ARRIVAL: Engaging and Imaginative

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2017)

I believe the "end state" of viewing films is a desire for theatrical entertainment. We all love a good story. ARRIVAL delivered on both fronts; entertaining and good storytelling.
I very much enjoyed ARRIVAL and I felt thoroughly engaged throughout the entirety of the film. I do get it how everyone is different and some of the negative reviews certainly confirm this fact. Personally, I found myself deeply absorbed by the story. Just the same, I can understand the comments concerning some of the questionable directing examples such as the unimpressive method used to initially make contact with the aliens - (tiny whiteboard and dry erase marker with crude handwriting). For me, I chose to gloss right over such trivial moments in order to remain engaged with the story which was riveting and imaginative.
Some of my favorite sci-fi films are the more cerebral type: The Day the Earth Stood Still – 1951, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Contact and Close Encounters of the Third Kind just to name a few. Part of the entertainment I take away from such films was the thinking journey that was involved. ARRIVAL easily falls into this example.
Amy Adams performance was most effective in helping me to navigate the complexities of what was going on. Bravo to Amy for the impressive and moving lead role as well as hats off to fellow performances by both Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.
I really enjoyed the film and I highly recommend it.