Movie Review—Arrival

by Peter J. O’Connell                                                                                              

Arrival. Released: Nov. 2016. Runtime: 116 mins. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language.

The arrival of craft from outer space and the debate among earthlings as to whether to attack the aliens or seek to befriend them is one of the basic plot situations of science fiction. Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve, focuses on what determines that choice: accurate communication. Appropriately, the film’s protagonist is a noted professor of linguistics, Louise Banks (Amy Adams).

We encounter Louise at the beginning of the film interacting with her daughter, Hannah, in scenes that show the girl from young childhood to young adulthood, when she dies of a rare, incurable disease. We then go to news of the arrival of extraterrestrial vessels at various points around the globe.

The spacecraft hover slightly above the ground and look somewhat like huge upended eggs. One of the craft has come to Montana, and the government has ordered it surrounded by troops commanded by Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker). Louise and Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), a theoretical physicist, are called upon to make contact with the visitors from beyond.

The movie weaves a fascinating spell in the scenes that follow. Louise and Ian make repeated entries into the bleak interior of the foreboding pod and attempt to communicate with . . . Abbott and Costello. No, not the spirits of the comedic pair; “Abbott and Costello” are the names that Louise and Ian give to the two beings from beyond with whom they begin to have interaction.

The beings are seven-limbed and resemble a combination of octopi, whales, elephants and spiders. Viewing them is somewhat like experiencing the surrealism of a dream. Abbott and Costello are highly imaginative creations by Villeneuve and his crew and so is the “look” of the film.

That look, sustained throughout, is not a beautiful one in the conventional sense. Villeneuve says that he wanted it to feel like “This was happening on a bad Tuesday morning, like when you were a kid on the school bus on a rainy day and you would dream while looking out the window at the clouds.” The beauty of the production’s gray, grungy look lies in the fact that it is the perfect correlative of the earthlings’ struggle to understand the unique and uncertain situation with which they find themselves confronted.

Gradually, Louise comes to realize that the aliens use a written language of complicated circular symbols, somewhat reminiscent of Rorschach images. She and Ian begin to learn the symbols that correspond to a basic vocabulary. While they are learning, however, fear is spreading around the globe, and there is rioting in various countries. When a key phrase from the aliens is interpreted by Louise in one way and in other countries in a quite different way, the possibility of violent action against the aliens looms. And the colleagues of Louise and Ian are not immune to the fear and trend toward violence, which could result in apocalypse.

 At this point, astonishing developments take place. Audience members must decide for themselves whether these developments constitute profound revelations about time, space, communication and relationships or whether they are magical/mystical/mathematical mumbo jumbo.

What few can dispute, however, is the power of Amy Adams’ subdued but deeply moving performance. Without any flashy moments, this superb actress tells the tale of the aliens’ arrival—and of Louise’s life—through nuanced facial expressions and body language. This star surely shines in this science-fiction story.

“Footnote” to the film: Arrival is based on the novella The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang.