Wow! Denis Villeneuve. Arrival. Wow! Rarely does a film leave me speechless, super emotional, a quivering mess capable of one word utterances, but Arrival… Wow!
Villeneuve, it seems, can do no wrong. From last year’s superb ‘Sicario’ and other critical successes such as ‘Prisoners’ and ‘Enemy’, the Canadian director appears to be carving out a niche for himself as an artist capable of telling moving and dramatic narratives, with beautiful and haunting imagery.
In his latest venture, ‘Arrival’, he tackles the sci-fi genre, exploring what might happen if one day 12 mysterious spacecraft were to touch down at various locations across the globe. With the US government and military scrambling for answers as to what these strange vessels are doing on earth, an elite team led by expert linguist Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams), is brought together to try and communicate with the aliens onboard. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and her team race against time for answers.
The film opens setting up Banks’ home life, alone with her daughter, a storyline that we revisit with flashbacks several times throughout the piece, and to great effect. From here Banks is plucked by the military and helicoptered to the site of the imposing visiting craft, which we see for the first time through her disbelieving eyes.
Villeneuve creates long sweeping aerial shots which are visually stunning and his by now legendary use of deeply evocative background music is especially potent. The first introduction to the alien creatures is enthralling as we grapple to make sense of their unfamiliar form, and then try to decipher their strange language, which involves the use of symbols instead of words.The ending is especially poignant as we realise that a number of story strands tie together in a satisfying and pleasing way. It also packs an emotional punch that combined with the gripping storyline, top tier acting and ground breaking directing, make this movie a cut above the rest.
If only all movies could be this good. We score it a flawless,
5 out of 5 stars.
Paul O’Rourke
