Arrival (2016)- BFI London Film Festival 2016

116min

Genre:      Sci-fi, Drama, Mystery

Director:   Denis Villeneuve

Cast:        Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker…and more

Writers:    Eric Heisserer and Ted Chiang

-Synopsis-

When mysterious alien spacecraft land on twelve random spots across the globe, a unique and world-renown linguist is recruited by US authorities to communicate with and ascertain the intentions of the newly arrived extra-terrestrials in this Sci-fi drama from the director of ‘Prisoners’ and ‘Sicario’.

Armed with a select but impactful legacy of sophisticated, well-crafted and emotionally resonant “alien first contact” Sci-fi dramas, which goes back to at least Stephen Spielberg’s 1977 masterpiece ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’; Canadian director Denis Villeneuve takes his small step & giant leap into the genre with an engrossing and highly anticipated cinematic experience.

Amy Adams stars as academic and star linguist “Dr. Louise Banks”, recruited alongside physicist “Ian Donnelly” (Jeremy Renner) by “Colonel Weber” (Forest Whitaker) and the US government to try and bridge a complex language gap between humanity and their new “guests”. But as another eleven massive half pebble-shaped ships hover over different spots in the world, international tensions build surrounding the motives of these new “arrivals”, as the clock is ticking in the race to avoid potential global catastrophe through misunderstanding.

‘Arrival’ is based on the short story ‘Story of Your Life’ by science fiction writer Ted Chiang, a “first contact” tale with a strong thematic focus on communication and language as well as a brush with determinism, all of which is woven by screenwriter Eric Heisserer into Villeneuve’s cinematic adaptation. But like all good Sci-fi this is as much a story about us as it is about them, with the “visitors” proving to be a conduit to mutual understanding, and that’s the basic core of the film.

A not-so-subtle metaphor for the importance of breaking down barriers, not just language wise but cultural and ideological along with everything else that divides us, not only for the advancement of our species but for its very survival. Villeneuve expresses this noble if rather trite notion through the prism of a moving family drama, made possible by yet another strong and nuanced performance from Adams, ultimately making ‘Arrival’ as much a story about life, loss and love as it is about an alien encounter… which almost seems incidental by the end.

Despite the clear sophistication and seriousness of the narrative, it’s a bit of a stretch to call ‘Arrival’ a “thinking man’s” Sci-fi; the writers have a clear focus on the intricacies of language and communication, and unlike ‘Interstellar’, Villeneuve’s epic only ever skims the surface of real scientific theory and profound universal concepts. That may well be a positive for audiences who abhor academic clutter, but with its noble focus on existential humanity and the emotions which links us all, ‘Arrival’ is really the “feeling man’s” Sci-fi.

If the film seems a tad familiar, it’s because it basically combines the core elements of several “first contact” movies from over the years; there are the obvious parallels with ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ and its focus on deconstructing language and communication, plus governmental control, but minus the cover-up and the charm of regular folk being involved. Which puts ‘Arrival’ closer to 2003’s Keanu Reeves-led remake of ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’, with no small measure of the 1997 Robert Zemeckis flick ‘Contact’.

‘Arrival’ has compact and compelling first act narrative; as the scope of a humanity-defining operation unfolds and we learn of the complexities of communicating with a mysterious species, as well as delving into the complex psyche of our lead character… not to mention exploring the awesome spacecraft and discovering who’s in them.

But as the momentum picks up and we start dealing with high-concept drama, complex notions like the nature of time are unconvincingly used to move the plot along and link personal experiences to the unfolding events, in a convenient and sentimental way. With all these disparate pieces, luckily the burden of success falls on the shoulders of Amy Adams and the pathos and emotional integrity she brings to the role, fortunately for Villeneuve & co. his star has such a mastery of her craft that she can make us buy whatever they’re selling.

The Bottom Line…

Denis Villeneuve had an ambitious undertaking in his first foray into science fiction; trying to balance highly impressive sights and sounds with a narrative which combines a basic scientific foundation with existential themes and a moving human drama, and the result is a circuitous story which maintains a sense of mystery throughout, only to culminate in an unexpected major twist but a slightly underwhelming conclusion.

Nevertheless there’s plenty of food-for-thought in ‘Arrival’, not to mention intrigue and entertainment value, and more than enough quality to overlook narrative issues and execution. Yet another sterling Amy Adams performance helps to make this a worthy addition to the cannon of Sci-fi and Alien contact movies, if not quite one of its absolute classics, here’s hoping we can soon add Villeneuve’s ‘Blade Runner’ sequel to that list.

‘Arrival’ is out on the 10th of November in the UK and the 11th of November in the US.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

A man becomes obsessed with an other-worldly encounter in rural America, forsaking everything to reach a place where he and a disparate group people are compelled towards. But they’re not the only ones who seek to solve the mystery of man’s place in the universe in this Sci-fi classic from the great Steven Spielberg.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut and Melinda Dillon among others.

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