"Arrival" Review

Title: Arrival

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

Written by: Eric Heisserer

Year: 2016


Denis Villeneuve has certainly made an impact on cinema within the past few years. In 2013, he established himself internationally with his film Prisoners. And last year, Sicario was received favorably, receiving several awards. Can Arrival continue Villeneuve's recent success, or does it fail to reach its goal?

When a couple of alien spacecrafts land on Earth, the American government seeks out the leading researcher in language and linguistics. Her goal is to establish communication between the humans and the aliens, and find out what the purpose is behind their arrival.

Amy Adams leads the cast as Dr. Louise Banks, an esteemed linguist. Adams is one of the most versatile and talented actresses in the business, and she is terrific in this film. Adams brings with her a sense of curiosity and wit that instantly makes Louise a likable character. We learn of Louise's past through flashes that she experiences throughout the movie. These scenes add to her personality and form her into an even more compelling character. Jeremy Renner is very good, playing opposite Adams as Ian Donnelly, a theoretical physicist. Renner emanates his signature charm effectively and his traditional comedic delivery works well here. Unfortunately, his character is rather underused. He functions more as an emotional focal point for Louise. The film hardly accentuates his intelligence or his usefulness in this situation.

Forest Whitaker plays the military officer that is in charge of both Louise and Ian. Whitaker's quiet way of speaking and expressive acting mesh well together. His character is not portrayed as a bad person, but rather as someone who is just following orders. He has a job to do, and he will never deviate from his instructions. This sometimes conflicts with what Louise wants to do and produces some clever banter between the characters. One particular scene involving kangaroos sticks out.

The majority of the film is dedicated to the humans attempting to speak to the aliens. Do not walk into this film expecting a thrilling or tense experience. This movie is not riddled with extensive action sequences or massive explosions. The aliens do not try to take over the world or destroy anything. This is a thinking man's sci-fi flick. Arrival embraces intelligence and curiosity, wearing it like a badge of honor without showboating it. The movie inspires the audience to actually think; probing, questioning complicated themes and topics. It is rare to find a film nowadays that actually relies on the viewer to think for themselves, and Arrival does so spectacularly.

Given the way the film is structured, Arrival moves at a slow pace. The first 15 minutes are admittedly a bit too slow, lacking a sense of urgency that can later be flipped on its head. The pacing might actually make or break this movie for some people. But if you can get on board with the sluggish rate, you will be rewarded. The excitement in this movie comes from the small and incremental advancements in breaking the language barrier between the humans and the aliens. As a result, the movie is quietly gripping. It slowly draws you in with each session involving the aliens.

The language the aliens use to communicate is very inventive and innovative. This fictional dialect is so well thought-out. I will not give it away, as it actually is a spoiler, but I will say that it will change the way you think about things. Also brilliant is how Louise attempts to speak to the aliens, affectionately named Abbott and Costello. These scenes are awfully riveting and entirely engaging. This type of storytelling makes the audience crave knowledge and keeps them on the edge of their seat without resorting to big budget bombastics, which is hard to do.

But the main takeaway from this feature is the ending. Dear Lord, this conclusion is unbelievable. The film spends its runtime building up to it without your knowing it. This movie warrants repeat viewings simply because of the way it wraps up. The resolution changes how you view the picture as a whole. It more than teases the mind and shows what the sci-fi genre can accomplish when it is on top form. I will not hesitate to call the ending one of the best conclusions to a movie I have ever seen.

Villeneuve's direction is sure-handed and poised, never shying away from risking pacing for payoff. The way he films certain sequences is mesmerizing and oozes with style. I especially love his visualization of the interior of the alien space ship. It is a simple set but very effective in its use. However, I am not a fan of the muted tint he gives the film. He sucks out a great deal of the saturation for artistic purposes, which only works in certain segments. I think this effect is best utilized in the alien space ship and just outside of it. But the rest of the movie could have benefitted from a bit more color.

The score that accompanies the picture is very soft. Its sole purpose is to underscore the movie, emphasizing the emotional beats without getting in the way of what his happening on screen. On its own, the music is saddening and evocative. Coupled with the film, it is even more powerful and is especially well composed during the ending sequence.

Arrival is truly a one-of-a-kind film. As I mentioned earlier, it is a thinking-man's science fiction picture, placing faith in the audience to be patient and curious. The performances are great across the board, with Adams looking good for the award season; the plot is insanely intriguing; the way in which language is used is spellbinding; and the ending is one you will never forget. Though it has a bit of a slow start, Renner's character is a tad sidelined, and the colors are a little muted for my taste, Arrival is certainly one of the year's best and you deserve to treat yourself to this unique mental experience.

Grade: A