Best Sci-Fi Film of 2016

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2018)

Arrival was one of the most original and ingenious science fiction films I've seen in a long time.
I had high hopes for it before it's release as I'd read it was directed by Denis Villeneuve and, having watched Prisoners, I was already aware of his capabilities as a filmmaker. Plus I noticed the film had a 100% Rotten Tomatoes approval score following it's premiere. I doubted it would last (it didn't) but I knew it was a promising sign.
And when I watched it in the cinema, I was not disappointed. Arrival is one of those films that I would describe as being 'a classic story with a unique twist'. Aliens coming to Earth? That's nothing new. Earth is practically a tourist hot spot for extra-terrestrials. But there have never been any sci-fi films before where the focus has been on communication and language. That may sound boring to some but I was absolutely gripped the whole time.
Although the plot twist towards the end is very memorable, the best moment for me is the first encounter. The darkened setting of the spaceship, Jóhann Jóhannsson's astonishing music score, the breathtaking sound effects and the slow reveal of the aliens gives a recipe that I would class as sci-fi gold.
After watching the film, I decided to read the story upon which it was based and that made me appreciate it even more. The reason being is that there are actually very few similarities between the story and the film which gave me a real eye opener as to just how well Eric Heisserer had done crafting the screenplay
Overall, an absolutely smashing film and certainly a must for any hardcore science-fiction fan