Ambiguous, unfulfilled, riddled with idealistic/philosophical messages, and tries too hard to be thought-provoking.

Rating: 6/10 (1 February 2017)

If you didn't like Villeneuve's critically acclaimed Enemy, chances are you didn't like Arrival either. For something packaged as a Sci-fi blockbuster, Arrival is really good at building up the audience's expectation for a satisfying climax using established alien-invasion tropes. However, the movie then proceeds to completely shatter this expectation with an anti-climactic and overtly philosophical ending.
The recent trend toward a more realistic, darker and philosophical take of the Sci-fi genre is welcoming, but this doesn't mean philosophical abstractions and not-so-obvious political and social commentaries are good substitutes for a fulfilling story. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Arrival is. The movie's premise is good, the mysterious atmosphere in its first half is fantastic, but a climax composed mostly of rather forced philosophical messages simply left me disappointed. Similarly, I imagine some Sci-fi fans who went into the theatre expecting to be entertained and thrilled came out confused and unfulfilled.