“Arrival” Movie Review

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of “Arrival” for a while now, and the reason for that is Denis Villeneuve. Though I have only seen “Prisoners” and “Sicario” (which features one of the most suspenseful scenes I have seen in recent cinema), both movies are ample proof of Villeneuve’s mastery over his craft. And he does not disappoint with “Arrival”, which is arguably his most accomplished work yet. He manages to deliver a brilliant sci-fi movie experience, which doesn’t need mind numbing CGI and explosions to work – the movie challenges the audience’s intelligence rather than insulting it.

When alien spaceships arrive in twelve different locations around the world, one among them being Montana, the military commissions a team led by theoretical physicist Dr Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) and expert linguist Dr Louise Banks to establish communication with the aliens and find out why they are here. The movie focuses on the efforts of Dr Louise and the team to find a way to communicate with the aliens and understand if they are peaceful or dangerous, even as the world looks at the situation with suspicion and hostility and tensions are high leading to civil unrest.

Despite its unhurried pace, “Arrival” never feels boring – I was completely engrossed in the proceedings from the get go. This is primarily because Villeneuve is so good with atmospherics, something he demonstrated in both “Prisoners” and “Sicario”. He creates a moody yet tense atmosphere, which complements the script and screenplay. In fact, I was so caught up in the movie that I was on the edge of the seat for pretty much the entire duration; despite the treatment being deliberate and detailed (I wouldn’t say slow). Special mention to the background score by Johann Johannsson, which plays a large part in asserting the tense mood (I was reminded of Sicario’s background score “The Beast”, which was also composed by him). I was also particularly impressed by the details in even some of the dialogues in the movie, which make so much sense once the story reaches its conclusion. I was not fully convinced with the editing, but it makes sense by the time the credits roll.

Like “Sicario”, the movie has a female protagonist whose character is very well fleshed out and has the viewer invested in her story. And like Emily Blunt, Amy Adams does full justice to the part. She delivers a deeply affecting performance, and really brings out the emotional aspect of this movie. She pretty much carries the movie, but is ably supported by the remaining cast.

After watching the movie, I found that it shared a lot of positives with Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar”. Though hardly similar, both movies are sci-fi at its best, where the focus is not on dazzling effects but in the story and the heady themes and concepts it covers – but the visuals are also done well to give the viewer a sense of awe. Both movies also get the viewers talking and discussing the movie after watching it. But, more importantly; at the core, both are deeply emotional movies. And this works to the advantage of both movies.

For fans of intelligent cinema and/or sci-fi fans, “Arrival” is a must watch – this one may even end up becoming a sci-fi classic. Don’t miss it.

P.S. I’d love to discuss the movie and its themes (and especially the ending) with those who have seen it, so hit me up once you catch the movie.