The Arrival
Tags: suspenseful, murder

Plot synopsis:
Zane Zaminski (Charlie Sheen), a radio astronomer working for SETI, discovers an extraterrestrial radio signal from Wolf 336, a star 14 light years from Earth. Zane reports this to his supervisor, Phil Gordian (Ron Silver) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but Phil dismisses the claims. Zane soon finds that he has been fired because of supposed budget cuts, and blacklisted, preventing him from working at other telescopes. Taking a job as a television satellite installer, he creates his own telescope array using his customers' dishes in the neighborhood, operating it secretly from his attic with help of his young next door neighbor, Kiki.Zane relocates the signal, but it is drowned out by a terrestrial signal from a Mexican radio station. Zane attempts to tell his former coworker, Calvin (Richard Schiff), but finds he has just died suspiciously from carbon monoxide poisoning. Zane travels to Mexico and finds the radio station was burnt to the ground. Searching the local area, he comes across a new power plant. There, he helps climatologist Ilana Green (Lindsay Crouse) protect her atmospheric analysis equipment from the plant's overzealous security forces. Ilana explains that the Earth's temperature has recently risen several degrees, melting the polar ice. She is investigating the power plant, one of several recently built, that appears to be the cause of this increase. The two are released, but without Ilana's equipment. Surprisingly, Zane realizes one of the guards could pass as the identical twin of his former boss, Phil, except that he is of Mexican ethnicity (whereas Phil is not). As Zane and Ilana regroup, Phil instructs some agents, posing as gardeners, to release an alien device in Zane's attic that creates a miniature black hole, consuming all of Zane's equipment. Zane leaves Ilana to again investigate the power plant and she is soon killed by a scorpion planted in her room.Zane discovers the plant is a front for an underground alien base. The very different looking aliens are able to disguise themselves with an external skin to infiltrate our society. Zane finds that all of the bases expel large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere. Zane is discovered but escapes back into the nearby town and attempts to convince the local sheriff of the situation. However, alien agents bring Ilana's body to the police station, making Zane a suspect in her death; Zane escapes and sneaks back into the United States. He accosts Phil on the JPL grounds, forcing him to admit that the aliens are trying to raise the Earth's temperature to not only kill off humans but make the planet hospitable for themselves. Zane secretly records the conversation and once Phil discovers the recording he sends agents to stop Zane.Zane returns home to find his attic devoid of equipment. He figures out the only way to broadcast the tape is to go to a nearby telescope and beam the signal directly to a television satellite, broadcasting it worldwide. With the help of his girlfriend Char (Teri Polo) and Kiki, he travels to the telescope. Phil and his agents soon disable the telescope controls from the main building. Zane leaves the tape with Kiki and instructs him to transmit it when he gives the order and then he and Char sneak over to the telescope's base and barricade themselves in the control room. Zane makes the necessary adjustments and tells Kiki to active the tape, but Kiki reveals himself to be an alien agent, and opens the door to allow Phil inside and confiscate the tape himself.Phil and his agents ram down the door to the telescope room with a van, but Zane freezes them with cryogenic gases. As he works to free the tape stuck in Phil's frozen jacket, one of the agents drops a sphere which starts to form another singularity in the room. Zane and Char escape through the telescope's optical path before the device implodes most of the telescope base, exiting safely onto on the collapsed dish. In the distance they see Kiki, and Zane tells him to tell the aliens that he will soon broadcast this tape; they watch as Kiki runs off. In the film's epilogue, Zane's conversation with Phil is broadcasted across the globe

Review: One scene in particular involving a large dish and someone almost falling off the side of it almost caused me to make a mess in my pants when first watching the film on the big screen.When I saw it the theater was mostly empty (not good for the movie, but it probably allowed us to enjoy it some more) and it was its first run (did it have a second?).
Its sad the film didn't do as well as it should have, at the time it was the best alien related movie in theaters (I seem to remember independence day being out at the same time).My one gripe is a somewhat weak ending (especially considering the strength of the rest of the movie).
Overall it is an entertaining and somewhat thought provoking film that you won't regret watching unless you don't like movies that emphasize suspense instead of action.
Global warming is more of a subplot that leads Mr Sheen in a certain direction and nothing more.The special effects are fairly spartan but effective and nicely creepy when they are used.Some of the characters are kind of annoying but are necessary, and don't detract from the film overall.A worthwhile rental, especially if you have a large TV to watch it on..
Since then, it has gained some life on video and will probably gain more popularity since the film marks the debut of director David Twohy, who is proving to be a force to reckon with in Hollywood, especially after his success with Pitch Black.Zane Ziminski (Charlie Sheen) is a brilliant radio astronomer who, along with his partner (Richard Schiff), receive a radio signal which Ziminski believes was emitted from an extraterrestrial source.
