Arrival

Arrival is an alien invasion film unlike any we’ve ever encountered before. Rather than being an action-packed, fast-paced affair, it deliberately puts its foot on the brake and instead has the audience focusing on the reaction of humanity and our interpersonal interactions.

Arrival follows Louise Banks (Amy Adams) a linguistics expert who has been tasked with learning the language of the aliens – who have landed at 12 seemingly random sites across the globe – in order to answer the three big questions: Why are you here? What do you want? Where do you come from?

With this as the key driver for the narrative, Arrival is obviously much slower than the atypical invasion film, however the destination it is ultimately headed towards is well worth the journey.

Director Denis Villeneuve has become the master of slowly ratcheting up the tension in his films before an incredibly satisfying payoff, and he has done just that again here. Upon learning the true meaning of this film, you will immediately want to rewatch it from your new enlightened perspective.

This film couldn’t be anymore timely, as we’re seeing geopolitical mistrust and tension on the news every single day. Perhaps it is time for us all to take heed of Arrival’s message and reconsider how we interact with those around us on a daily basis. (JA)

★★★★1/2

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