Brilliantly made; emotionally, but not intellectually satisfying

Rating: 8/10 (16 November 2016)

I was incredibly excited to see this movie from the moment I saw the trailer - it promised to be a return to intelligent, intellectual sci-fi. And while the film delivered on that promise for most of its run-time, a sloppy ending to the sci-fi plot(no spoilers ahead) required and received partial redemption from the emotional punch of the film's finale.
The ever-brilliant Amy Adams plays a linguist tasked with communicating with strange alien craft which land in 12 locations across Earth. I always love watching glamorous Hollywood stars attempt to play academics - but Adams succeeds in being convincing. Her acting really holds this film together, and from the beginning to the end her subtle performance was spellbinding and occasionally tear-jerking. Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker play their supporting roles ably.
The visual design of Arrival is one of its strongest aspects, because it's hit upon the fact that in the modern age of special effects, sometimes less is more. The 'ships' themselves are huge but featureless, and their strange nature is established not through a visually overwhelming special effects sequence, but by a simple cinematic trick where gravity is 'flipped'. By keeping the visuals simple and straightforward, Arrival in fact enhances, rather than diminishes, the 'alien' nature of its subject.
Most of the film concerns Adams' attempts to communicate with the aliens and understand their language, while tensions around the world build as different populations and governments take different attitudes toward the aliens. The process by which the humans and aliens begin to be able to communicate feels realistic, without any glaring Hollywood 'aha!' moments, and seems to take an appropriate amount of time. The political ramifications of the situation, while frequently alluded to, are not really explored in great depth, and some may feel that the film misses an opportunity to really have something to say on this topic.
Unfortunately, the way the sci-fi plot is resolved feels incredibly rushed, unsatisfying, and unrealistic. Sadly, people were even laughing during my screening at how conveniently things are wrapped up. Because so much of the preceding run-time had been dedicated to a very detailed, patient exploration of how communication could begin to be attempted, it felt jarring for the resolution to be so rushed. Ultimately, the film is concerned less with these matters, or with the geopolitical situation, and more with the emotions of its main character, and the window onto the wider human condition which she provides. In this respect, the ending is a triumph, so bursting with pathos that one struggles not to feel profoundly moved. Like all great sci-fi, Arrival takes a fantastical concept and uses it to reveal something very real and very human.
Arrival is not a perfect movie. The political aspects of its plot are too insufficiently explored for it to make a real statement. The personal, emotional storyline is extremely moving, but perhaps should have been more tightly focused on throughout the whole movie rather than the technicalities of inter-species communication. But Arrival is a bold movie, fantastically made, which packs an emotional punch and treats its audience with respect. May this ambitious film usher in a renewed interest in thoughtful sci-fi; and may Denis Villeneuve continue to go from strength to strength.