Arrival

I usually avoid sci-fi movies like the plague. I am still scarred from my childhood viewing of E.T.- that alien is scary and I will never understand how this movie is suitable for full grown adults let alone children, but that's another story. There is always the occasional best picture nominee that I am less than thrilled to see, and this year that movie was "Arrival".

"Arrival", directed by Denis Villeneuve, told the story of mysterious alien spacecrafts touching down on various points on Earth. The main character, Dr. Louise Banks, is played by Amy Adams. The other lead characters were played by Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker. To be frank, throughout maybe 85% of my viewing experience I was less than impressed with "Arrival". That being said, the ending made the entire movie worth it. I don't want to spoil the ending, but once you know what happens the end, the first thing you'll want to do is rewatch the entire movie knowing what you now know.

In addition to the incredible ending, I also immensely appreciated how real this science fiction film felt. To my surprise, "Arrival" was a very emotional film. Throughout the plot of alien intruders, emotional aspects of Dr. Banks's life are weaved in. "Arrival" differed from many science fiction films in existence. It has a more hopeful tone, as opposed to the typical "end of the world" depiction frequently seen in science fiction movies. The aspect of capturing a glimpse of humanity in science fiction movies has been a recent development (previously seen in movies such as "Interstellar" or "Gravity") which I personally think provides greater depth and meaning to the genre as a whole. These films make us question our place as humans in the greater context of the universe. 

More than science and aliens, this movie was actually about communication and the art of language. In the film, we see a great juxtaposition of Amy Adams's portrayal of a linguistic specialist and Jeremy Renner's portrayal of a physicist. The emphasis on language as opposed to science may have been a personal bonus to me, someone who avoids science at all costs, but in general this reinterpretation of a science fiction film showcased the depth possibility in the world of film. I was impressed by the use of communication through language and not action in a science film.

I also greatly appreciated that the hero of the movie was in fact a heroine. Dr. Banks served as the translator in the film, working towards decoding the messages the aliens were delivering to Earth. The heroine created in this movie differed in many ways from ones we've seen in films previously. Amy Adams's character is soft spoken, logical, and methodical. It was great to see a female character exhibit her true characteristics in a manner that led to a breakthrough. Amy Adams was a wonder in this role. She is such a versatile actress, and this movie allowed her to showcase that even more. She delivers a performance that is simultaneously stoic, thoughtful, and sensitive. Dr. Banks worked towards learning what these aliens, the Heptapods, wanted, and did so in a manner that was true to herself, regardless of her objecting colleagues. Despite the continuing chaos surrounding her, Dr. Banks stuck to her guns and continued to work through the madness in order to get the answer she wanted- the answer that humanity needed. The subtleties of Amy Adams's character are truly the driving force of this film.  

Another aspect that really surprised me was the smoothness and beauty of the cinematography. I always associate science fiction films with insane CGI depicting crumbling buildings and terrifying aliens. The cinematography in this film however felt pure. It had a much more natural feel to it than traditional science fiction cinematography, which was another very pleasant surprise. 

Regardless of whether or not you like science fiction films, the shock value of the final scene in combination with the performance delivered by Amy Adams will truly make your viewing experience worth it.