![]() Adams failed to secure an Academy Award nomination for her work, she did receive the far more prestigious National Board of Review Award.Īfter quietly racking up a handful of mostly low budget, foreign language art films, Mr. Adams is charged with playing a character who keeps her cards close to the vest, and avoids emotional extremes, yet still must display urgency, pain, hope, optimism, and unflappable determination. Never raising her delivery above “indoor voice” levels, Ms. Louise Banks (Amy Adams, R) in “Arrival.” (Paramount Pictures) Adams providing almost all of the sparse dialogue yet conveying volumes of emotion with her azure orbs and inquisitive, childlike facial expressions.ĭr. Roughly 45 minutes of the movie takes place inside the ship with Ms. The time spent in the build-up to, and interaction with, the aliens will frustrate many as it is done in multiple visits with next to no action unless you consider something written on an erasable ink board exciting. This all takes place in the space of the opening credits and presents a stark contrast to the remainder. Preceding the alien arrival is an ultra-economical passage where single mother Louise gives birth to her daughter Hannah, enjoys good times and bad, and ultimately watches her die. ![]() Setting the mood early on and sticking with it, French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve and screenwriter Eric Heiserrer divvy out the narrative into small exacting portions, with one notable exception. Also present is physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), whose opinions often clash with Banks, the principal reason why Weber included both of them. Weber (Forest Whitaker) to go to Montana, where one of the ships is parked, in an effort to figure out a way to communicate with the inhabitants of the ship. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), is called on by Army Colonel G.T. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), and physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) in “Arrival.” (Paramount Pictures)Īn internationally recognized linguistics expert, Dr. Whether or not you find that last tidbit funny or ironic will likely be a bellwether of your overall opinion of the movie. The Easton FactorWithout warning and seemingly without reason, 12 identical skyscraper-length spacecraft, shaped like halved eggs, standing upright and colored charcoal grey, arrive on Earth and hover just feet above the surface in locations with infrequent lightning that also happen to be places where an unnamed Sheena Easton song topped the charts in the ‘80s. If nothing else, it is a film of its time. “Arrival” was also the first major studio production released after the 2016 presidential election, and its underlying theme is the ability of people in harsh disagreement to find common ground and get beyond their party or territorial differences. A full third of the film has nothing whatsoever to do with sci-fi in any context, and at least half of the story could rightfully be considered a mystery thriller.īased on the 1998 short story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, the movie bucks a lot of trends and expectations, and is far more cerebral and challenging than it is carefree and entertaining. The dialogue is spare and precise, and it contains an above-average level of math and linguistics jargon. There’s little in the way of pyrotechnics, and no violent human or alien deaths. “Arrival” is not your typical sci-fi/alien movie and, in many ways, is not what mainstream audiences have come to expect.
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