ARRIVAL – Review

Most life forms begin with an egg. A beginning. The egg is a sign of hope, and with it comes the expectation that a new life will emerge, breaking through the primordial shell. It’s an action that is inherently violent and yet, it is celebrated because it signifies achievement.

It’s no coincidence that in Denis Villeneuve’s heavily symbolic film that the alien ship is shaped like an upright black egg. Often we associate UFOs as horizontal black discs or shiny saucers, but when the ship is revealed to the audience for the first time, it appears like a black egg almost resting on the Earth’s surface. Even the US military doesn’t know how the ship arrived. It’s as if Earth suddenly gave birth to this new object.

Upon further examination, the egg actually resembles more of a computer mouse – it has the overall oval-like shape but with an almost flat or concave surface on its back side. This isn’t the only computer reference either. Even the protective screen that the human characters communicate through with the otherworldly creatures looks like a giant computer screen or monitor. It’s no secret that our world is connected to and, in most cases, completely reliant on technology. Its main use is for communication, but as ARRIVAL points out, even though our planet has advanced technologically since its creation, the conversation may have stopped.

Amy Adams plays a college professor and renowned linguist who is recruited by the US government to translate the language and writing of an alien species after 12 ships land in different parts around the world. She’s joined by a physicist played by Jeremy Renner. With the help of the military, their goal is to figure out why the visitors have landed on Earth and what their intentions are. At the same time, the tension of the events causes the different countries to begin to turn on each other. And so it becomes not just a chess match between us vs. them, but also us vs. our neighbors. 

Denis Villeneuve is one of the most exciting voices working in film. You could say his film style is fundamental. There’s a simple yet focused manner to how he tells his stories (in this case, from a thought-provoking screenplay by Eric Heisserer), while letting the human element of the story always be the centerpiece. For two films in a row now he has had women in the lead. He positions both as outsiders. In SICARIO, Emily Blunt is an outsider because she’s a woman barely heard in a world of men. She doesn’t know who to trust, and likewise, you fear for her. In ARRIVAL, Amy Adams is unique because she’s the only one truly communicating in a (once again) male-driven world. Instead of fearing for her like we did with Emily Blunt, we relate to Adams because of her humanitarian approach to the conflict.

Adams plays the part with little flourish. In a role that could have easily been Oscar-bait if handed over to the likes of Naomi Watts or Anne Hathaway, Adams delivers a meek and understated performance. Even her character is presented in a way that she seems unadorned with makeup. It’s a character built on principles, and Amy Adams encompasses this perfectly.

Although ARRIVAL includes tentacled alien creatures, the film is never really about that. It’s a quiet film that balances the focus between Adams dealing with her own personal turmoil while attempting to be the woman who is maintaining the peace so that all of the men get along and that the different sides don’t blow each other up. How her story unfolds is where some may take issue. Time existing as not just a straight line becomes an important element of the film – even so far as replicating this idea through the design of the alien writing – but some viewers might find how this theme plays into the ending a bit of a turnoff. What will be interesting is to see how this element affects the film on multiple viewings, as is the case with his previous film ENEMY.

When thinking about ARRIVAL as an alien invasion film where our planet is on the brink of all-out war, it makes Villeneuve’s film sound like the work of science fiction. But given how he grounds the story in such an interesting way, it feels like we could wake up tomorrow morning and encounter the same events. Coincidentally, it’s fascinating that ARRIVAL opens the weekend after one of the most divisive elections the United States has ever encountered. Moreso, who knows how this divide will affect our country in the years to come. Good science fiction transcends the time it was created and carries a message that future generations can continue to learn from. For better or for worse, separate sides being forced to come together in the face of an overwhelming crisis might be a message that we need now… and will need in the future in order for life to prosper in this world.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

ARRIVAL opens in theaters everywhere November 11