A bit underwhelming. Gets points for a different kind of alien encounter.

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2018)

This was not the worst movie I've seen. I connected with the linguist and the aliens (to a lesser degree).
The lasting effect on the lead character is a tiresome, overplayed concept. The linguist did a decent job at carrying the movie and pulling me into the story. Although I like Forest Whitaker, I am not certain he was the best actor for the role. His quirks and nuances are unique unto him and do not fit well in certain roles. Those same nuances are why I like him in general. Why not make him one of the scientists instead where his quirks may have been a better fit? Just a thought.
The alien crafts were very cool in their uniqueness as were the aliens themselves and their method of communication. I would have preferred more exposure to the aliens versus the mental travels of the professor.
Reviews are rightfully all over the place (to an extent). I think the extreme (1-2 , 9-10) ratings are not representative of the movie by any fair perspective. I can see a 4 to 8 range of objective ratings. I think it depends on your mood and style preference when you watch this film. A more relaxed mood and nuanced style preference when watching this film might generate a higher rating. A more hyper-mood or need for constant action while watching this film may make it seem more of a disappointment as the action is fairly infrequent. To call this film a 1 or a 10 isn't practical. If you think this is a 10, this means no other movie can top this one and can only, at best, be equally good. If you rate it with 1 star, you are claiming no movie can be worse than this, only equally bad.
I think this film was a bit too heavy in the cerebral arena and fails to give enough exposure to the very unique aliens as well as their technology. I would have preferred more glimpses of them and their perspective versus a few cameo appearances.