Visually awe-inspiring with a profound story

Rating: 10/10 (30 November 2016)

While most modern-day sci-fi flicks focus on extravagant CG set pieces and mindless destruction, Denis Villeneuve's film "Arrival" offers the viewer something much more profound and thought-provoking. As twelve canoe-shaped spaceships touch down on earth, linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and scientist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) are recruited by the US government to investigate the purpose of the newly arrived extraterrestrials.
The plot focuses on how Banks and Donnelly attempt to communicate with the aliens and understand their mission. Rather than this process being tedious or even boring, screenwriter Eric Heisserer constructs an interesting and well-crafted story, built on mystery, tension and intrigue. As a viewer, I wanted to know about the aliens identity, their mission, and whether humanity will go to war or if a compromise could be made. The tension is astronomically well done. I kept guessing till the end and was pleasantly surprised with the final outcome. The creativity of the alien language and the use of linguistics help make the film even more plausible. Without giving too much away, it is amazing how a simple set of words could easily be misinterpreted or construed. That's one of the several underlying themes of this movie, how people make quick judgments without fully comprehending the meaning of another individual's, or in this case, an aliens' perspective. Language can be a powerful weapon.
The visuals and aesthetics of "Arrival" are simply astounding. The sheer scale of the alien spacecrafts is terrifying and unique. Even though the aliens resemble large cephalopods, they pose as a powerful and foreboding force. Bradford Young's cinematography consists of dimly lit interior rooms, sometimes only lit with computer screens, and overexposed exterior shots. His choice of lighting and camera angles makes the movie feel real, almost like a documentary versus a studio lit scene from a soundstage. But the component I enjoyed the most was the sound design. Some scenes are deathly quiet and then bang, something loud happens. This technique made me feel like I was part of the movie. Johann Johannson's score takes the film's sound to a new level. He conveys something intense, magical, and above out of this world (I hope he wins an Oscar). Max Richter's piece "On the Nature of Daylight" adds an additional layer of emotion to this great film.
The final highlights of what makes "Arrival" an excellent alien contact movie are the performances. Renner is solid as Donnelly, determined to a find scientific way to communicate with the aliens. It is nice to see him take more dramatic roles rather than playing Hawkeye from "Marvel's: The Avenger's." Amy Adams as Dr. Banks could easily receive her sixth Oscar nomination. Her performance is based on subtlety, particularly with her movements and facial expressions. She can express so much emotion without uttering a single word. Instances like these are what can make an actor either really good or bad. Adams is simply wonderful.
2016 still has quite a few movies left to hit the theaters. So far, "Arrival" is the best one I have seen.