Hollywood CAN make straight-up sci-fi!

Rating: 9/10 (20 November 2016)

Most of the 'sci-fi' from big studios feels more like watching someone playing a video game, with maximum action per-frame. Not that there's anything wrong with that. To my mind, great sci-fi makes the viewer think about stuff they never considered. Or ponder mundane things in unimagined ways. I found Arrival immensely satisfying in the way my favorite sci-fi books did. Like Clarke's Childhood's End or Card's Ender series, the scope of the story continues to build - as do the repercussions. The story ends at a very different place ....or at least with the attentive viewer in a very different place than they were likely at when the movie began. I must say, the quiet yet unsettling way the film begins had me hooked from the start. I admit I had flashbacks to the chills I had on 9/11 when it finally hit me that 'everything has instantly changed in ways I couldn't imagine. What do I do now?' And I ended up going through the mundane motions trying to internally digest this profound and jarring paradigm shift. If you want an action flick like Independence Day or Armageddon, look elsewhere. If you want a film that stays with you and haunts you - like Children of Men... then maybe you'll like Arrival. Everyone in the cast and crew deserve every accolade and award they're nominated for. Above all, if this film isn't nominated for 'best adapted screenplay' there is no justice. I have not seen a film that lived up to my unrealistic anticipation in a long long time. Arrival is truly special and I hope becomes a classic of the sci-fi genre. It's too soon to tell, but I would not be surprised if it ends up at or near the top of most folks' top sci-fi films (or simply story) lists. Profound thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this haunting, eye- opening film.