Sorry, but "Arrival" didn't do it for me

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2016)

I had high hopes for this movie: the premise (however unlikely according to the laws of physics) of aliens visiting Earth is endlessly fascinating and the work has had rave reviews. But I was disappointed - for me, this was "Close Encounters Of The Slow And Boring Kind" with a lack of entertainment value and a plot that was overly cerebral and rather opaque.
I'm sorry to reach this conclusion since French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve fashioned a brilliant work in "Sicario" and there is much to admire in his latest film including striking cinematography by Bradford Young, an atmospheric score from Jóhann Jóhannsson, and an excellent performance from Amy Adams as a brilliant linguist who decodes the aliens' complex language.
Ultimately the problem is the story-line which simply does not make sense and lacks narrative pace. I was not sorry when "Arrival" departed.