a point of confusion that is best left for viewers to discover on their own.
"Arrival" looks nice and really does a great job to keep the aliens mysterious. My attempt at not spoiling this film makes me wonder if writing this review has any value. It seems frustratingly vague but this is the type of film that I enjoy over all others. This generates a lot of questions and leaves a lot of room for your own imagination.
The investigation of Language was what made "Arrival" so interesting. After the Aliens land, Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is recruited to try and communicate with them. The breakdown of the challenges of communicating with something that is totally foreign is exciting.
The film moves at a slow pace and there are going to be viewers who won't have the patience to enjoy it. "Arrival" does a great job keeping the aliens mysterious and the purpose for their visit is simply hinted at. There is also a satisfying twist that concerns the dream-like states that Dr. Banks experiences.
Visually, this isn't going to win any awards. It's a murky looking film and everything seems like it's some shade of grey. The alien craft is ominous but basically looks like a massive skipping stone. This isn't necessarily a happy film, either. In fact, it's rather sad.
If you're tired of watching Marvel, DC, and Star Wars movies, give "Arrival" a try. It's thought provoking and leaves room for your own imagination to work on those "what if" questions that the universe has to offer.
Very intriguing subject, executed with precision by Denis Villeneuve and his crew.
The man truly is an astounding filmmaker; there’s not a single shot with weak framing or bad lighting.
Cool art design, good performances, intelligent and interesting; we need more sci-fi like this to balance out the usual blockbuster schlock.
Its biggest problem is that none of the characters besides Louise are all that interesting.
Also, there’s a final twist with Jeremy Renner’s character that I found fairly predictable.
But still, a very inspired film with plenty of food for thought.
8/10
There is something about this movie. I really love the plot, I think it is great how they did the story. The screenplay and direction is wonderful and the acting is magnificent. But I just cannot connect with the ending. I don't quite like it.
Rewatching this masterpiece on Amy’s big day. Happy birthday, Amy Lou Adams! :orange_heart:
I didn't like the most important part of the film: the final. I don't know if i am kind of overthinking it but i hate that Louise ends up deciding to have the child even knowing that Hannah will suffer from a 'rare' and 'unstoppable' disease... I mean, how selfish do you have to be to condemn someone (Hannah and also Ian) to that.
I understand that the intended message goes like "i wouldn't change anything of my life if i could" but come on, you re just thinking in yourself and not in the people surrounding you.
There ends my today's rant. I am giving it more than 1 rate because the rest of the film seemed good to me.
In spite of (or maybe because of?) the fact that I'm a linguist who is a massive fan of Ted Chiang, this movie didn't impress me. I found it so tedious, especially for the first hour, that I fell asleep the first time I tried to watch. Read the story instead!
Probably the best alien invasion movie ever made (If you're a thinker that is).
I love this movie, was amazing with my kids,the final is very sad
i gave this movie 2000$ just for dmca so i have to like it:angry::angry::rage::rage::angry::rage::angry::rage::rage::rage:
Fantastic movie! Don't expect big explosions and crazy FX, the classic laughable "American action movie"; no. Thank God, no. A brilliant movie, deep, that certainly makes you think and try to figure it all. Enjoyed it much!!!
Arrival is a boring and predictable movie, with a formulaic plot and xenophobic elements. China and Russia are the villains because the movie is from 2016, nowadays it would have been just Russia because it’s PC. It's a refreshing breath of fresh air to see Cold War hatreds on the big screen again in 2020. America saved the world once again.
The Americans come up with every major breakthrough in communicating with the aliens. Amy Adams' character (despite having just watched the film, I forget her name, so I'll just call her Mary Sue because she is so perfect. She is clever because she's giving a lecture at a university. She is the world’s greatest linguist, the only person on Planet Earth who knows the Sanskrit word for "war" translates literally to "a desire for more cattle." Mary Sue is also the only linguist who would think to communicate with aliens using a combination of a whiteboard, marker, and talk, instead of just shouting at the damn things or whatever the dumb foreigners in other countries were trying.
Another ignorant Hollywood movie with all the collections of worst things. How you gonna make a film about having compassion about other beings that is the same time completely xenophobic and stereotypical towards other cultures? Those war-mongering Chinese and Russians can never be as patient and peaceful as the US. There is also one unintentionally hilarious exchange in which the US alien-contact team starts beefing with the U.K. and Australia teams and Mary Sue blurts out "but these are our allies!!!". You may be detecting a theme.
