Arrival
Disclaimer: Spoilers. Kind of. I think. They’re not really spoiler spoilers because they don’t give away much. I sort of allude to stuff. You know what this ain’t my struggle; I’ve seen the film already, you should too.
Cast
Amy Adams – Dr. Louise Banks
Jeremy Renner – Ian Donnelly
Forrest Whitaker – Colonel Webber
Plot
Arrival is an adaptation of the novel Stories of Your Life and Others and it tells the story of an alien invasion unlike any we’ve ever known. When heptapods land around the world in giant sickle-shaped ships, the wolrd is left wondering what they want? And are they a threat? The problem is, the heptapods don’t speak any verbal language – they communicate in ink messages that look more like coffee stains than anything else. Fortunately, Dr Louise Banks is a language expert tasked with decoding and communicating with these beings in order to understand their intentions. In the end, the film is equal parts drama and sci-fi but don’t expect the typical conventions of an alien invasion narrative because it’s more than that.
Loves
- Conceptually it’s brilliant. There’s a wonderful twist to the film that makes it all the more impactful and clever. The scriptwriter did an awesome job at capturing this complex story so effectively.
- Amy Adams was wonderful, I must confess I haven’t seen a lot of her films but of the few I have, this is certainly the most captivating performance that demonstrates her real talent.
- Denis Villeneuve did an excellent job at directing this film; his way of visual storytelling fit the film perfectly. As a result, the film felt like more than a science fiction, it felt like a human story.
Loathes
Like everything, there is one fatal flaw in this film. There’s a cringy line that Ian Donnelly says towards the end but the rest holds up so well it has to be forgiven.
Rating: 
.5
Favourite line:
We’re so bound by time, by its order. But now I am not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings.
