MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Sci-Fi Drama/Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O’Brien, Tzi Ma, Abigail Pniowsky, Julia Scarlett Dan, Jadyn Malone/Runtime: 116 minutes
Among the various subgenres of that iconic genre in the land of cinema known as sci-fi, I think it can safely be said that there is at the very least one that is more distinct than the others. That being the subgenre that chooses to place its concentration more on subject matter that is a bit more down to Earth and even, dare I say, relatable than some of the otherworldly components it is working with might suggest. Perhaps the best-known example of this subgenre is Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. A stunning film that might take us as an audience on a journey through the cosmos and beyond, but at its core is also a film that is striving to say something about the evolution of humanity as a species (thanks big imposing monolith). Along with that example however can be found others such as Jurassic Park which uses a theme park of rampaging dinos to educate us on the perils that could come about as a result of our inherent hubris to say nothing of not thinking before we act and Blade Runner which asks some serious questions about the nature of humanity and what it means to be a person all the way to 1997’s Contact which presents its own take on the long-standing debate of science vs. faith and even the Terminator franchise which says “you know maybe having artificial intelligence run everything might not be the best idea”. All jokes aside though dear reader, I think it can also be said that the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2016’s Arrival, is yet another example of this distinct subgenre of movie magic in action. Yes I will always feel that perhaps the best three films that deal with first contact with an intelligent extraterrestrial species are 1982’s The Thing, 1982’s E.T., and (of course) 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but I think this slice of cinema most assuredly should be viewed as a welcome member to that pantheon as well. Yet even though this film does manage to possess the typical beats for that kind of film right down to chaotic news broadcasts aplenty and moments that will leave your mouth on the floor, this is also a slice of cinema that is more content at taking us beyond those and instead giving us something else entirely. That being that, in the great tradition of intelligent sci-fi cinema, such intriguing concept hooks to ponder like how we as individuals to say nothing of as a species handle such emotions as anxiety, hesitancy, and fear, but also a look at such things as hope and even striving to be better. Not just as individuals, but as a species as well. Suffice it to say that I know there will be someone who find these concepts a bit too weighty to handle, but for those of you who are willing to try and do so I promise that you will find this film, complete with phenomenal work on both sides of the camera, truly is a cinematic odyssey unlike any other and a definitive must-see in every sense of the word.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a 1998 short story entitled “Story of Your Life” by noted sci-fi writer Ted Chiang, Arrival gets its riveting narrative underway by taking us to our version of our world that, in many respects, is practically identical to our own. That is with one key exception of course. That being that, last time I checked anyway, the world didn’t all of a sudden have at least a dozen enigmatic vessels from another planet decide to pay us a visit. At any rate, we see that when one of these spacecrafts decides to place itself in the middle of Montana (to inquire about when more Yellowstone will begin airing no doubt) that time-honored organization known as the military, through an Army Colonel by the name of Weber, reaches out to our main character on this cinematic journey, a college professor in the field of linguistics named Louise Banks, to see if she will aid them on a very important mission. That being to attempt any means necessary to decipher what kind of language our new found extraterrestrial neighbors operate with and, upon learning that, try to beginning the process of communicating with them to see if they are here with nice intentions….or if they are here to completely and utterly annihilate all of humanity as we know it. Thus, with the assistance of a fairly skilled in his own right to say nothing of fairly affable physicist named Ian Donnelly, we see that Louise starts to begin having fairly often interaction with at least a pair of our alien pals and starts to slowly but surely figure out their language fairly well. However, with other countries in the world starting to see the aliens as less friend and more foe to say nothing of the higher-ups within our own government getting quite impatient in this search for answers we see that it isn’t long before some of those other aforementioned countries begin to take steps that swiftly turn what started out as a historical moment of peace for all mankind and make it start looking more and more like the first steps toward the world heading into yet another truly destructive conflict with each other. Thus can our intrepid scientist duo beat the clock and figure out the true intentions of our newfound alien chums or is our world once again destined for deadly conflict? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader……
Now right off the ol’ saucer, it should be noted that the work done behind the camera on this particular cinematic outing is nothing short of incredible. This starts with the wonderful work from iconic director Denis Villeneuve at the helm. Indeed ever since the taut and riveting movie Prisoners back in 2013, Villeneuve has long shown a skill for immersing himself into the material he is working on to say nothing of, even more remarkably, transforming his artistic flair to aid the narrative with a rather diligent perspective. With that being said though, there’s also no denying that Villeneuve’s manner of regaling an audience with a particular narrative is done in such a way that is not just unbelievably tense, but for some you are going to be quite irritated with it and for everyone else it will leave you absolutely floored. However, even through this rather deliberate method to his directorial madness in play, it should be pointed out that Villeneuve’s directorial style is most assuredly spot-on for this kind of film. Indeed not only does Villeneuve bring a style to this film that is genuinely second to none, but we also see that he does a brilliant job at ensuring that the previously touched on tension never ever fully evaporates even in the low-key moments. A feat he pulls off incredibly well due to both a consistent vibe of apprehension to say nothing of an unearthly and quite foreboding feeling throughout the entirety of the film. Along with that, we see that Villeneuve is able to merge his panache for beautiful images wonderfully here with work from the cinematography department especially in regard to their utilization for immersive shadows as well as organic light. Besides that, we also see that another key element that aids the overall viewing experience would have to be the quite graceful yet offbeat musical accompaniment from Jóhann Jóhannsson. I mean not only is it equal parts unnerving and elegant, but it also manages to pull of a brilliant utilization of the genuinely potent “On the Nature of Daylight” which, upon seeing the film, I can most assuredly say fits this film to a t. Indeed if there are any real issues I have with the work done behind the camera on this slice of cinema, it would have to be mostly in a pair of rather…odd decisions that were made from a visual perspective. The first is when we see our main heroine enter the spaceship which should be a riveting moment….only to then be taken out of the moment entirely due to the CGI conjured up sense of zero gravity leaving her hair resembling cartoon worms doing the tango. Along with that, it should be noted that whilst there are some aspects of the cinematography that I enjoyed, as previously mentioned, I also feel that there are an unnecessarily high number of close-up shots to be found here. Yes I have no doubt in my mind that this was to reinforce the deeper narrative components in contrast to the global scope at the heart of the narrative. Even so though, I can’t help but ponder if this was just Villeneuve and his team’s way of ensuring this story could still be enjoyed if you chose to watch it on your cellular device rather than just on the biggest screen you could find. Even with those issues in mind however, there is no denying the level of magnificence on display here by the team behind the camera on this film.
