Where does one start with a film like Arrival?
Aside from this is something that you have to watch. Emphatically, I urge you to watch this if you haven't yet.
I've mentioned many times in the past that I'm a blockbuster film type of viewer. This means I'm more likely to look forward to the summer film season compared to the fall/winter fare that features award show contenders. But that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate those films... they just tend to take up more energy and you can always expect that there will be titles that won't give you a happy ending. And when you have little viewing time courtesy of motherhood, a film that could end on an emotionally exhausting note isn't appealing. Every once in a while, though, one of those films would pique my interest and I'd mentally prepare myself for a viewing. And in the case of Arrival, there's sci-fi involved... so, here I am.
Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a top linguist, the film opening on her life with her daughter, who eventually dies of cancer. While working at a university, Louise and the rest of the world receive news that twelve alien spacecraft arrived on different parts of the planet, causing panic on a global scale. Louise is recruited, along with theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), by Colonel GT Weber (Forest Whitaker) to head a team to determine how to communicate with the aliens and find out their intentions. The two learn that every country where a spacecraft has landed is making their own efforts in communication. But not everyone is optimistic that the aliens come in peace, especially China's General Shang (Tzi Ma), who is taking a more aggressive approach in dealing with them.
Based on the award winning short story "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang, Arrival tackles the themes of our use of language and understanding of time. While I enjoy sci-fi immensely, there are times when I do feel that the science goes over my head, but Arrival and its storytelling is masterfully handled by director Dennis Villenueve. He ensures that we are able to keep up with the linguistics through Louise, who serves as the film's narrator, as she explains how she would understand a completely new language. While still technical in approach, the intricacies of learning a new language and establishing proper communication with extraterrestrials managed to be interesting and entertaining.
And in learning the alien's language, Louise also discovers that the symbols they use to communicate are tied with time itself, with the aliens believing that time is non-linear. This particular belief is carried over on the film's narration, with the present storyline of communicating with the aliens interspersed with Louise's memories of her time with her daughter. But the further you go into the story, the more you realize that the actual presentation of the order of scenes is something that directly correlates with Louise's experience with the aliens and how she might be able to finally learn what they are in Earth for.
Arrival has a very small cast, keeping our focus on a few characters, and they are all the film needs. It's easy to populate a sci-fi film with people, especially if you want to make the audiences feel that the impact of aliens is immensely huge, but ensuring that we are focused on Louise, and, to some extent, Ian, is a more effective approach in driving home the film's themes. And the cast assembled is superb, with Amy Adams giving Louise a world-weariness she tempers with a work ethic that is equal to her brilliance in her field. Jeremy Renner's Ian is witty and warm, but still making sure that we are on board with the idea that his character is a brilliant physicist. And the two establish an on-screen chemistry that make their teamwork on the project believable, and the easy camaraderie they establish is a joy to watch.
This is a quieter sort of sci-fi film... one that doesn't rely on flashy scenes (though the sight of hovering alien crafts is impressive) to make itself entertaining. There are plenty of conversations and steeped in science at that, but you never feel like you're drowning in dialogue or that they don't care if you can keep up with whatever they're talking about. The mood setting is excellent, with starkly quiet scenes balanced with moving musical score peppered in just the right moments. Director Dennis Villenueve took a short story about aliens coming to visit and ran away with it with the right ingredients to create a masterful film that you can't help but think about long after the credits have rolled. There is great balance in Arrival, in making you think, in entertaining, and making you feel all the right emotions (even when they want to make you ugly cry) at the same time, and we all know that there aren't a lot of films that can achieve that balance.
So, please, watch Arrival. Also, as I've told my friends.... Nerdy Jeremy Renner is the best kind of Jeremy Renner.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Arrival, Drama, Film, Must-Watch, Sci-fi
