This Movie Broke Me

Rating: 10/10 (16 November 2016)

From all of the excellent reviews and the enthralling trailers, I had incredibly high expectations for the movie Arrival as I was walking into my local theater. I left the theater almost on the verge of a panic attack with my expectations obliterated after the movie ended. Arrival was the most breathtaking and powerful films that I have ever seen, and I can honestly say that I have never had so strong of a reaction to a movie in my entire life. From the heartfelt cold open, to the appearance of "Arrival" signaling the ending of the movie, I believe that it was as close as a film can come to being perfect. The emotional perfection of the movie's climax was almost too much for me to handle, and it brought out a reaction in myself that I've only experienced when reading books (mainly from Robin Hobb and Patrick Rothfuss).
It was a joy to see a true Hard Science-Fiction story on the big screen, and Denis Villeneuve has proved once again to be a masterful director. Every frame of this film is incredibly gorgeous, and I honestly don't know how some of it was filmed, as things that have to be CGI look so real. There is so much I could say about the movie, but I want to avoid any chance of spoilers. However, I will say that the design of the aliens and their language was incredibly interesting, original, and beautiful. I loved how the creators of the movie embraced the fact that if we do ever meet any alien species, they are not going to look anything like us or immediately be able to communicate with Humanity. It's very interesting how the movie handles deciphering the Heptapod's language and teaching them our language, and while some could find these moments boring, for me they were engrossing. I wouldn't have minded even more scientific examination of linguistics and translating the language that bears no resemblance to anything created on Earth.
This movie may not be for everyone, but depending on how it holds up after multiple viewings, I might have a new movie in my personal Top 10 Films of All Time. I highly recommend it, and if you want to see a video of my full review where I go into spoilers for the second half, it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ofAsrVZ6g