As Ziminski continues his investigation, he believes he may have uncovered a worldwide alien conspiracy.What makes The Arrival as great a film as it is is because of the story, which is smart and interesting.
Despite this being his first time behind the camera, he proves himself an adroit filmmaker, weaving the story together brilliantly, and unfolding little plot surprises along the way.The Arrival is primarily a thriller, and Twohy is more than competent at creating action and suspense (witness Pitch Black), both elements of which are sharply executed in this film.
The film moves at a lightning pace and there's never a loss of momentum or a lag in the running time, which runs smoothly throughout all 115 minutes.The cast is also strong, with Charlie Sheen taking top acting honors.
*** 1/2 out of ****Writer/director David Twohy accomplished the near-impossible in the summer of 1996; he delivered a fun, fast-paced AND intelligent sci-fi thriller with The Arrival, an intriguing, thought-provoking film that was unfairly ignored in theaters at the time of its release (most viewers chose to see Twister, M:I, Independence Day).
The movie has a classic premise about a radio astronomer (Charlie Sheen) who receives a signal from outer space that may or may not have come from extraterrestrial life.To say anymore would be unforgivable, as Twohy packs in believable twists and turns throughout the plot, which is fun without insulting the brain, and complex without ever bogging down in mind-numbing confusion.
The script does have a few head-scratchers here and there (I was particularly miffed that Lindsay Crouse's character, an environmentalist, wasn't familiar with the concept of terraforming) and some contrivances, but they're hardly bothersome and aren't noticeable until a second viewing.As good a screenwriter as Twohy is, he's even more adept as a director (further proven by Pitch Black, a superbly crafted deep-space thriller with a script not even half as smart as The Arrival's).
With great pacing and precise editing, Twohy builds momentum with each discovery Sheen unfolds, until it culminates to an edge-of-the-seat climax that's quite satisfying (unlike...cough...cough..."V: the Final Battle", Independence Day).The cast is all-around effective, with Sheen delivering a surprisingly terrific performance as the paranoid astronomer.
Composer Arthur Kempel's score adds a bit more tension to the already excruciating suspense, and evokes a creepy atmosphere during the film's quieter moments.Remember, folks, The Arrival is a rarity, a once in a while example of how pure movie magic can be created when we've got dedicated filmmakers who want to intrigue the audience rather than catering to demographics just for the sake of box office returns.
Charlie Sheen plays Zane, a radio astronomer who accidentally discovers an alien signal from space, that also has origins on Earth.
Zane then finds out he has been fired, and the tape he gave to his boss disappears, so now very suspicious, he undertakes his own investigation, which leads him to an alarming truth about aliens who are indeed very much among us...Well written and directed by David Twohy, this science fiction film is a pleasant surprise, and Charlie Sheen is appealing and believable as the man determined to find the truth, and warn the world; sounds like a certain FBI agent from "The X-Files"....
earth film succeeded because it added humor to the suspense story and Charlie Sheen did a great job adding to that with an expression-filled face that made he and this film fun to watch.Story-wise, most of it made no sense as Sheen got out of one impossible scrap after another but good sci-fi special effects and suspense helped make the story interesting and fast-moving.
When the astronomer Zane Ziminski (Charlie Sheen) receives signal from a distant star, he reports and gives all the evidences to his chief, Phil Gordian (Ron Silver), and is immediately fired.
They meet each other in a small Mexican town, where Zane finds that aliens are preparing to annihilate the human race and preparing Earth for their occupation."The Arrival" has a good story that uses the abnormal raise of temperature and change in the climate on Earth as part of a plot of invasion of our planet by aliens.
Zane (Charlie Sheen), an astronomer discovers intelligent alien life , as he picks up strange signals from outer space .
Zane Zaminsky (Charlie Sheen) and Calvin (Richard Schiff) working a radio telescope discover a signal from 14.6 light years away.
I'm not sure acting is his strong point.In this truly terrible X-Files rip-off, Charlie's eyebrows are permanently hiked up around his hairline, and running around Mexico bare-chested (it's hot, you see) is not enough to keep us interested for nearly two hours.How David Twohy managed to get finance for any movie after this is beyond me, and he should definitely get someone else to read over his scripts; I didn't know whether to groan or guffaw most of the time.
Title: The Arrival; Genre: Sci-Fi; Certificate: 15; Year: 1996; Director: David N TwohyStarring: Charlie Sheen, Teri Polo, Ron SilverWith the renaissance of science fiction, (similar to the brief rebirth of westerns recently), there are many frustrated script writers only too eager to share their visions of alien invasions and futuristic apocalypse.