This entire film was just a boring 2 hour commercial for American exceptionalism - the savior, rescuing humanity from the terrible Russia and China because apparently they’re more war hungry than the U.S. Haha, what a joke.
Arrival is not a science fiction. Just some dull personal drama with an admixture of stereotypical geopolitics from US point of view. That's why all the Martians spoke ... English. The fact that some people like this movie is such a mystery to me. Is it because of the visuals? The CGI?
I couldn’t even finish it. Sorry, I tried.
A sci-fi of a different kind and aliens, this is a thriller, and for the very most part how to actually communicate with them, and what they are - or what they are on Earth for.
There were a lot of unanswered questions in the end; Why have they been twelve objects? What is the future in 3000 years, and how can humankind safe them?
Interestingly, it was alluded that the aliens might have traveled faster than light - a solution to them having seen the future?
It was very creative as well as entertaining for me!
Rating: 10/10
Well damn.
I couldn't stop thinking about this one and may not for awhile. "Arrival" is one of the best Sci-Fi films I've seen in this year. Everything about this film was just top notch that I can't put into words without going all over.
So let put it like this:
Amy Adams was wonderful in this. A very grounded and real performance. Probably her best. Same thing that can said about Jeremy Renner.
And how the aliens were part of the story was fascinating and quite clever. Without spoiling anything, they had a unique look to them. Like spiders. Although out the film, you feel their presence. A presence that's both scary and yet remarkable.
Denis Villeneuve is my favorite working director. He can release a movie every year and still be close of making a masterpiece. Villeneuve delivers a haunting and heartbreaking story that leaves the audience with a experience that will stay with them. A beautiful, thought-provoking, Sci-Fi film that isn't an action or war movie. And I'm even more excited to see "Blade Runner 2049".
And how can I forgot the amazing score, astonishing cinematography, intelligent script, and the tearjerker ending that left me in pieces.
I honestly can't say anything else. Please do yourself a favour and watch it. For now, I'm dumbfounded.
Managed to see this without knowing anything and thoroughly enjoyed it
Oh Amy...
How could she not get an Oscars for THIS?
First time I saw it, I thought it was boring. Now I have learned to appreciate it.
Effectively combining tense and thrilling situations with
absurdly good sound design and an intellectually stimulating plot.
Eternalism, however, would definitely allow for the unbelievable retro-causation of Arrival to take place.
According to this form of 'non-Presentism,' objects in both the past and future
exist to the exact same degree as objects in the present, like three lines running side by side.
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Read More: www.looper.com/87043/ending-arrival-explained/?utm_campaign=clip
Blown away. Love the story line. Acting is wonderful.
message: 7.5/10
story: 10/10
climax: 10/10
plot: 10/10
characters: 10/10
acting: 10/10
entertainment value: 10/10
total: 9.75/10
invented sci-fi.
Perhaps taking a long time to watch this film was the best choice, because a story that would have everything to be just about another alien invasion, turns into a very impactful personal experience.
The best asset of "The Arrival" is in its script that shows the puzzle as the story evolves. When this construction is finished, in the final act, the sentimental "stroke" can be measured according to the personal experience of each spectator.
So, I say with certainty that the beauty of this film is in this impact and this construction.
Nice film that shows that Denis Villeneuve is in fact one of the great directors of his time, that makes a topic as complex as the importance of language in the evolution of the species, has such a personal approach.
Like some of the genre's best, Arrival's strength is in framing an effective science fiction story around a seemingly-unrelated topic and essentially intertwining the two until they become inseparable. In this case, we deal with the fabric of linguistics - the desperate search for a communicative first step - and how even something so intrinsically dry and cerebral can make for great theatrical drama.
Amy Adams is quietly empathic in the central role, a frazzled interpreter with a strong sense of personal loss who pours herself into the work. Against the backdrop of your typical plastic-sheeted, pop-up government research facility, she's our human connection to a very clinical, inhuman situation. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker are around, and give their roles an earnest effort, but they're too cookie-cutter and predictable to amount to much. As is much of the third act, unfortunately, when we discard the delicate analysis of words (both spoken and written) and give in to baser military-themed temptations.
At its core, the film really has one great revelation, and while that's effective at first, it's then rehashed and hammered home until its sharp edges grow dull. I still see a lot of promise here, and while it's in the groove it makes for an authentically strange, different viewing experience. The work of Arrival's sound design team plays a big part in that, and will surely be recognized when awards season rolls around. The plot's blunt, heavy-handed climax, though, is a bitter pill to swallow.
