The Basics:
Who made it? Denis
Villeneuve (director), Eric Heisserer (screenplay), Ted Chiang (story) Bradford
Young (cinematographer)
Who’s in it? Amy
Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Abbott and Costello.
Synopsis:
When
mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, a linguist (Adams) is recruited by the military to assist in
translating alien communications. Trailer.
Wow,
oh wow. Arrival is one of those
movies that reminded me of why I enjoy movies so much in the first place. It’s
a “smart” sci-fi film, one that uses the genre to examine humanity. The core
theme, or idea, of Arrival is the
importance of communication. Unlike a typical alien invasion film, Arrival is all about the attempt to
prevent violence or fear through communication and understanding. Think about
that idea as it relates to real life at all and the message becomes pretty
clear: maybe the key to everyone getting along is to just stop and start
getting to know each other, an especially relevant message considering the
events of the past week (and really the entire span of humanity. We really like
fighting each other.)
Technically,
Arrival is a visually stunning film.
Villeneuve and Young work together to create some truly beautiful shots.
Seriously, between this and Sicario,
Villeneuve maybe the best when it comes to shooting sunrises/sets. They also
use the films color palettes (cool or warm colors) as a visual clue (there’s a
twist). Amy Adams delivers a performance that’s sure to create Oscar talk.
This
last bit may get a little out there, but bear with me: The feeling and mindset
I had walking out of the theater was unlike anything a film had given me before.
It was like a complete calmness, and present-ness, like I had just finished a
mindful meditation session (don’t knock it til ya try it). The aforementioned
twist towards the end presents a unique perspective on life, and one that celebrates
the seemingly ordinary, because when you think about it, there isn’t anything
ordinary about anyone’s life. Each one is unique and special in its own way. I
feel like a lot of movies end up making you feel like you need to accomplish a
big task, or do something ‘important,’ or whatever, to make your life
meaningful. That if you don’t, what’s the point. But Arrival makes you feel the opposite way. It just made me happy and
content with my life. Like it made me “stop and smell the roses.” It was dope.
Like I mentioned earlier, Arrival
reminded me of why I love movies so much, because they can do things like that.
Scene of the film: All of it (ok, ok, the big reveal/twist(see above))
Watch it if you like: sci-fi movies, alien invasion flicks, intelligent films,
just calming down and getting along, really pretty shots, puzzle movies
My Rating: 10/10
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