Arrival is a sci-fi drama starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forrest Whitaker. Helmed by talented director Denis Villenueve, Arrival tells the story of an alien invasion from the perspective of a linguistics expert, played by Adams, who is tasked with translating the alien's language to find out why they have come to earth in the first place. Arrival is a thought provoking and tense film with great writing and even better acting, primarily from Amy Adams. Villenueve's surefire direction coupled with lush cinematography makes Arrival a visually beautiful and mind-bending experience. If you are not afraid to be challenged and not subject to classic alien invasion tropes, then you will definitely enjoy this movie.
When large spherical "spaceships" land all across the planet in seemingly random areas, governments around the globe are struggling for answers and desperately try to reach diplomatic solutions and avoid war. But as some nations perceive peace offerings as threats, the need for mutual understanding becomes crucial to maintaining peace in the trying times. Louise Banks (Adams) is called upon by the US government to try and decipher the alien language and discover why the alien race arrived in the first place. Arrival is a very cerebral, brainy sci-fi movie that tackles dense and complicated themes. It isn't in the vein of Independence Day in that it is a showy action flick, but it is an entirely different movie filled with more subtlety and substance. This film is not remotely action packed or fast-paced. It is a slow burner that gnaws away at you long after you've left the theatre. It's beautifully written and lends to discussion about it's intricate plot and deep ideas about communication and the importance of language. Sweeping visuals and great acting make Arrival a must-see and one of the best movies of the year.
Arrival does suffer from slight pacing issues. While the slow build up ultimately makes the film more rewarding, there are times where the film meanders and could use some time shaved off to benefit the viewer's overall experience and extend attention spans. Jeremy Renner's character basically portrays the audience. He asks all the burning questions and acts amazed and baffled during the majority of the runtime. Renner is a very talented actor who has shown the scope of his acting chops in oscar-nominated turns such as The Town and The Hurt Locker, but here he adds little to the movie and is a character more like the lesser parts he's had recently like in The Avengers and Mission: Impossible movies. He's relegated to side-kick duty and it doesn't seem to suit him very well. Renner doesn't hurt the film in any way, but does not add a whole lot either, making him a neutral bystander at best.
Arrival is a very different and creative movie that is unlike any other alien invasion movie you will ever see. Lifted by a great lead performance by Amy Adams and fantastic direction by Denis Villenueve, Arrival thrives as a thought-provoking and suspenseful movie with great twists and turns.
A-