8 - Great
Wow such a good first contact movie, you get the feeling it's a real story. Great alien design as well.
When I saw the trailer for this I was excited because for once I thought there would be a great plot... great acting... and of course aliens.
Okay so maybe I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up... the story is actually pretty good but it's the lack of action that's missing. It's more closely related to a drama than thiller. But.. it's still a good film overall...
7.5/10
Without being a master piece, be it of sound or visual, this is a nice experience that will make you think and wonder.
"If you could see all your life from start to finish, would you change things?"
This movie brings an interesting approach to Time, which you would’t expect from a sci-fi movie where an extra terrestrial species makes contact.
It made me think about how foreseeing the future could either allow you to shape it or become crazy trying. If you were writing the book you will read, where would the content come from? Do you see what actually is or what you want the future to be. And therefore do you even see the future? Or do you see a future? Probably you’d go crazy and live a life of regrets from what could have been but wasn’t.
Arrival explores a particular type of first contact. The ominous ship that appear all over the world don't seem to do nothing, they don't destroy famous building or monuments. They are just there. Every 18 hours a small entrance appears, allowing a group of daring humans to go inside and try to communicate with the aliens.
The plot is interesting and well thought. It is based on a short story by Ted Chiang called "Story of your life"(which I do recommend), but with some(minor) changes. The main character, played by Amy Adams, is an expert linguist who is recruited by the US army to determine the intentions of the alien vessels. She will then get to go inside the spaceship and interact with the two creatures inside. I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but know that it is more of a cerebral type of sci-fi than most. Even then, it manages to be captivating for the whole runtime.
The cast was good. Amy Adams was really great and really carried the whole movie. The others were a bit anonymous, but still ok.
The score was really impressive. Without being too much in your face (or rather ears), it helped increase the sense of wonderment and fear of an alien first contact. That's how it's done.
While the audio was good, the visuals were nothing short of breathtaking. The first time we get to see the ships up close is an extremely visually pleasing scene, able to convey the dimensions sheer dimensions of these foreign object and how strange they are. they really feel out of place, but in a good way. I also really liked the "chamber" into which the aliens resided. That's a really clever way to kinda hide the aliens to make them feel even more, well, "alien". Small sore point: that scene where Amy Adams is kinda floating looks really bad; the CGI on her hair was not good.
In the end, it is a really good movie. It looks good, it sounds good and it makes you think a bit when it's over. The only reason I don't give it an higher vote is because of some things that I feel are a bit of a plot hole(i'll add a spoiler marked section later). Even then, I absolutely recommend it; the two hours of the movie will fly by. Even better if you can watch it with some friends, as the movie can ignite a nice discussion after it is finished.
8.5/10
First of all, I think that the way the flashbacks/flashforwards of Louise's daughter were misleading, as the audience was lead to believe that Louise was experiencing them at the same time we were seeing them. It didn't feel "fair". But I can forgive that in name of a plot twist. What I feel more strongly about is that the movie tried to both have a deterministic future and free will. If you can see the future and you can change it, are you really seeing the future? And yet, the movie tries to imply that Louise makes a choice when deciding to have a baby that she knows will die very young. In the novel, it is clear that there is no free will. In the movie, it was left ambiguous just to pull an emotional string.
7.5/10 another great movie from Denis he is one of the best nowdays!
It was okay. The premise was very interesting and I think that they had just focused on the building communication aspect, maybe a bit like Nell, I would have liked it more. I'm not sure the twist was necessary.
Villeneuve elevates Arrival's source material to the very zenith of great storytelling through excellent production design and an incredible, intensely-emotional plot, bolstered (and blessedly not sidelined by) the science-fiction concepts at its core. A must-watch, and my all-time-favourite.
I've never seen straight actors struggle so hard to pretend to be into each other like Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner in this movie.
I was reading the short story collection by Ted Chiang that includes 'Story of Your Life', the story this film is based off of... and within the contents of book it was already my favourite. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was adapted into a film and given the Denis Villeneuve treatment.
