Arrival Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

Arrival

So, at long last, Denis Villeneuve's latest film is here. Arrival is a science fiction film about an expert linguist who is brought on by the government to translate an alien language to create communication between humans and the aliens. The film stars Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whittaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Tzi Ma, Abihail Pniowsky, and Mark O'Brien. It's directed by Denis Villeneuve, and was written by Eric Hesserer.

Up until seeing this movie, I wasn't entirely sure about Amy Adams. She's turned out some good performances in the past, but so-far hadn't done anything to really impress me. And all that changed as soon as I saw Arrival. Amy Adams delivers an absolutely impeccable, career changing performance in this film, it's without a doubt the best performance she's given that I've seen. Her character is one of the most emotionally complex and subtle ones I've seen all year, so to say she plays the role perfectly is no small achievement. I'm hoping that - between this and Nocturnal Animals, she gets some Oscar attention this year, because she 100% deserves it.

Denis Villeneuve has shown time and time again that he is a masterclass at harrowing stories focused on very realistic characters, but here his talents as a director are shown in full force. Despite my love for his previous outstanding films, I have no doubt that Arrival is his absolute best work yet. With Arrival, he has crafted a cerebral and intelligently told story, one that never oversteps its bounds and knows exactly what its doing. This is one of the most beautifully and meticulously crafted works of art I have seen in a very long time. Where many other films fill emotional moments with loud, overbearing music, this film loves to let a quiet moment simply be a quiet moment, and allow the audience to think for themselves. It's a rare quality, especially in a film like this, and it's more than worth celebrating.

One thing I loved about the story of this film was a very simple aspect, which was that I genuinely did not know how the story was going to progress. I'm not talking about the usual thing with movies where one big twist flips everything on its side, I'm saying this film created a genuine sense of not knowing. Scene to scene, I didn't know what was going to happen next, and even though this movie doesn't have any action sequence, I was excited, I was enthralled. Without a single bombastic action scene or crazy wild confusing plotlines left and right, but with fascinating concepts and beautiful minimalism, this movie had me captivated from start to finish.

And all of that would be good and well, a solid 4.5/5 in any other movie, however Arrival does something different, something very special and very unique that simply can't be ignored. Despite its plot being about first contact, aliens, and the governments of the world, it remained surprisingly focused on telling a simple, and very personal story about the protagonist. It's very difficult to describe, it's one of the reasons I'm giving this film my highest recommendation possible, to ensure as many people as I can convince go see this one of a kind movie.

Final Rating

Not only is Arrival my favorite Denis Villeneuve film, it's hands down my favorite film of 2016. And with only a few more upcoming movies left this year being of high interest for me, I seriously doubt that's going to change. Denis Villeneuve has crafted a truly special movie, one that left me with an insatiable urge to go see it a second time. It's a cerebral, intelligent, and thoughtfully crafted masterpiece, one that I think will bring something special for everyone who watches it. Do yourself a huge favor, go see Arrival as soon as you possibly can. It's a truly one of a kind experience, a work of art deserving of all the attention and praise it can possibly get.