A Sci-Fi movie at it's Best

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2017)

I just saw the movie "Arrival" with Amy Adams (2016). This is movie making at it's best. Twelve UFOs land across the globe and since they are not shooting at us we humans are trying to figure out how to say "Hello" and hopefully "Whey are they here?". Meanwhile China is not too happy with them and getting a few other countries to agree. Louise (Amy Adams) a world renowned linguist is trying to communicate with them per the one that landed in Montana before the shooting starts. This is tension combined with amazing acting, sound editing, music scoring, cinematography and directing from some of our best.
Many reviews were about it getting slow in the middle. I agree as we paying money to see it like to keep the plot moving along. But it was about the frustration of talking to aliens when they arrive which was important to the setup. That was the key to making the third act so intense. Now we are talking humanity, how we on earth will respond globally and reflect upon our responses should an event like this ever actually occur. It is a something to think about movie. They did it very well without promoting a Political agenda as so many Hollywood movies do.
The cast is excellent. But I've always loved Forrest Whitaker who probably has the most wide actor range in Hollywood maybe thanks to his agent and never being stereotyped given all his movies. I always feel that I'm getting my money's worth when he is on the screen. As for Amy Adams it is a love affair ever since she won my heart in "Enchanted" (2007) and smile when I see her in "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007). With "Arrival" beauty was not part of the script. Her costumes are low key more for exercising, her hair doesn't seem washed and bundled up to keep it out of the way. But that was the brilliance of the production to connect the audience with the emotions that she as an actress were subtle but also intensive. No one will remember much about the UFO in this movie. They will remember Amy's face. I hope she keeps entertaining us and totally stay out of Politics as so many other stars make that mistake.
"Arrival" is not an action-adventure Star Wars, the latest Star Trek reboot or anything like it. Thus many who went to the theater looking for pew-pew were no doubt disappointed. As Paramount wanted to make money I did check the trailers and they actually promoted the important scenes accurately (which is rare for Hollywood). Still if one was looking for a much improved version of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) with flashing lights they didn't get it. That movie while very entertaining on the first viewing years later is also hard to watch anymore as it is about Roy (Richard Dryfus) spending too much time in the movie building a mud sculpture in his living room. You decide.