A High Ceiling

Rating: 8/10 (11 November 2016)

As a fan of science fiction, there are occasional movies I absolutely must see in the theater. I would include Arrival on this list, and really had high anticipation for this viewing.
Arrival does not disappoint those looking for quality film making, and a story well told. But I left not being amazed by a science fiction movie, but seeing another fine example of Denis Villeneuve's film making. He has a unique skill of handling the specific details of one or two characters, while placing them in a chaotic/dangerous environment. Prisoners, Incendes, Enemy, Sicario - You really get to know the main characters in his films though their stress and hardship - that are a function of the environment, and story being told.
Once again Villeneuve nails a consistent visual look, that somehow works from exteriors, interiors, close, long, and even shots with special effects. I'm sure like Nolan, his films have color schemes and strict design to maintain visual consistency. I didn't feel like the environment was a character like in Sicario, but Arrival is beautiful none the less - especially in the atmospheric vistas which include the alien craft.
The visuals and unique content are matched by a jarring, yet somehow completely fitting and even beautiful(?) music score. Might be one of the best parts of this movie and it is clear Jóhann Jóhannsson and Villeneuve have a solid working relationship.
I read a ton of science fiction, and rarely do movies even come close to the concepts and ideas presented by the best authors of this genre. Arrival comes close. Like Nolan's Interstellar, Arrival presents challenging ideas through clever editing, sound design, and visual presentation. But there is nothing like Interstellar's tesseract sequence. Everything is done with traditional film techniques. Yes there are special effects for obvious elements regarding the aliens and their craft, but the vast majority of deep ideas are not attached to visual effects. Not only that, but not all the answers are spoon fed - the viewer has to bring a bit of intelligence to the experience for understanding. This is comprehensive too. What does the title mean? Why are certain camera shots repeated? What exactly is happening with the main character?
These questions are answered over the films two hours.
Critiques. Recreating TV news broadcasts must be difficult in film, because rarely is it done well. The background sets never look quite right, the actors don't behave like news anchors and when they use real people to play themselves? Almost the worst stylistic choice, because it always feels contrived. Arrival uses a lot of created media footage to help set the world stage of an international event. It's acceptable in terms of presentation, and works - but its not great. Speaking more generally, this lack of polish could also be the result of this film being a bit rushed. I noticed the same thing with directors Blomkamp's films. District 9 is stunning, but each successive film he has made seems less complete and polished due to scheduling and less of the ability to make each film a labor of love. Hopefully this won't become a trend with Villeneuve's films.
Worth mentioning: This movie is not Interstellar. Arrival doesn't have the mega budget, or explosive entertainment. The Arrival has a slow pace, heartfelt emotion regarding difficult parts of the human condition, and a complex conclusion that requires some thinking. A group of people walked out of the showing I wend to... five minutes before the film ended, and really I can't blame them. If they were looking for pure entertainment, action or a hyped science fiction film? Probably not the movie they were hoping to see.
But me? I'm a huge fan of this director and I fully enjoyed this movies theater experience. It pleases me to see him working in this genre, and I'm excited for his future work.
Expectations met 8-10