Grimly crafted worlds and characters brimming with darkness has been Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic mantra of late with his recent output ranging from the kidnapping drama Prisoners to the nail-biting crime thriller Sicario. But even with its bleak atmosphere, 2001-esque monolithic imagery and a haunting score reminiscent of Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon, Arrival stands as a more hopeful, yet still bittersweet, change of pace for the director.
Based on Ted Chiang’s short story, Story of Your Life, Arrival follows linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) as she is selected by the military to help communicate with mysterious aliens who have landed at 12 different locations throughout the globe; their intentions unknown. Woven throughout the main narrative are flashes from Louise’s life detailing her relationship with her deceased daughter; the purpose of this aspect of the story seemingly linked with the arrival of the aliens.
IT’S NOT ALL BOOM! AND GLOOM
It is fair to say that Arrival does stand apart from most modern science-fiction films. Villeneuve’s minimalistic approach is more grounded and devoid of over-the-top spectacle that colours more recent sci-fi like Independence Day: Resurgence. Yet nonetheless, elements are added to Chiang’s original story that does fall in line with modern sci-fi action tropes: untrusting soldiers who make things go boom!, added tension from our friendly neighbourhood international antagonists Russia and China, and our main character being forced to try and ‘save the day!’ at the last minute. These elements do feel somewhat out of place given it’s a film that tries to be more of a deeply personal drama. Yet, these added elements of action still make sense contextually and do not ultimately detract from the message of the film or, by extension, that of the original story.
The visual scope of Arrival is striking, too. Muted colours only enhance the mysterious, black, elongated 1500-ft UFOs as they stand tall, contrasting with the natural landscape that lies all around them. But it isn’t until we get inside one of the UFO’s that things begin to get truly mind-bending and even more obliquely ominous.
Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jeremy Renner all give strong supporting performances, but the light shines on Amy Adams who sits at the core of the movie. Managing to carve out a nuanced performance from a character propelled into extraordinary circumstances, Adams’ is a large part of how the film manages to stay grounded. And while her character is thrown into a more clichéd heroic climax, it is done in a way that fits her character and the story. The language professor doesn’t suddenly go all Rambo on the aliens. Thankfully.
THE VERDICT
With nuanced acting, a terrific score, and an engaging plot, Arrival is a worthwhile night-out at the cinema. Still, the film strives for a level of existential profundity that is sorely held back by its, albeit minimal, reliance on sci-fi action tropes and you’re left felt wanting; wanting more from the story and, frankly, more from the aliens. In the end, it’s just a more serious and less threatening Independence Day.
Which isn’t exactly a bad thing.
Rating: 8/10
Words by Stephen Pringle