Tries to make a big emotional impact but fails --- highly overrated

Rating: 3/10 (5 February 2017)

The last 15 minutes of this film is weepy violin music, during which I suppose we are to be crying over the deep philosophical meaning "and stuff" of this film. Yeegads, the movie is a confusing mess and the message just doesn't get across. The movie is full of tired clichés: the misunderstood aliens who want to help mankind, the aggressive stupid military (anxious to fight a species with interstellar travel capability),the lower ranking GI who is allowed access to the most important scientific and diplomatic site in world history, etc. I love sci-fi but Arrival is a huge disappointment. Better than the utter stupidity of movies like Independence Day, but that ain't sayin' much!