Arrival (2016)

[baumer]

Discuss

[DeeCee]

It's actually just "Arrival".

 

@Baumer liked Blair Witch

Edited November 11, 2016 by DeeCee

[La Binoche]

ARRIVAL is a beautiful film, at once cerebral and deeply emotional. It's somber and deliberately paced, like a movie from the '70s. It takes its time as it slowly, confidently builds toward unlocking the big mystery of what the aliens want and the intimate mystery of who Amy Adams is. But above all it is a movie about ideas, grand ideas that I won't spoil but which are delivered through a very human lens. The twist ending makes you look at the entire movie in a different light and takes your breath away. Dennis Villeneuve is 3 for 3 with his foray into studio filmmaking and the great Amy Adams carries the movie with what may be her best performance yet. 

 

I have a few gripes (not crazy about the alien designs, the scene where Adams goes up alone to talk to the lone alien, or how the reveal of what the aliens want is quickly glossed over) about an otherwise sad, thought-provoking, intelligent and moving film. 

 

Not sure how the general audience will respond to what can best be described as CONTACT meets CLOSE ENCOUNTERS meets THE TREE OF LIFE. 

 

A-

Edited November 11, 2016 by La Binoche

[La Binoche]

But can someone explain why the (gorgeous) score is literally a copy of the music in this video? 

 

 

 

[Kvikk Lunsj]

Easily one of the best films of the year. Wonderfully acting! Amy Adams is great in this. The film was a wonderful message.

[lilmac]

Poor man's Interstellar (which isn't a bad thing).

 

I give it a B

 

I thought Arrival was a bit overrated given what at the time was a 100% RT rating. What dragged the film down were the drawn out family scenes (controlling for their significance to the story) and a couple of the characters were archetypal (the 2 renegade soldiers, obnoxious CIA liaison). 

 

Where it excelled was in the big reveal as well as the creative interactions with the aliens. I also thought the science was well done and the interplay among nations realistic. I particularly enjoyed working through the language barrier with Amy Adams' character. Smart writing. 

 

Overall a good Fall getaway and I would recommend it to those who enjoy smart sci-fi. 

 

 

[IronJimbo]

A! Great film.

 

On 11/11/2016 at 7:28 AM, La Binoche said:

 

 

 

 

[filmlover]

This was pretty astounding. The comparisons to Contact are spot-on. This is an alien invasion film that generates tension without taking the Independence Day/War of the Worlds approach. Dennis Villeneuve is quickly becoming one of the most exciting and unique directors of today: I loved Prisoners and Sicario, but this is his best yet and sets the stage wonderfully for Blade Runner 2049. The technical credits (including another memorable score from Johann Johannsson) are aces across the board. But Arrival wouldn't be what it is without the phenomenal lead performance from Amy Adams at its center. Adams is rightfully considered one of the best actresses currently in the business and her work here will only reinforce that notion. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker also provide strong performances despite having much less to do than Adams. I feel like I will appreciate this even more upon repeat viewings. A

[Water Bottle]

It's good, has a surprising time theme, doesn't actually say anything about time.

 

B

[The Panda]

On November 12, 2016 at 10:16 PM, Water Bottle said:

It's good, has a surprising time theme, doesn't actually say anything about time.

 

B

 

I don't think it was actually trying to say anything about time.  I thought it was a plot device to drive home the theme of communication.

 

So much of the film is based on the framework of how people perceive the world, and thus communicate.  How people with different mental frameworks trying to communicate leads misunderstanding.  How communicating is more than just sentences in grammar, but it's using empathy and changing your own personal mental framework in order to understand where another is coming from.

 

I think that was the point of the time plot in the movie.  It is structured to make you initially think of it being a flashback, because that's how your mental framework is.  The movie miscommunicates to you, to lead you to a false conclusion, until near the end where it reveals the time twist.  When this is revealed, your mental framework changes and you receive the message the movie was intending to send at the beginning.  Hence, even the structure of the film itself is used to drive forward the thought of a lack of human communication and pursuit to understand each other is what dooms humanity.

 

Onto some more of my thoughts:

 

This movie moved me.  I was in a rough spot from this week, stuck in a rut of wondering how the current situation in the US happened.  The movie didn't answer my question per say, but it gave me comfort by challenging me.

 

A world in disarray can only be brought back into a unified stability through an open and honest dialogue between people.  We make so many assumptions, take in so many inferences, draw too many conclusions, but we don't sit down and honestly try to talk and understand each other.  

 

Arrival is a somber film that leaves you with a sense of hope, but more importantly it tries to guide you to a truth.  Arrival is a mirror to a fundamental flaw in human society, a flaw that has led humanity to so much violence.  Language and how we talk to one another is how our differences are formed, and the only way to settle them.

 

Humans have tried to settle this lack of understanding, and the fear it causes, with violence, with panic, with rushed conclusions.  We'd take every option, and take so much for granted, that we skip over the talking part (or spending time to see if the two people having a conversation are even using the same road map, the same framework).

 

Arrival was sci-fi, exactly how sci-fi is meant to be.  It critiques humanity, and offers hope.

 

A

Edited November 26, 2016 by ThePanda A Star Wars Story

[The Stingray]

Beautiful, moving, ethereal and thought-provoking. As far as best first contact movies go it gives Close Encounters a run its money.
 

[4815162342]

I thought the time loop plot device with General Shang was lazily done and poorly executed. And the actual conversation between Louise and Shang that actually saves the day is all background noise.

 

Felt like the time loop non-linear experience bit undermined the narrative of crossing barriers (political, social, cultural, etc) and working together to overcome distrust and uncertainty, since in the end a time loop ex machina tells Louise exactly what to say to convince Shang in about 15 seconds.

 

 

Other than that, I really dug the movie.

