Interesting premise, poor movie

Rating: 5/10 (3 May 2020)

Many sci-fi movies have a high brow premise that seems entirely unbelievable. Arrival did much better on this front and I was drawn in by an interesting and original idea. Unfortunately, some of the performances and screen writing almost drove me away. Almost every conversation felt forced and scripted. All military characters were portrayed as idiots with a lust for combat. Some of the lines that were meant to be forceful came out flat and seemed misplaced. The score, cinematography, and special effects were a bright spot.
The last 20 minutes of the movie were engaging, but I'm sorry to say I almost stopped watching during the first 10.