Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3.5/4
"Arrival" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/17/2018
Twelve alien craft appear around the world prompting the U.S. military to engage the services of a linguist who must ascertain their intentions before their more trigger-happy counterparts declare war upon the visitors.
Although the premise to Arrival bears more than a passing resemblance to that of Independence Day, anyone expecting another CGI infested firework display will be disappointed. There is next to no action during the running time of the film, it instead concentrating on the characters and the grander themes of communication and the need to find common ground and purpose with those who appear “alien” to us. For this reason it reminded me a little of Monsters in that it is more a story that involves aliens rather than generic science fiction. It also shares plot …
Rating of
3/4
Lets communicate E.T.
ikkegoemikke - wrote on 02/06/2017
"Remember what happened to the aborigines. A more advanced race nearly wiped them out."
Science fiction is a genre that leaves room for ideological visions and fictional future scenarios. A technological fantasy story, as it were. In "Arrival" this is more applicable on a human level. In this case it's the effort of humanity to communicate with an alien civilization. That's fiction enough already. We're not even capable of communicating with each other as humans in a decent manner. Let alone with an alien race that speaks with the use of primal sounds. It's like having a conversation with a group of surreal musicians who produce ingenious sound effects with polyphonic synthesizers. "Arrival" isn't overloaded with graphical masterpieces what an average person would expect to see in a …
Rating of
3.5/4
Arrival - Movie Review
Matthew Brady - wrote on 12/23/2016
Well damn.
I couldn't stop thinking about this one and may not for awhile. "Arrival" is one of the best Sci-Fi films I've seen in this year. Everything about this film was just top notch that I can't put into words without going all over.
So let put it like this:
Amy Adams was wonderful in this. A very grounded and real performance. Probably her best. Same thing that can said about Jeremy Renner.
And how the aliens were part of the story was fascinating and quite clever. Without spoiling anything, they had a unique look to them. Like spiders. Although out the film, you feel their presence. A presence that's both scary and yet remarkable.
Denis Villeneuve is my favorite working director. He can release a movie every year and still be close of making a masterpiece. …
Rating of
3/4
Arrival is not your average UFO movie.
Indyfreak - wrote on 12/06/2016
Part science fiction and part psychological drama, ARRIVAL follows a linguist (Amy Adams) assigned by the government to determine whether or not mysterious extraterrestrial visitors are friend or foe. The problem is their language is nothing resembling any form of human communication on Earth. No pressure, right?
Amy Adams carries this movie, often not even speaking but just with her soulful gaze and bright eyes. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker provide strong support as her colleague and military supervisor respectfully.
The movie does not have much in the way of action. But Denis Villeneuve makes the most mundane and practical actions seem cinematic. The first encounter with the aliens is an intensely drawn out sequence. Instead of explosions and destruction, the movie emphasizes …
Rating of
2.5/4
Arrival Left Me Frustrated
SIngli6 - wrote on 12/01/2016
What a frustrating experience!
The first act of this film is, quite simply, exceptional. Villeneuve plays up the mystery and tension of this scenario to levels of true excellence. We do not get a proper glimpse of one of these alien crafts until the moment our protagonist Dr. Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams) sees one first-hand, at which point we are treated to a wonderfully composed long shot of the bizarrely shaped vessel levitating above a green, mountainous expanse of land as a truly haunting leitmotif for the alien presence plays. Subsequent scenes expertly maintain the tension by staging the first occasion Banks boards the ship, joined by theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner), with near Kubrickian precision and pacing. The 2001 parallels are inescapable …
