Beautiful, scary and realistic

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2016)

The last sci-fi movie about a linguist I can remember seeing, is Stargate. And that movie didn't even attempt to seem realistic. One of Arrival's great feats is presenting linguistics in a (close to) real way, and making it really interesting. The same is true for its approach to other sciences. The time they have spent making it feel and seem accurate pays off really well.
The science has gotten quite a bit of attention, but it's not what I liked the most about the movie. The highlight was how (scaringly) it depicts the world's reaction to what happens in the movie. It's terrifying, and it's the reason science fiction as a genre is so important. It gives us a (possible) reflection of a side of us that we hope we don't ever have to face. Because I can see countries reacting as they did. And citizens. Uprisings, panic and fear, all spiraling out of control into a unbearable situation. The movie is not filled with this, but it's in the background and in the back of your head throughout the entire film, and it's scary. It's almost like I wish everyone would see this movie, so we would know better.
The concepts explored are all very interesting. Humanity's reaction, as mentioned, but also the scenes showing first contact and how it is handled. This is not a movie with a big twist, but it does hide something that is hinted at, and that pays off well in the end.
It's also visually a very interesting movie, and the soundtracks fits it really well.