Arrival Is Contact Meets Independence Day | Film Review

As far back as 1953’s War of the Worlds, aliens invading our air space has signaled an immediate threat. Both in the characters involved, as well as the audiences in seats. When several enormous spacecraft shore up in strategic positions around the globe, what else could it mean but our certain destruction? Time to rally the troops and kill it with fire.

In Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival, a similar stage is set. Around the planet, 12 alien pods have settled into seemingly random locations, inciting panic from every government and individual in its wake. You know how people are, if you cannot explain it, you must fear it. This is typically where Will Smith shows up with a quip while Bill Pullman motivates the boots on the ground. We’ve all seen this story play out before.

Except this time, the alien ships are still, peaceful, welcoming. Every 18 hours, they open their doors and warmly invite us in, allowing humans the opportunity to negotiate with their species. This goes completely against every cynical instinct we as a culture have, so naturally we warm up the nukes in preparation for a potential galactic war. But before we kick the tires and light the fires, all 12 nations decide to make a valiant attempt at answering a singular question: What is their purpose on Earth?

Instead of cocksure attitude and brazen heroics by a band of rebels, Arrival brings in linguist, Louise Banks (Amy Adams), and scientist, Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to communicate directly with the alien invaders. Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) and the U.S. government as a whole go against all movie logic, and instead apply a more calming, cerebral approach. By utilizing patience and diligence, Louise is afforded the chance of deciphering the alien language and teaching them ours. Basically it’s the Contact approach to an Independence Day scenario: beat them with relatability and intellect.

Discovering their true purpose – as our characters understand the visitors and themselves – is ultimately Arrival’s end game, so those looking for a zippy battle in the skies will be sorely disappointed. This is the Interstellar of alien invasion films, a thoughtful and equal application of human emotion, scientific theory, and movie mojo. And the less you know walking in, the more you can fully appreciate Villeneuve’s take on the genre.

While the acting is solid across the board from Renner and company, Amy Adams IS the film. By the time the final frame hits – when every thought, memory and belief of Louise’s is put to the ultimate test – your appreciation for Arrival will have ridden squarely on her diminutive shoulders. Louise’s connection to the alien race – and own her inner monologue – are the heart of the universe we come to know. Adams is a subtle and graceful performer, eschewing the choices of many of her peers who would elect to play Louise and her journey larger, broader, louder. Instead she contains her character and paints a quiet portrait of a woman unflinching in her determination that language is more important than science. In a world full of guttural and knee-jerk reactions, here lies a character that believes that the key to understanding the complexities of life begins with context.

Denis Villeneuve has evolved into one of my favorite filmmakers of the modern era, with his Prisoners leaping to the top of my list from recent years. He once again commits to his vision with an unflinching resolve, further complimented with the brooding score by Jóhann Jóhannsson. Villeneuve also thankfully abandons the overly abused Close Encounters creature design and offers us a distinct alien look, something more welcome in Stephen King’s universe than Spielberg’s. While Villeneuve does mostly excellent work here, he also spends a few too many frames on lingering establishing shots, at times lulling the otherwise steady pace the film was cruising along with. It’s a minor complaint, but it does hinder the flow substantially at times.

Ultimately, Arrival is a solid piece of cerebral science-fiction. What could easily develop into an all-out battle for planetary domain, instead elicits societal commentary on the importance of working together and communication in an age when so much is based on snippets, headlines, and 140 character ideology. This is a film about the true conflict affecting the human race today: the war among ourselves.