Charlie Sheen, who has slipped into freefall since the heady days of "Platoon", is Zane Ziminski, a radio telescope operator who searches the airwaves for alien contact from outer space.
Charlie Sheen acts exactly as he did in Hot Shots (and part of me hoped this will turn out to be a parody in the end), while the other actors are mostly alien to movies :)The link to B&B comes from the actions taken by both human and aliens.
Charlie Sheen stars as a scientist who discovers that there really is "life out there." The only problem is that it's not out thereit's here, and they're covering up his discovery in hopes of remaining incognito.This movie plays like a cheap sci-fi movie of the 30's.
I'm a fan of Charlie Sheen and I think Teri Polo is cute, but that's about as far as this movie goes.3 out of 10 stars (and that's a gift)..
Sheen to be the main actor in this film.The guy act as if he is under the influence of some pretty intense stuff, like crack/cocaine.His facial expression and wide open-eyes were a major let-down.
David Twohy (Pitch Black) plays it by the numbers here but creates a very believable conspiracy film with Charlie Sheen playing a radio astronomer who tells all and sundry that he has picked up on extraterrestrial signals, when no one takes him seriously he gets in his car and goes of on a quest to get proof.
Those who crave conspiracy theories and cover ups, your time will not go to waste.Radio astronomer Zane Ziminsky (Charlie Sheen) believes he's picked up a cosmic noise that signals extraterrestrial intelligence.
David Twohy, a Talented Writer/Director is one Filmmaker that is consistently interesting, making Movies that almost always are a Notch Above.In this Film there is an Abundance of Paranoia and Government Cover-Ups that lend an Unsettling Feel and the SFX and Makeup are Creepy and suck every Low-Budget Dollar into a Visually Impressive, pervasive Trickery, that is Original and Clever.This is an Underrated Sleeper that never got the Attention or Acclaim that it deserves.
Charlie Sheen is a Dynamo of a Geek and comes close to Over Acting but is always Engaging and Likable.The rest of the Cast does a Good Job of surrounding this Radio Astronomer with Threatening Characters and Friendly Confidants.
If you want to make a serious movie about alien attacks, you need to get another kind of actor, and other sets, and something more realistic, something different than seen someone escaping from prison just because a window was open.I like Charlie Sheen when he was young or right now when he does what he does best: play himself.
Charlie Sheen may be the only reason I didn't give it a 1, because I like the guy in other things he is in.And you know, I actually can't believe IMDb gives this thing a 6.2 at this point in time.
This movie has a great, rather original premise, a suspenseful plot, good cimematography, better-than average special effects, and a competent cast.
But the thing was I never seen any previews or trailers for the film nor did I recall ever hearing about The Arrival until we arrived at the theater to see it.A movie that cast Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Crouse, Richard Schiff, Ron Silver, Teri Polo and many more.
One of the films that unless you were in the theater when it was release it's not easy to describe because the film was just one that quite unexpected and you never know what would happened next because it had you on the edge of your seat It just one of those rare movies that you have to just sit down and watch to better understand it because only a few words can best fit it.If you enjoy 90s movies or are looking for those movies that you can't guess at then give this one a shot you might be surprised how it turns outI give the Arrival an 7 out of 10.
'Arrival' is a film that depicts aliens already present on earth and working on their plan for domination.Charlie Sheen plays astrophysicist Zane Zaminsky who struggles to survive in science since he is getting paid by short-term grants that are about to expire.
Sheen goes to the extremes to prove his point first to his girlfriend (played by Teri Polo) who initially distrusts him and then to his bosses in the observatory.The film has a strong b-movie character and I think that's the reason it is more entertaining given the subject; it takes more liberties with the script and even if the situations are a bit over the top sometimes they are still suspenseful.
"The Arrival" is a film that appeals to a wider audience due to its continual action, along with a global message in its wake that affects us all.Zane Zaminsky, a radio astronomer, works in a job that in real life would be about as exciting as watching cows graze to most folks.
the last third of the movie is an amalgamation of sloppy CGI, overdone performances, and coincidences/contrivances, that are so distracting it ruins my ability to sit back and enjoy the remainder of the film.There is no way The Arrival should've ended up like this.
If your idea of good science fiction is reading the latest issue of Analog, you'll love The Arrival.This movie was released a month before & was completely eclipsed by Independence Day. The contrast between the two could not be greater.
The plot has plenty of twists and turns to keep viewers wondering what will happen next.If you enjoy a little plot with your sci-fi film, then watch this movie.
While initially shocked by a rather portly Charlie Sheen, I was thoroughly entertained with a solid story possessing intelligence, action, and an effective cast.It is hard to describe this film without ruining it for any readers that have not seen it.
