Arrival
Dir: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker,
Michael Stuhlbarg, and Mark O’Brien
“E.T.”, “Independence Day”, “The War of the Worlds”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “First Encounter of the
Third Kind”;
these are all films that have portrayed contact with alien beings from outer
space in different ways. Some of these films display a curious, confused,
friendly intergalactic organism while some portray a hostile, angry, vindictive
space creature. No matter how one may examine these extraterrestrials it’s undeniable that the
event of such an arrival on Earth would display some interesting
characteristics from our divided, emotional population.
Talented director Denis
Villeneuve, who directed the impressive “Sicario” last year, returns with another remarkable film
called “Arrival”. The filmmaker utilizes the premise of a science fiction film,
specifically the invasion angles associated with the genre, to craft a
thoughtful and tender film about communication, love, and the human
condition. It’s an incredibly well thought out film that
displays the power of genre film and how, in talented hands, a story about
extraterrestrials unexpectedly arriving on Earth can also be an incredibly
artistic endeavor.
Dr. Louise Banks (Amy
Adams), a linguistics expert, is teaching at a college when the world is
disrupted by the arrival of alien spacecrafts that position themselves all
across the globe. Dr. Banks is called to assist the government in establishing
communication with the alien visitors; assisting her is a theoretical physicist
named Ian (Jeremy Renner) and an army Colonel (Forest Whitaker). Once on board
the ship the team must decipher a language in order to figure out the purpose
of the extraterrestrials while the world around them grows progressively more hostile
towards the unexpected visitors.
This broad synopsis is all
you need to know about the story going in. It may be the best way to approach
this film experience. “Arrival” does a great job of creating a detailed and
complex, yet completely accessible, narrative. However, its biggest triumph is
the genuine and heartfelt emotional experience that is organized along the way.
Communication and language play vital roles in the composition of the film,
specifically how humans communicate with each another and how they communicate
the emotions that motivate their every decision. There is a strong aspect
concerning language and how it is used to provide structure in the way we
examine history and comprehend the future. The characters composed in the film beautifully
explore these aspects, specifically the sensitive construction of Dr. Banks
played by Amy Adams.
Ms. Adams conveys a
character restrained by emotion yet motivated towards the process of
connection. How can you have a genuine connection without emotion? It’s a compelling contrast
that is expertly crafted by the actor. Jeremy Renner’s character also brings an important component
to the film; the actor’s character is looking for an explanation grounded by some sense of
logic, it’s a
great character to utilize in the science fiction genre.
Influencing all these
narrative and character aspects is the astute direction of Denis Villeneuve.
The director continues to grow with every film that he orchestrates, here again
displaying the themes of the film through every aspect of the filmmaking
process. Mr. Villeneuve connects with director of photography Bradford Young in
composing a world filled with images that build an atmosphere of disconnection
that is reproduced in the characters. This is utilized in a variety of ways,
either with tight close-ups that blur the world around the character or with
singular shots that correlate to the loneliness experienced by the barriers
imposed with humanity and with the aliens trying to communicate.
“Arrival” is an impressive experience; a film that is more about the human
connection and less about the aliens and the ominous spacecrafts. It’s a film that subverts
the science fiction genre in ingenious fashion, avoiding formulaic conventions
while utilizing genre characteristics in intelligent ways. It’s a film that boldly goes
beyond the contemporary expectations that usually defines the genre.
Monte’s Rating
4.50 out of 5.00
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