Arrival - movie review
Arrival
Plot: A linguist is recruited by the military to assist in translating alien communications.
Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: 12A (infrequent strong language)
Runtime: 1hr 56 mins
Release Date: Thursday 10th November 2016
I am a man of many genres. Comedies are always great for a good laugh. Action and thrillers can be a great and exciting time spent and of course, I am very partial to the superhero movies. However, what is easily my bread and butter when it comes to film genres, is science fiction. I'm not just talking about Star Wars and Trek (even though I unabashedly worship those films) but true sci-fi films involving exploration. For those that know me, I still categorically claim that Interstellar wasn't just the best film of 2014 but one of the best ever made. So now, two years later, Arrival arrives (see what I did there). With a very respectful director at the helm, a packed cast and intriguing premise, Arrival had all the ingredients for a great film. However, the end product was not great. Instead, Arrival is in fact, a masterpiece.
It's tough to say considering we're only at the start of this season but we may as well give Amy Adams her best actress nomination already. Whether she'd win, it's too early to call but it would be a travesty if she isn't even considered. Adams plays Louise Banks, a professor in languages who, to say the least, has had a bit of a turbulent life. However, what she excels in is that she is an expert in pretty much any language and the fact that she has worked alongside the government before, makes her the best person to make first contact when twelve shell shaped spacecrafts land across Earth. If you haven't been convinced that Amy Adams is a fantastic actress, then Arrival will prove that tenfold. In many films in which an actor is tipped to win an Oscar, there are specific scenes that are clearly included for the sole purpose of showing off how good the actor is to push for the award rather than serving the story. Sometime it can work well (Leonardo DiCaprio's Quaaludes scene in The Wolf Of Wall Street) or it seems incredibly forced (Cate Blanchett's emotional outbursts in Blue Jasmine). Amy Adams does neither of those. In fact, she gives a very understated and professional performance. Unlikely though it may be, if aliens were to arrive on Earth then I could buy her character and performance being the one to make peace and not incite war. Above all else, it's brilliant to see how clever her character is. There isn't a big exposition dump scene because as she learns the new advancements, so do we, and it's up to us whether we can pay attention and follow along or get completely lost. As much as the aliens are advertised though, Arrival is truly a character piece about Dr. Louise Banks and after some revelations are made about her, you will re-watch this film in a completely different light. Also, seeing as Adams gets an honourary Oscar nomination from moi, let's give Jeremy Renner one too because he does an absolutely brilliant job. Most critics are only talking about Adams' performance but Renner is practically on the same level as her. There was the possibility that he could have been pointless and only included for Amy Adams to explain things to but his inclusion made sense to both the immediate crisis and the bigger picture. Renner also brings that edge of humanity to the film. Louise Banks is an intriguing character but, avoiding spoilers, it's tough to personally imagine what she's going through. The government and army are also pretty basically developed so Renner is the character we immediately side with because of his relatable personality. Completing the trio is Forest Whitaker with a typical Army general-type role but kudos for just giving it his all. His character isn't given much development but then the film isn't asking for it but apart from a questionable accent that seemed to be from variable U.S. states, Whitaker comes across as a legitimate soldier.
FACT: 'Story Of Your Life' was the original title (named after the novel it's based on) but was changed to Arrival after test audiences didn't like the name.
Denis Villeneuve. Remember this name. For the love of God, believe me when I say that in ten years time, he will be the new Spielberg. And when people are saying this, direct them here because I called it first. I am yet to see Prisoners and Incendies but having seen Enemy and Sicario, Villeneuve is on his way to legendary status. What I love about his work is that he taps into various genres. Enemy looked very much like a psychological thriller but what it was, was a drama with a sprinkling of a psychological thriller. Sicario looked as if it was going to be a gritty crime film but instead, it was a drama with a dash of crime. The same goes for Arrival. If you were to look at the poster and trailers, you'd easily think this was a straight up sci-fi film. Whilst you aren't exactly wrong, Arrival falls in suit with Villeneuve's past work as a drama with elements of sci-fi. So what I would say to you, is that if you're expecting high-octane thrills with grandiose action scenes, think differently. It's a slow burn but done incredibly well. It swaps guns for brains and action for detailed and complex plot. Like I explained with Amy Adams's character, this is her film over the aliens. We follow her from start to finish and, in the best possible way, the aliens are treated as more of an afterthought with the primary focus being on how to develop Louise Banks.
Now, I hate to be that guy who finds all the deeper meanings (even when there aren't any) or only talks about the social and contextual themes because that will just send you to sleep, but when you watch Arrival, you'll know exactly what I mean when I say that it is such a thought-provoking experience. As the credits began to roll, I did that clichéd thing of just sitting in my seat trying to process what I watched. This movie hit me in such a way that I had to really think about it before I even began to write this review. With themes ranging from tragedy to world unity, Arrival actually provides a positive outlook on life itself whilst at the same time, revealing how divided we are as a planet. There isn't just a focus on one country but through Villeneuve's masterful direction and the script by Eric Heisserer, we bare witness to finally seeing countries band together in this time of need. Another thing that I also adore, very similar to Interstellar is that the film respects its audience. More often than not, when a film is as cerebral as experimental science fiction, the audience are treated like idiots with everything having to be explained and force-fed to them like they need to be on a one-way trip to Switzerland. What Arrival and Interstellar do differently is give the relevant information but it's up to audience to pay close attention and listen very carefully. The film demands your undivided eyesight otherwise you will be lost and like falling asleep in a physics lecture and waking up halfway through, you'll be trapped in a confusing spiral of madness. My only (and I do mean only) slight nitpick I have with Arrival is that it is such a serious film and so grounded in reality, that to alleviate it slightly, a pinch of humour wouldn't go amiss. I'm not saying I wanted to cry laughing but just a couple of jokes would have been nice.
Right then, time to get technical. Firstly, like all of Villeneuve's films, Arrival is gorgeous. He's usually teamed up with Roger Deakins but this time, young newcomer Bradford Young is in charge of cinematography and it looks stunning. It's full to the brim of beautiful shots but the most breathtaking of them all is when we first see The Shell. It's a long continuous shot of the sky line as the clouds float down from the hills as we edge towards the alien craft. I honestly saw that sequence and my jaw dropped a little. The beautifulness of Arrival is also due to the very good and quite unnoticeable visual effects. The Shell could be mistaken for a model filmed with camera trickery and the actual look of the aliens are new, fresh and inventive. That's what makes Arrival one of my favourite films of this year. Nothing feels generic. There are elements that you can tell it's taken inspiration from but the scenes in which Adams and Renner are trying to communicate with the aliens are totally captivating. Because of them, I want to learn Heptapod. Finally, the score. Frequent collaborator Jóhan Jóhansson pens the soundtrack and it's so haunting. Like the film, it's slow and methodical but has some absolute standout beats that I know I'll download onto my phone.
Arrival transcends all of my expectations. If 'thinking man's sci-fi" is your niche, then ensure that you see this. For me, Arrival easily slots into my top films of the year as well as becoming one of the best science fiction films ever made. Brilliantly acted, beautifully shot and an absolute mind blowing cinematic experience, believe me and all the buzz this film is getting.
My Verdict: 9.5/10
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