Of course, the other big component that definitely helps keep this otherworldly saga stay as grounded as it wants to be would undoubtedly have to be the work done by the cast of players in front of the camera as well. This starts with, in the lead role, the immensely talented Amy Adams and honestly I think this is one of her best performances to date. Indeed Adams has long been an actress whose skill and immense talent have, be it in fare from 2011’s The Muppets all the way to also from 2016’s Nocturnal Animals, long made her an actress who I genuinely appreciate and enjoy seeing in movies. With this film though, Adams manages to take that aforementioned skill and talent and take them up a notch. Indeed, as portrayed by Adams, Louise is a wonderful mix of intelligence, dedication, and yet also soulful with a helping of raw emotion and empathy respectively for good measure. Yes there are some aspects of this character that I haven’t quite touched on due to potential spoilers, but regardless there is no denying that Adams does an absolutely magnificent job at providing this fairly emotionally distant at times film with the heart and soul it so desperately needs and in so doing gives movie goers easily one of her best performances to date. Doing a wonderful job at matching the standard set by Adams here though is none other than Jeremy Renner in the role of Ian Donnelly. Indeed if all you’ve ever seen of Renner is his turn as Hawkeye in the MCU then be prepared to be surprised because the man is, bow and arrow aside, a genuinely great actor. Something Renner manages to showcase in full here through a terrific mix of curiosity, intellect, and also soulfulness of his own to a degree as well thus making for one heck of a performance. Alongside the top-tier work done here by Adams and Renner, we also get a fantastic turn from the always enjoyable (even when he was narrator of UPN’s 2002 take on The Twilight Zone) Forest Whitaker as Colonel Weber. Yes this is very much a supporting character in the story, but Whitaker still does a great job at making what could have been a fairly one dimensional “gung-ho military” type and instead not only makes him a three dimensional character, but also is able to infuse him with a degree of stoic humanity that is very much refreshing for this kind of film. Suffice it to say that it is a wonderful turn, but truth be told from Whitaker I really have come to expect nothing less. Thus when you also factor in a fairly sleazy and despicable yet effective all the same turn from Michael Stuhlbarg as a paranoid CIA agent who seems convinced that these extraterrestrials are here for one purpose and one purpose only (read: to kill us all) and a small yet pivotal role from Tzi Ma (Consul Han from Rush Hour!) as a key figure in the Chinese Army who plays a significant part in the resolution to this film among others I think it can safely be said that there might be issues with this particular film, but the work done by the cast of players in front of the camera most assuredly is not one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day I think it can safely be said dear reader that sometimes the best of sci-fi cinema is not the kind where aliens decide to pay us a less than friendly visit. Nor for that matter is it the kind where some kind of creature or organism proceeds to go on a killing spree only to be defeated at the end by the brave and courageous hero only for the movie to then, without mercy it seems like at times, sequel bait us at the end. Rather, I am of the belief that sometimes the best of sci-fi cinema is the kind where, if we really pay attention to the film as it goes along, there’s the very strong chance that we might learn something about ourselves by the end that we can take home with us as the credits begin to roll. Yes, it might be difficult for a lot of people to really get behind, but for those who are able to I think what they are able to take away from it can quite often be just as, if not slightly more so, rewarding as seeing the hero defeat the evil machine or wipe out the hostile alien force. In that regard, I think it can be said that the 2016 slice of cinema that is Arrival is most assuredly that kind of film. Indeed is this a perfect film by any stretch of the imagination? Honestly no. At the same time though, is this the kind of sci-fi film that is going to make you want to put in a copy of Terminator Genisys or Independence Day: Resurrection? Honestly I really hope not and I don’t just say that because those aforementioned movies are ones that you should tread very lightly around at best and at worst just avoid period. I say that because it might not be perfect, but dang it all if this still isn’t a genuinely great film to say nothing of a fantastic sci-fi film. Yes there are a few flaws to be found here and there, but at the end of the day Arrival is an incredibly made and potently performed film that might be undeniably riveting due to featuring what a possible first encounter with aliens might look like, but is ultimately great because the powerful concepts that it chooses to touches on are ones that I think we all, be we of the human or otherworldly species designation, can afford to take a much closer look at to try and find be it among the stars, on the teeny tiny blue and green section of the universe known as Earth, or even inside ourselves. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give Arrival “2016” a solid 4 out of 5.
