One of the best Sci-fi films in mainstream cinema

Rating: 9/10 (25 November 2016)

As an alien first contact film, Arrival isn't just an ambitious answer to an age old question "are we alone?" its high concept thinking in presenting an answer to that question is a rarity in mainstream cinema these days. And unlike the typical bamboozle of a sci-fi blockbuster, this film isn't a thrill ride meant for 4DX cinema either. Rather, a crushing yet astute mediation on some of the biggest and perhaps oldest problems with the human race – our perception of what makes us human, our success and failure at communication and our discomposure associated with the unknown.
Known for his baroque styled narration, director Denis Villeneuve is in no hurry to reveal the mystery behind seemingly random alien landings in twelve countries. The visualization of these megalith spaceships is a cinematic achievement in itself, aided with a haunting sound design engineered to raise goose bumps, but more on this later. Meanwhile, and ever the trigger-happy race, governments of these countries have already mobilised a pre-emptive strike. As expected, the United States military is also gung-ho but not before sending linguistic expert Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) into the ship to find out what they want. Working with the military (represented by Forrest Whitaker) and a theoretical physicist played by Jeremy Renner, Louise first learns their language and then discovers that it's not about what they want but why they are have come.
With preceding films like Interstellar and Contact, the story here isn't really new, or even about the existence of intelligent life outside our planet. By the time Louise arrives at the astounding revelation, it dawns on the viewer that Arrival has more to do with the mysteries of our own existence, our innate ability to experience joy and sorrow, and even the incredible ability to change our own fate. Adams owns this film as much as the lines on the back of her hand. Hers is a tragic character played with conviction throughout the film, and then towards the end, hits it out of the park with a climactic moment that defines the human value of compromise.
Although conceptually incredible with real life takeaways, Arrival is not perfect. For a worldwide event, the narrative is almost entirely about Louise, her deciphering of the alien language and how that information relates to the future of mankind. Supporting roles from Renner is also saved for a few scenes and also for what appears to be a paradox in the story, while Whitaker's military man is just there to throw the audience into thinking this film could end up like another misguided Prometheus. There is also a bit of slack in the pace during the middle segment that builds on the aforementioned paradox. However, this is also where we learn more about her personal loss and the impact of grief in our existence.
Having said that, Arrival still has the craftsmanship of a great film that demands our full attention in return for a rewarding experience. Technical aspects are also critical to the overall production design with sound and visuals forming a skeletal binding with the story. Is it Villeneuve's magnum opus? That depends on what he does next. Until then, this is probably the best science fiction film of the decade and one of the best films of the year.