Arrival

Rating: 6/10 (20 November 2016)

I saw the trailer for this film, I was excited by both the concept and the impressive cast, and then Film 2016 recommended it as Film of the Week, so I was definitely going to see it, directed by Oscar and BAFTA nominated Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario). Basically twelve mysterious extra- terrestrial spacecraft, nicknamed "shells" by the U.S. military, have touched down in locations across the globe. One of these locations is Montana, linguist Dr. Louise Banks (BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Amy Adams) is approached by U.S. Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker), due to her skills in translation and her existing high level security clearance, to join a special team created to analyse the alien species. The team includes theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), their mission is to enter the shell, to make contact with the cephalopod-like aliens, called 'heptapods' because of their seven limbs, and uncover the reason for their arrival, the two creatures are nicknamed Abbott and Costello. Louise decides two- way communication is impossible, however she discovers the creatures can communicate using written language, through a series of complicated circular symbols with inter-related components. With Ian's help, Louise wants to determine the aliens can understand thought and reason, she learns that the symbols correspond to a basic English vocabulary, she hopes to build an understanding and eventually ask their reason for being on Earth, while doing all this work Louise is having visions of her daughter. Louise feels proficient to ask the beings, using the language, what they want, they answer, and the reply contains the words "offer weapon", other nations translate their versions of what this message means, fearing this is a threat and with friction caused communications between nations are closed down. While Louise questions if the aliens actually mean a weapon as a "tool", rogue soldiers take matters into their own hands and plant C4 within the shell, the scientists are unaware of the explosive device, it is detonated during a communication, Costello leaves before it blows, while Abbott saves Louise and Ian from harm. After recovering, and the shells moving higher into the sky, Ian determines that their messages relate to the concept of time, meanwhile the Chinese military are preparing to attack their shell, followed by those in Russia, Pakistan and Sudan, General Shang (Tzi Ma) of China has threatened the shell will be destroyed in 24 hours if it does not leave. Louise returns to the Montana shell, and is taken aboard by a small shuttle, Costello tells that Abbott is dying, and Louise is told that her visions of her daughter are from the future, these are flash-forwards not flashbacks. Costello tells that their purpose on Earth is to "help humanity" by sharing their language and its power to change the perception of time, the "weapon" or "tool" they were offering, and the aliens have foreseen they will need humanity's help in 3000 years in exchange. Louise returns to camp and has a new vision of an event in the aftermath of the alien visit, where she meets with General Shang and they talk about communicating and what she did to convince to stop the attack, back in the present day she steals a satellite phone to call the General, the words she speaks are that of the flash-forward, repeating his dying wife's last words. In the end the shells dematerialize into thin air, the nations restore communication and share information they have learned with each other, and Ian admits to Louise he has fallen in love with her, he is in fact the father to her future daughter, Louise knows that their child will eventually suffer an incurable disease, but she does not want prevent her from existing. Also starring A Serious Man's Michael Stuhlbarg as Agent Halpern and Mark O'Brien as Captain Marks. Renner and Whitaker are good in their parts, but this film definitely belongs to Adams, who is great as the linguistics professor with an emotional background (more accurately future), this is no Independence Day, no huge spectacle of an alien movie, it is is unhurried story of deciphering an alien language and finding out what they want, the small amounts of special effects are well done, I will honest and say that it went a little over my head towards the end, and it is close to Contact with its themes, but overall it is a worthwhile science-fiction drama. It won the Oscar for Best Sound Editing, and it was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Production Design, it won the BAFTA for Best Sound, and it was nominated for Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Original Music for Jóhann Jóhannsson, Best Special Visual Effects, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Original Score. Good!