Harry Situation Reviews: Arrival
Here's a fun story about this movie. My family and I were originally going to see it last Thanksgiving but unfortunately there weren't enough available seats in the nearest theater we could attend to, so we just sat and drank in the bar. It's a damn shame because we all really wanted to see this movie, and now I feel half guilty having watched it without them present. Half anyways, so with the Academy Awards coming soon I figured I'd give my thoughts on this. Sorry, La La Land wasn't on Redbox yet.
Arrival is the Best Picture nominated science fiction film starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker. The film was directed by Denis Vileneuve, who has directed phenomenal films such as Prisoners and Sicario, and I heard he's tackling the sequel to Blade Runner set for release this year.
Based on the short story "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang, the story for Arrival is that UFO's have arrived and are placed in different locations around the globe. Unsure what the visitor's intentions are the US Army hires linguist Dr. Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams) and physicist Dr. Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner) to communicate with the aliens and translate their language. Tensions around the world escalate as time is essential to figure out why the aliens arrived. Is it peace or war?
All the good things you've likely heard about this movie are definitely true. This is one hell of an amazing movie. Major props to how the film was directed and written. I loved how director Denis Vileneuve was able to make even the most simplest of scenes so tense that you are not sure what will come next. The movie isn't just a science fiction film, it's also a mystery movie. You, the audience, are like the characters in the movie. You are not sure what the alien's motives are, and you too are trying to piece together what they are trying to state.
Speaking of which I gotta talk about the aliens in this movie. Visually the aliens and their craft look so good. We've seen a lot of looks for different aliens in many movies a dozen times over, but at least the aliens in this film are a little more original. The aliens are dubbed heptopods due to them resembling seven-legged squids, and their form of communication is cool too. They make these clicking sounds but they found an alternative means of speaking to the humans.
The cinematography was also great. Lots of good use of lighting and shadows.
All the stars do some damn good performances to, though it helps when you have a small cast. The main focus is on Adams, Renner, and Whitaker, and knowing them as incredible actors comes as no surprise that they deliver some great performances. I should also state that it was wise to send Amy Adams to communicate with the aliens. They must have known about her conversations with a particular alien from Metropolis.
If I had one nitpick is that your first time watching it you might be left confused as to what was going on. This film requires you to pay attention all the way through, and believe me, it is best that you do. At first I was confused on why they set things up the way they did throughout the move but then came this one part of the movie where they deliver a great explanation, which I will not spoiler here, and it all made sense. My mind was just blown away by that moment. I thought it was the most brilliant thing in cinema history. You have to check it out for yourself to know what I'm talking about.
If you want an idea of what Arrival is like imagine the last act of Close Encounters of the Third Kind was the entire movie and it never gets boring. Arrival is a fantastic movie and I highly recommend that you check it out when you can.
Positives: Negatives:
-Stellar direction -Might be confusing on 1st watch
-Incredible writing
-Great performances
-Good visuals
-Great cinematography
-Earned its award nominations
Final Grade: A
So that's my review of Arrival. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? If you could talk to an alien, what would you say? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back for more reviews here on Prose!
Best Quote:
Dr. Louise Banks: "Despite knowing the journey and where it leads... I embrace it. And I welcome every moment of it."