Based on a short story by Ted Chiang, "Arrival" is
a peculiar tale of alien contact. It is an intelligent science-fiction film
with a strong central idea and theme that plays throughout brilliantly. Amy
Adams stars as a linguistics professor and we see her early on in the film teaching
her class. When a number of alien craft appear, hovering just off the surface
of the earth, she is called upon to help with efforts to communicate with these
aliens. She meets with a physicist, played by Jeremy Renner, and together they
head to the craft to attempt to establish a means of communication. The film
deals with the idea of understanding and language, and we see this playing out
not only between the aliens and humans but between the humans themselves as the
military and scientific mindsets clash. Everything is understood through the
prism of experience or role, so the captain of the army sees all the alien
messages as a threat, while the scientists try to understand what they are
saying.
It is hard to talk too much about the film without giving
away major plot spoilers. Needless to say this is a film that you should watch
if you are a fan of science-fiction and in particular ideas driven stories. The
way that the whole film ties together is impressive and it has serious focus.
There is very little in the narrative that doesn't serve some purpose. A small
cast of characters likewise help to focus your mind on what is important. The
cinematography and score do a wonderful job of building this world that is
essentially present day earth. The alien's unique style of language, an
important part of the whole film, was interesting and the acting was fantastic.
Definitely one to check out if you haven't already.
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