 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Arrival • Year: 2016 • Country: USA • Director: Denis Villeneuve • Main cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker • Runtime: 116 minutes • Production company: 21 Laps Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment, Lava Bear Films • TRAILER |
I know Arrival is not precisely a new release, it came out in theatres a few months ago although you can still catch it in some local venues (in fact, if you haven’t seen it in the theatre yet, give it a try. It’s worth). I just wanted to hold to write this text for a while for two reasons. First, because it’s a pretty open to interpretations movie, the kind that says way more that it shows. And secondly, because after the big bunch of nominations for the Academy Awards Arrival collected for this 2017 edition, it would had been nice to garnish the review with congratulations. But no, I guess once again that can’t be possible. Once again, science fiction goes straight to oblivion.
I know we all agree the Oscars are not a reflection of the real audiences and don’t mean anything but business by a bunch of richmen while the whole planet watch bedazzled like it was the cinema event of the season. Yet, if we take notice the recognition and all the Academy nominations Arrival achieved, we must assume we are facing one of the movies of the year. And yes, indeed it is. A total of 8 nominations, including best motion picture, best direction and best adapted screenplay, not only the technical ones. However eventually the film was only awarded as Best Achievement in Sound Editing.
Last year at Sitges Film Festival 2016, Arrival had the honor to be the surprise projection of the last weekend. Still, rumors spreaded like fire in a sea of gunpowder and all the tickets were sold out within seconds. Since September 2016 the film was being shown in festivals around the world and the positive reviews were more than frequent.
Arrival is the latest film by director Denis Villeneuve before taking the reigns of Blade Runner 2049 (2017). And honestly, he managed to pass his final test with honors. Although not everybody will be totally pleased with it, since it touches a few delicated themes and sometimes cheesy drama and romance take over the main story too often. At least, from my side, there are a few things I don’t agree how they are dealed with in the movie, Some of them were slightly different in Ted Chiang’s original book “Story of Your Life” the film is based on. Some dramatic events are treated at easy, like searching for an easy tear, rather than playing them in real conversations and interactions. Dizzy memories of the main star that are keys for the developing of the background story have the felling of lacking interest, of being nothing but mere waffle. I know, I’m rambling out, but I want to avoid to drop any spoiler bomb here, because perhaps the biggest feature of the movie is it’s few susprises and resolutions.
As the movie name already reveals, Arrival takes place when a group of objects not from Earth appear in several locations around the planet. Like seen in many films with these premises, the military take control of the situation and pick up some confused civilian scientists to analyze the situation and try to make contact with the visiting species. What do they want? Do they come with good will? Are they a threat? But a difference between this and some other movies of the kind, the action resides more in the research and interaction with the visitors and not in politics, military strategies, action or war. The two scientists, portraited by Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, manage to comprehend the language used by the aliens as the story goes on. But then other secrets and events show up, and the eternal story of who we are and where we all come from is on the table.
The story is powerful and the script is very well built up to let the audience find things out at the right moment. This great text, together with a good edition, perfect visual effects and the delicated hand of director Denis Villeneuve is what makes Arrival a film above the rest. If only cheesy indulgence was out of the equation…
Arrival is a delicious science fiction film, following the steps of Stanley Kubrik’s visual narrations, the kind Steven Spielberg can only dream of accomplishing. Surely one of the films of the year 2016 and a totally recommendable piece. Go catch it in the theatres before it’s too late! To hell with the Oscars, they don’t know better.
RATE: 7/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543164