I thought they did a wonderful job of adapting the story, but the short story goes a lot more in depth when explaining what is happening to Dr Banks. The only problem I had with the film is that they don't explain well enough the fact that once you understand Heptapod language, you realise there is no such thing as free will (which is why the Heptapod dies, they don't warn them to defuse the bomb, Dr Banks chooses to have a daughter anyway - there is no such thing as a choice). There is a moment of the short story in which she essentially becomes detached, seeing what the other guys say as if they were rehearsed lines. Would have been cool to see that.
Leaving the original material aside, the film is super effective and just looks stunning. I'm sure I will be rewatching it in the future.
Wonderfull story, wonderfull actors, no glamour effects. Just inimaginable!
Excelente película sobre emociones humanas.
Peaceful, beautiful & contemplative scifi featuring one of the finest performances in the genre by Amy Adams. Story starts out simple but adds depth & layers towards the end. Visually beautiful & with astounding music, it twists & turns, becoming surprisingly dark. Classic!
My rewiew about “Arrival”
EN
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/10/arrival-review-amy-adams-jeremy-renner-science-fiction
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/arrival-2016
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Wittgenstein
Well, in the beginning I was deeply interested in this movie because I like linguistic thematics and clever sci-fy deeds, and, in my lonely opinion, it holds these two topics in a very bright manner. Nevertheless, the movie in itself didn’t impressed me, the development of the alien code didn’t received its real emphasis to me, and I was saddly expecting it, and the movie fell in some dumb platitudes such as that last conversation between the protagonist and the major Chinese general, I have my objections to simple-minded and careless sentences such as “let’s just preserve the global peace” because it didn’t fit in our contemporary reality. Although, it’s necessary to say that the movie’s initial ideia was just fantastic, and that its insight to put an reading-future hability in the alien code was breathless as well.
Moreover, I just enjoyed that guardian’s rewiew about this movie, and the Arthur C Clark and Wittgenstein’s comantareis fited perfectly in this context, or don’t you agree that “there is just 2 possibilities in our world: We are alone in the universe or we are not, and both are, equally terrifieng”¿
First half was really good. Second half was the usual Hollywood stuff. Shame
Spectacular, thought provoking, intelligent sci-fi. Beautiful to look at and the sound design is fantastic.
Wow, what an amazing movie. The story is brilliant and thought-provoking. Amy Adams delivers a great performance and the soundtrack is just beautiful.
This is how a human alien interaction would be.
This movie talks more broadly than just Science fiction. It talks about language, non-linear time, and decision.
Surprising plot, inspired direction, good acting (especially Amy Adams). A renewed vision of the first contact.
Another gem from Villeneuve.
It's essentially the "squidward teaches humans a special language" movie.
Whoever watched this expecting loads of action and weird alien stuff got disappointed, because this movie is 100% about humans their emotions and interactions, it was all I wanted in a movie and I'm so satisfied with it! A beautiful work and highly recommended if you like a movie about HUMANS not ALIENS.
Film barat berjudul “Arrival” ini merupakan film yang menceritakan tentang sebuah pesawat ruang angkasa misterius yang turun ke bumi. Kemudian untuk menginvestigasi pesawat ruang angkasa tersebut, dibentuk sebuah tim yang dipimpin oleh seorang dokter dan juga ahli bahasa, yaitu Dr. Louise Banks ( Amy Adams ) untuk menyelidikinya.
Dr. Louise Banks harus berpacu dengan waktu untuk mencari jawaban dan memecahkan misteri ruang angkasa tersebut yang juga bisa mengancam hidupnya serta seluruh kemanusiaan ini.
Over all a fine movie. Good for a one over, I think the rewatch-ability of it is very low.
Overall...
Pros
- The communication element and focus on that element was neat and different.
- The effects were decent. Though this is more of the lower side of a pro though because I've seen video games with better looking CGI than they used during the climax. That was a bit jarring. They're decent, nothing to write home about.
- The alien language looked cool. Yes it's a shallow reason, so sue me.
Cons
- Super generic character behaviors. Unfortunately it couldn't escape the sameness that all alien encounter movies seem to share.
- Lots of useless people. If you're like me you will only know 2 of the characters names by the end. The rest are either functionally useless, or cliche "imma just get in your way" roles.
- and my biggest annoyance we never find out what crisis the aliens needed humanity's help with. That would have mades MUCH more interesting movie. Instead we're just left to wonder because like virtually all alien encounter films only the humans story gets too told.
Wow, I did not expect this film. The hook alone is more than worth the experience - I gasped out loud when I realized what it was. Beautiful and emotional story.
https://IHateBadMovies.com
Still fantastic on rewatch. Crazy to think Denis Villeneuve did this then Blade Runner 2049 only a year later. He really knows hows to do sci-fi. One of my favorite directors working right now.
