★★★★ out of 5
rated PG-13
released 9-1-2016, 116 minutes, Paramount Pictures
directed: dennis villeneuve
written: eric heisserer (adapted from the novela by ted chiang)
starring: amy adams, jeremy renner, forest whitaker
I have to confess, I am a fan of science fiction. This is a well done piece of science fiction, that does what good fiction always does, which is to pose the question "What if". In this case, what if aliens came to earth, and they were so foreign looking and acting, that we struggled to find any means of communication. How do you talk to someone who has no common history, and who physically interacts with the world differently than you do. There are fundamental precepts to all languages on earth because we all have vocal chords and brains that while having differing opinions and using different sounds all represent the same set of ideas and are formed from the same observations. We as humans make sounds to represent things and actions. We use verbs and nouns. So, what if those aliens don't, and what if they showed up here tomorrow. How would we react?
Arrival takes that premise and plays it out to an unlikely end, but this is a story about the journey to communicate, not the ending. I loved the interplay between amy adams and jeremy renner throughout this film, and the reveal as the movie progresses (no spoiler here) is subtle and handled with a deft touch by director dennis villeneuve. forest whitaker is easily one of my favorite "go to" actors who makes each film he is involved with better for his presence and this is no exception. those three actors and the director manage to cover a breadth of emotion from fear to wonder with ease, and you believe they are the characters they inhabit for two hours you watch this film. I believe this is adams best film in a body of work that includes, american hustle, trouble with the curve and julie and julia to name just a few. she is fast becoming a member of that "go to" list of actors, as she has done great work on film in drama, comedy and sy-fi film. I give this film 4 out 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the actors or sy-fi in general. While there is action, this is a dramatic and wondrous and scary film all at once, without an extravagant amount of explosions and pyrotechnics.