Arrival

Denis Villeneuve is a decent director who tries out different genres (hopefully horror or action will come soon). I liked how the film is quite realistic, the atmosphere of the first hour is nicely unsettling, the acting trio of Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker are great. Unfortunately I found the finale rather unsatisfying, unengaging and emotionally cold. I was also hoping that the aliens would be less friendly. 70% (20/01/2017)

The Americans have finally decided to shoot a narrative sci-fi movie that, even though it’s lacking action, can still leave such a mark on the sci-fi genre that you’ll never be able to forget it. It even has innovative ideas and premises that aren’t cliché and they’re not based on a brand, unlike the comics movies industry. Arrival is a filmmaking triumph of the year. Not only does it come up with an interesting thought, it also turns it into a whole array of original ideas. For example, for a whole hour and a half, I thought that I was keeping up, but then in the last half an hour, I was completely lost and I had to keep thinking about the movie for the rest of the evening. That hasn’t happened to me in a long time and I’m always glad when it does. I think Denis Villeneuve is one of the most essential American (Canadian) contemporary filmmakers. Plus, I must thank Jóhann Jóhannson, the master of minimalism, for being extraordinary once again and choosing Max Richter to compliment his non-music. As I was saying, a movie that is genius as far as the idea goes, but also the production’s ration of sound to visuals, thus meeting all the requirements for high-quality science fiction. (07/12/2016)

Especially as an admirer of Denis Villeneuve, I regret that, in my opinion, Arrival stutters a little in the narrative entwinement of its two storylines. Louise’s life melodrama is powerful and the movie uses it to relay a more meaningful and tangible philosophical message than all other sci-fi movies from recent years (including the similarly intimate Gravity and Nolan’s bombastic brainless spectacle). This storyline won’t let you keep your eyes dry. But its interaction with the scientific thriller storyline about communication with aliens, whose purpose is to spur the viewer’s curiosity, bogs down in the last third. And not just because of the unnecessary, distracting detours, such as a group of rebel soldiers attacking an alien ship, but by failing to successfully combine the two narrative planes that are supposed to perfectly complement each other and knock out viewers by making some powerful point in climax. On the first viewing, I didn’t find the point all that breathtaking, while on the second viewing I, quite paradoxically, enjoyed Louise’s visions more as I knew what they meant thanks to prior knowledge of the ending. Neither of the viewings, though, brought me the emotional and intellectual ecstasy described by most of my fellow reviewers and which I’d frankly like to experience. The soundtrack and atmosphere are incredible, and Amy Adams is fantastic. (19/12/2016)

A monumental, reflective, humanistic, moving sci-fi film. Exactly what Interstellar desperately wanted to be, but failed to achieve. Arrival is not without its minor issues, about which I may write later (IMHO, the way the script addresses the communication between the different world teams during the research is a little confusing), but the goosebumps at the end overcome all that. (11/11/2016)

This is the best film in about the last five years. It’s terse, brisk, clever, and in many ways bold. The best thing about it is that the sci-fi storyline is much less important than the personal one. I hardly need to see it 3 more times to appreciate the unique picture-sound interplay and award the editor a couple of golden statuettes. After it was over, I stood in the flying snow, wanting to do a lot of things, but then I realized that the best thing to do was to just let myself drift through the incredible flurry of all kinds of feelings. I've truly been waiting for a movie like this for years. (12/11/2016)