Es una historia perfecta, y la parte de ciencia ficción no es la más importante.
It’s good but very boring
Loved it. Great story well delivered.
There was a lot that was good in this movie, but there were also some issues for me. The concept itself was very interesting. It's first contact from a linguistic perspective. It's the confusion, the hours of studying, learning, coordinating. This isn't action, it's about a process of growth and learning. So, overall it was very interesting, but there were two things that can be very frustrating. The first is that the plot jumps around a lot. At the end you begin to understand why and it all starts to come together, but that doesn't change the fact that about 3/4 of the movie feels very jumbled and disjointed. The second issue is that it is very slow. Now, I understand that in real life a process like this does months, and is very tedious and slow, but that doesn't make for a very enjoyable movie. With all the jumping around and downtime, it can feel boring at times. All that aside, Amy Adams does a great job and it's an interesting movie, but I just didn't love it. I liked it but didn't love it.
From my point of view the main message of this movie is how powerful and important language and time is.
man, i knew the general plot going in and the ending still hit me like a bag of bricks. i'm not crying there's just a tree branch in my eye. first this movie threw killer quotes at me like "if all i ever gave you was a hammer" "everything would be a nail", then it made me emotional about my own damn name.
the pacing and the atmosphere of the movie are something people are either going to love or hate. it's very much a movie about communication and thinking before acting, and the themes ring painfully true in today's global culture and political climate. so i think where you fall on the spectrum of opinions on national security, how countries ally themselves and what your own personal mentality is when it comes to fight-or-flight with the unknown will REALLY affect your perspective when you watch this film. the main stars were good—i love anything involving amy adams, to be fair—and i liked the stark contrast between the clinical approaches louise and ian took and their impulsive reactions and gut decisions. the supporting cast was believable to me; the impatience, ignorance and paranoia on the parts of the government and military. plus ian's skepticism that eventually bled into openness once he had what any cynical scientist wants—to see it to believe it. forrest played a convincing colonel who just wanted to deal with the threat like any other threat; i can't blame the man for not having the desire to sit through language acquisition with aliens time, language acquisition can be exhausting! but these were all things that felt real, and made it easy for me to connect with the characters. it lacks the action and thrilling suspense of some sci-fi movies, i'll admit, but from the very beginning it was clear that the movie wasn't trying for any of that. instead, it was poignant and surprisingly relatable for its genre. also there's nothing cooler in the universe than linguistics.
This blew my mind. I expected just another alien invasion movie and got something to think about instead. The story has a bit of a slower starting pace but once you get in to it it just gets very interesting. The aliens are beautful and the ending is truly not what I expected at all, mind blowing stuff and very heartbreaking.
One of the best alien movies.
Throw great characters in a bowl with a strong and emotional plot and stellar editing (including a state of the art usage of the Kuleshov effect which sums up huge parts of the message in the beginning of the movie (w/o realising it @ the moment you see it)) and you will get Arrival, a science-fiction masterpiece!
Haters will hate, but I really liked this movie.
It's nothing like Independence day or anything I've ever seen before.
I really was surprised that the girl you see die in the beginning actually isn't born yet. That really messed with my mind!
la película es impresionantemente buena!
It wasn't bad, but kinda bored me, nothing much happened...
Shout by stormsmBlockedParent2016-11-12T07:42:24Z— updated 2023-07-07T22:18:02Z
If you're looking for an action and "turn brain off now" film, just don't watch it and spare us the 6-7 hearts review.
I for one, am very tired from 500$m crap like Indi Day and Marvel's poop. So I was very excited to watch this one.
This one is more like Spielberg's Encounters from the Third Kind. It's more about the characters in the film and the amazing journey they go through. It's mostly about the human behavior that will make you think.
While it's not an End of the World aliens movie like Battle: Los Angeles, it still offers great amount of military presence and plenty of stuff that's going on.
So if you actually want to care about an intelligent movie and use your head - go. Otherwise, go watch an X men.
Highly recommended for some audience 10/10.
2-feb-2017 edit: Just came out on Bluray and I saw it again. Definitely keeping my rating.
Watching again at July-2023, excited towards Dune II : Excellent. Excellent film. So called plot-holes listed here are negligible when the overall product is really thoughtful and masterfully crafted.