What a beautiful piece of science fiction.

Rating: 9/10 (22 November 2016)

In an age where sci-fi movies can just as easily be horrendous as they can be wonderful, it can be a gamble going to the theater. I didn't have much expectations going in to see "Arrival", but I think that was to my benefit last night. What a unique, thoughtful film this was.
Essentially, Amy Adams plays knowledgeable university linguist Louise Banks and Jeremy Renner plays her physicist foil. Forest Whitaker plays their skeptical boss and does great in his own right. One day, a dozen colossal alien spacecraft appear at seemingly random locations across the globe, and we tag along the Americans as they attempt to communicate with the visitors, all while also trying to maintain conversation between the other divided nations. I won't spoil anything else - that's sufficient enough information to walk into the film excited.
The acting is great, the visuals are great, the tension is towering; I found myself feeling terrified for the humans engaging the aliens and the entire scene where the main cast first enters the "shell" is one of the greatest uses of suspense I've seen since "10 Cloverfield Lane". The actors did well to convey their sense of utter wonder and fear and I felt enveloped in mankind's anxiety for first contact. And the SCORE, it was just beautiful... Dvorak composed some gorgeous work and you may also recognize the palindromic music from Shutter Island in the beginning and end sequences.
This is an example of what I call an "efficient" film; nothing goes to waste. Every line of dialogue, every clue, every image serves a purpose and it delivers such an incredible punch towards the finale that you can't help but feel compensated. This really is what makes the film stand out from the rest of science fiction - it's moving creative, and non-gratuitous, and it earns every tear and clap the audience emits. It's so difficult to combine something as significant as a worldwide alien appearance with raw, deserved human emotion and somehow still make sense. I loved all of it, from start to finish (and back again).
Go and see "Arrival". Have as little expectations as possible, for you might be disappointed if you're hoping for a "Battle: Los Angeles" or even something reminiscent of "Contact". Let yourself be swathed by the movie, drink in what it says about human beings, relationships, time, and language. Congratulations Villeneuve, you've created a masterclass piece of science fiction.
9/10.