[grim22]

2 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

I thought the time loop plot device with General Shang was lazily done and poorly executed. And the actual conversation between Louise and Shang that actually saves the day is all background noise.

 

Felt like the time loop non-linear experience bit undermined the narrative of crossing barriers (political, social, cultural, etc) and working together to overcome distrust and uncertainty, since in the end a time loop ex machina tells Louise exactly what to say to convince Shang in about 15 seconds.

 

 

Other than that, I really dug the movie.

 

 

Yeah, Louise pretty much turns into Doctor Manhattan in the end. Kind of guessed that twist early. The world saving conversation was completely unintelligible in a movie about language and communication.

 

Amy Adams was awesome in the movie, Jeremy Renner was fine. I liked the pace of the movie, you get the sense there is a whole world on edge but the actual people we are with are given more time and room to breathe. The alien design was somewhat underwhelming but I guess there is only so much you can do with alien designs anymore.

[aabattery]

I really loved it. An excellent adaption of the short story. Denis continues his hot streak, and I think it bodes well for Blade Runner 2. My only issue were some of Renner's lines being a bit cheesy but not enough to drag the movie down for me.

 

A

Edited November 14, 2016 by AABATTERY

[eXtacy]

Pretty great movie that faltered in the last 15 minutes for me. Just did not like the ending all too much but sure kept me captivated until then.

 

B

[bapi]

So Arrival was good. It's not a masterpiece or Villeneuve's best movie or so but it's still very, very good.

 

8/10

[Avatree]

enjoyable nonsense

B

 

 

Edited November 15, 2016 by Treecraft

[FilmBuff]

Please pardon my poorly written review. After watching the movie I needed some 'time' to process my thoughts on such a though-provoking film.

 

Cons

 

I'll start of by saying this film did not have a lot of negatives, if any at all. One of my small quibbles has to do with the character of Jeremy Renner. He didn't add a lot to this film IMO. His character just seemed like he was added as a plot device to add drama to the film. I get it his character was how 'most people' would respond to an alien invasion, but his character could've been completely left out, and I wouldn't have noticed. Also, most of the characters just fell flat compared to Amy Adams. Can't really fault the film for this, b/c this is the Amy Adam's vehicle. She gave such a strong performance, all the other characters were just 'there." More on her in a bit.

 

Pacing. Movie is a little slow in the first act, but the plus side is you get some much needed world developing and character leading up to the third act. Also, some of the more dramatic moments felt a little forced.

 

Pros

 

The whole idea of time-warp really paid off for me. The third act brought tears to my eyes. I really liked the central message of the world being in disarray, and having to band together struck a cord with me. I'm really a huge fan of Sci-Fiction films, but I understand some people are going to be turned off by the Interstellar-like 3rd act, but I felt it was executed much much better than Interstellar. The main theme of Interstellar was the main character trying to get back home to his daughter, he accomplished this mission, but left about 30 minutes afterwards to find Anne Hathaway's character. Felt really abrupt and rushed. The ideas of 'time' in this movie was intriguing to me. 

 

There was some gorgeous cinematography and camera work in this film. The camera work was amazing. Probably see a best cinematography nomination at the Oscars. With a shoe-string budget, they definitely did the best they could. The direction was also top notch. The movie had an overarching sense of dread and mystery to it, but also one of excitement. Hope we get a best director nomination for this film, but academy might be turned of the absurdity of the film.

 

Amy Adams is fantastic as always. Like I said in another thread, I'm campaigning for her to win an overdue academy award. Like Leo, she is one of the best actresses in Hollywood, and it is time the academy recognizes her work. Her character is given a lot of depth, and her character arc coming to a close in the 3rd arc was outstanding.  She brings it in this film. Most of the other characters were disposable. Forest Whitaker was probably the best of the supporting characters. Didn't like the character of Jeremy Renner.

 

In close, I really loved this film. It's probably in my top 5 movies of the year, and maybe even in my top 2(other being 10CFL). The first two acts were B+/A- ish, but the third act was A+++. Originally gave it an A+, and I'm sticking with that.

 

A+

Edited November 15, 2016 by FilmBuff

[Blankments]

Arrival really works. Villeneuve has been a rising director that has intrigued me, but never really made a truly fantastic film until now. The twisty plot is constantly compelling, and for once, grounded in an actual emotional story. The other two films of Villeneuve I've seen are cold, methodical movies; this is a warm piece of cinema, thanks to the strongest script Villeneuve has directed yet, along with a new sense of scope for his directing style to sink into.

 

But enough about Villeneuve; it'd be a shame not to talk about Arrival's cast. Mainly, Amy Adams gives one of her best performances yet. She takes an impossible experience, and allows the audience to experience it alongside her with her monumental sinking into her character. It's powerful, and one of the best aspects of an already great film. Renner is a likable presence too, and the few points where he has more to work with, he delivers absolutely phenomenal acting. The film is pretty much a two person show, but that's fine, really.

 

Technically, the film is at the top of its game. The visual effects are very good, and Johan Johansson's score is the first time he's really impressed this reviewer. It's ethereal and haunting in an elegant manner that also has its own unique flavor. Also, one might've been worried without Roger Deakins for cinematography, but Bradford Young more than delivers a beautiful film; there are plenty of iconic shots in this to go around.

 

There's a lot to talk about in-depth for Arrival, but it'd be best for audiences to just go out and discover it for themselves. Arrival is one of the best science fiction films in years, with fantastic direction, a really magical script, and an incredibly strong central performance. This film must not be missed. A

[Ezen Baklattan]

Absolutely incredible. A sci-fi that blends truly thought-provoking and contemplative messages without giving easy answers, while doing enough to stir a truly vivid emotional response and inspiring hope and unity for the future. A magical dream of a movie.

 

Adams also kills it.