Style over substance

Rating: 5/10 (1 February 2017)

I approached this film with a fair amount of excitement based upon the high praise in some of the reviews. Sadly for me things did not turn out so well. "Arrival" initially gave me the impression that I was about to watch an interesting and thoughtful sci-fi thriller. But as things progressed, especially after the appearance of the aliens, I realized this was not to be the case. Eventually, the film devolved into a series of confused and confusing scenes that despite their stylish look seemed to add up to very little, until the whole thing eventually collapsed into a vast pool of anticlimax. Needless to say, Amy Adams was, as usual, likable throughout despite what was going on all around her. A huge disappointment.