Whereas "Independence Day" is the traditional-conservative-values treatment of the theme, in which American cleverness and firepower save the day, "The Arrival" is the liberal-environmental-disaster flick, wherein a cabal of aliens is deliberately speeding up the process of global warming so as to make Earth suitable for their colonies.Charlie Sheen is a jittery radio astronomer whiz-kid who discovers this conspiracy of extraterrestrial terraforming (how's that for an oxymoron?), which is being financed by American investors in PlanetCorp, the aliens' front company.
This is thebest science fiction thriller since 'Aliens.' Completely original, and a nice performance by otherwise so-so Charlie Sheen.
"The Arrival," (1996), starring Charlie Sheen, may not be the dullest sci-fi film ever made, but it tries real hard.
I will say that "The Arrival" is a mildly confusing movie, portraying an astronomer (Charlie Sheen) discovering alien life hiding an ugly secret.
You have to use your imagination while watching this movie.First of all: I liked Charlie Sheen.
The only weak character, to my thinking anyway, is the environmentalist scientist, in that her acting ability runs the gamut of a to c (though she at least looks the part).Final note - the idea of the aliens constructing masks to look like Earthlings was brilliant, as was the plot device of Sheen's noticing doubles.
before i watched this film i thought it would be crap i only hired it because Charlie Sheen is in it.But the film turned out to be really good there was never a boring scene it keep me entertained from start to finish.I would highly recommend it to fans of sci-fi movies or any one looking for a good movie to watch.In the film charlie sheen plays a astronomer who discovers an alien transmission and he tries to tell people but he gets fired.And then he is doing experiments to try and find the alien signal again and he discovers it came from Mexico.And then he goes down to Mexico to try and find the aliens and people try to kill him.over all a good film 7/10.
THE ARRIVAL (1996) *** Charlie Sheen, Teri Polo, Ron Silver, Lindsay Crouse.
The story is fun with lots of twists and turns and the movie has some great special fx ( Including the believable aliens and also the super awesome "Implosion bomb") Take the time to check it out and be pleasantly surprised..
Charlie Sheen (Zane) is very convincing as the slightly paranoid radio astronomer who first detects the alien messages.
THE ARRIVAL ('sci-fi', 1996) Obsessed with finding alien life, radio astronomer Zane (Charlie Sheen) scans the universe for any trace.
This was one of the best sci-fi alien takeover movies that I have seen simply for the fact that the plot was great.
(I mean, are you as tired of Area 51-driven plots as I am?) The premise is more interesting, the investigation  (a bit) more believable, and the technology of the invaders more original.It was refreshing to see real scientists, making discoveries by doing real science--I refer here to the Lindsay Crouse character, tracking down anomalous data in atmospheric gases, rather than Charlie Sheen's radio astronomer.
The Arrival (1996) is a cult classic science fiction about a radio astronomer Zane Zaminsky (Charlie Sheen) who discovers evidence of intelligent alien life and quickly gets thrown into the middle of a conspiracy that turns his life upside down.
The Arrival is my favorite David Twohy film and the best of Charlie Sheen movie ever.
The acting in this film from Charlie Sheen and Ron Silver is brilliant I love this movie to death I love it!
to me this this movie is an easy 8 and it is a prototypical "good" science fiction thriller movie -- intense, perfectly executed, original plot no copycat, shown to the tune of a forgettable and occasionally insulting story.Plot: Radio astronomer Zane Zaminsky (Charlie Sheen) believes he's picked up a cosmic noise that signals extraterrestrial intelligence.
Arrested for the murder of a scientist (Lindsay Crouse) investigating and impending ecological disaster, Zane's escape custody carrying proof of a world-shattering alien invasion in this intense sci-fi thriller.I first saw this movie on a cable when I was in high school.
I did not recognize Charlie Sheen with a beard watching this movie it quickly become my favorite Alien film.
The only real difference is the scale of the movie, the other two are very grand blockbuster, while The Arrival feels more like a little, smart thriller...which it certainly is.But the most interesting point for me is that this is written and directed by David Twohy.
THE ARRIVAL is one of the earliest Hollywood films made to cash in on the success of THE X-FILES on TV, telling of astronomer Charlie Sheen who becomes convinced that he and he alone has detected an alien signal from deepest space.
I am happy to say that 'The Arrival' succeeds at both.The movie stars Charlie Sheen as Zane a radio astronomer fearlessly listening the for the all-important voices from outer space.
Charlie Sheen, Teri Polo, Lindsay Crouse and Ron Silver star in this 1996 sci-fi film.
Sheen (Wall Street) plays Zane, an astronomer who discovers an alien conspiracy after picking up a radio signal from space.