Pretty, shallow and kind of ridiculous

Rating: 6/10 (30 April 2017)

Alien encounters are so interesting, and it's great to see a film where we don't just fight the aliens.
But the film also deals with both personal and political drama, which I didn't care for.
I cared for the aliens' intentions and language, which was explored too superficially. Those were the real mysteries to me, and should perhaps have remained so in my opinion. But after a thorough exploration of communication and its pitfalls.
Instead the aliens seem more like a plot device that provides the protagonist with Knowledge.
And the Knowledge is very dubious as well. It stretches the idea of linguistic relativity way too far. It's too unbelievable and kind of ridiculous as well when you think about it.
It doesn't make it better that I feel I've seen the plot twist before (and recently). The alien language has the same effect as the black hole has on Mattew Mcconaughey's character in Interstellar. Is this the best you writers can come up with nowadays?
The film is pretty, though. I like the tempo. But it's a missed opportunity.