Close to a masterpiece, a true work of art

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2019)

Arrival is an outstanding piece of work, and overall it impressed me in a way that other films havent, for a long time. Watching it made me feel that I discovered a hidden gem, and I feel fortunate for such a discovery.
However, it suffers from certain inconsistencies/plot holes, as I will attempt to demonstrate in this review, with a few examples:
Inconsistencies/Plot Holes
The biggest issue that I found, was that of the "gift" that Louise receives from the aliens.

We are told that Louise receives a "gift" or "weapon" from the alien heptapods, and what that is, is the power to see the future, as is claimed in the movie.

Louise can see what will happen later on in her life, and she can see that in the form of visions that come to her out of nowhere, and these visions often resemble memories of things that havent happened yet but they will supposedly happen in the future. It is as if she is getting the memories that will form in the future, but she's getting bits and pieces of them in advance.
Now here's the problem with that:
One of the key elements in the story, was Louise's action to call General Shang, and change his mind. Without that plot part, the whole story basically falls apart.
But Louise doesnt have a way of contacting Shang and doesnt have a clue what would change his mind.
The way that Louise achieves this, is by getting a vision of General Shang literally showing her his personal phone number, that can be used to reach Shang directly, at any time. Shang also tells her (in the vision) what she told him to change his mind: his wife's dying words.
If Louise sees the future, how could it be that she acquired Shang's phone number and his wife's dying words in the first place?
The vital key information that Louise extracts from that vision is required in order to change Shang's mind. If that vision is what will happen in the future, then that future is impossible because she needs the vision in order to get that information. Its a paradox, and its circular. It simply doesnt make sense, its illogical.
A much better explanation that doesnt create paradoxes, is that the vision isnt of something that happens in the future, but simply a way for Louise to gain that vital key information (phone number and wife's words).
So its a false vision, not a vision of the future, but something imaginary that comes to her simply because she needs it. But who's giving her that vital info?
It could very well be the aliens, but if that is the case, then the aliens are simply directing Louise to do what they want her to do. They are implanting those visions in her head, and then fool her into thinking that she has some magical power of seeing the future.
In the vision in question, Louise is told by Shang that she was able to change his mind by calling him on his private phone number, and that Shang himself doesnt know how she got his number. Louise, even in the vision, acts surprised, and she genuinely doesnt know what Shang's phone number is. So much so, that she even tells him "I dont know your private number", so Shang has to show the number to her on his cell phone.
Then he tells her "Now you know". So Shang himself was aware that she doesnt know, in that vision.
Also, he tells her that she told him his "wife's dying words", and he does so right before he wispers in her ear everything she told him.
These things wouldnt have actually taken place if such an event happened.
Shang, in the vision, was telling Louise what she needed to know in order to change his mind. All Louise has to do, was follow those simple instructions:
A) Call Shang on his private phone number that she just received, and
B) Repeat verbatim the words that he tells her, as he tells her, in the vision.
Conclusion? The vision never happens, not in the past, present, or future.
Louise is basically told what she needs to do to change General Shang's mind.
But who tells her? The film never answers that question. We are left to assume that its the aliens, as it seems to be the most (or only) likely explanation.
This is actually one of several questions that arent answered in the film.
Moreover, Louise has already been having many visions of her spending time with a little girl, who is apparently her daughter. She also sees that she has this daughter with her husband, Ian.
These are things that havent yet happened, and we are told that she sees the future with that gift of hers.
The problem with that is, it isnt really a future, until she makes it so. In other words, its A possible future, with many other possibilities as well, but those possibilities cant be seen by Louise through visions.
Louise only sees one possible future, and it is a future that can easily be avoided:

Should she decide to not get romantically involved with Ian, and it instantly goes away.
Should she also decide to not have a baby with him, and all the parts about her having a daughter also vanish.
Her daughter has an incurable, unspecified, fatal illness, and dies. She can also avoid that, by having an abortion early on, and then trying for another baby.

The chances of all of her children having the same illness and dying are very slim.
To eliminate those chances, she and Ian can adopt a baby and that way they wont lose their child at such a young age.

Ian leaves her after she tells him something that he didnt like hearing. What was that, we are not told, but whatever it was, she can choose not to tell him, and Ian will probably not leave her.
If Louise chooses to....you get the picture.

What I'm getting at, is that there is no pre-determined future, even according to the film's own narrative, so what Louise sees, is a potential future that can easily be avoided if you know important parts of that future.
So why this future? And why not change it if you can?
The explanation given is very poor, almost not an explanation at all. Because thats what it means to be human? Surely pain and suffering are part of the human condition, but not voluntarily so. We dont opt for suffering, we try to avoid it as much as possible.
Perhaps Louise decided to do this, because even though she will suffer when her daughter dies, all of the time that she spends with her while she's alive is priceless, and she doesnt want to give that up.
But again, what if she can have that with another child, and not have to give up anything?
Again, Louise sees only 1 possible future. Who knows what would happen if she got romantically involved with another man?
Or be with Ian, but adopt a baby?
Its all very problematic, to say the least.
Also, this language that she's given, she later on starts teaching it in classes, and she even writes a handbook on it.
This, along with the visions, are given to her by the aliens.
The most logical conclusion, is that Louise is actually directed by the aliens to do certain things and live a certain life.
Why give her these visions? Why give her this universal language? Why give her the information that she needs to change Shang's mind?
It is much more likely that these aliens want certain things to happen on earth, and they are working through Louise, they are changing things by proxy.
Louise is merely someone who is more receptive and more likely to make it happen.
But what is this strange gift? It seems more like a magical power, more like what a psychic would claim to have (more on this later).
And how can those aliens have this power, and even give it to someone else without so much as touching them?
Remember, that Louise is having visions BEFORE she enter's the room with the aliens inside the spaceship.
She actually receives that power or "gift" and she doesnt even realize it.
In spite of all of that however, Arrival is actually an excellent film and an even better work of art:

Amy Adams successfully carries the film on her shoulders, but without overshadowing everything else. Her acting is superb, maybe even downright perfect, I might say, with her natural ability to convey innocence and sweetness, to a pretty damn real level. Her facial expressions, as well as her verbal and non-verbal cues are spot on, and you get the impression that this is a real character that you are able to connect with.

I strongly believe that no one could actually do a better job than Amy Adams in the starring lead role of this movie.
It is as if she was born for this role, I may even be willing to say that the role was written specifically for her.

The rest of the cast are there to support Amy, but they are also very good, especially Jeremy Renner (Ian) who acts as Amy's co-star, but not having as much burden on his acting shoulders. Even though Amy is tasked with doing most of the heavy-lifting, the supporting cast dont seem to be irrelevant and shouldnt be ignored, as they are all able to do their acting jobs a lot better than you'd expect.

The cinematography is just stunning, with some aerial shots seeming too damn spectacular, even for a movie of this caliber. The most impressive part of this film however, isnt just great camera-work and angles; no, it goes way beyond that. Director Denis Villeneuve and everyone who worked on this film should feel proud of themselves, as the cinematography is downright some of the best work I've seen in all my years watching movies.

The soundtrack is very strong, emotional, dramatic, but without overdoing it.

The song at the beginning and ending of the film is so emotionally charged, and it fits so well with the entire theme and plot of the film, that it is as if the song was composed specifically for Arrival, even though it wasnt. It isnt even a new track from Max Richter, and it actually dates back to being released in an album that is well over a decade before the film came out.
Yet in spite of that, Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" fits so damn well with the film, and it manages to make a relatively not-so-impressive ending truly spectacular.
Well done :)
9/10