Looking strikingly like an earthbound Prometheus, can Arrival trump it by offering a spellbinding story as well as visuals?…
Amy Adams plays Professor Banks, a leading linguist specialist, who must deal with the responsibility of making first contact with an alien race. Supported by theoretical physicist Ian Donnally (Jeremy Renner), she must convince the military, led by Colonel Weber (Forrest Whitaker) to allow her time to build a friendly relationship and understanding of the visitors.
5-time-Oscar-nominated Amy Adams shines in latest sci-fi thinker.
The cast do a fine job in their roles with Amy Adams as the most notably outstanding. However it is the story itself that draws the real credit. Exploring the reality of what emotions and reactions would spread through humanity in this situation stimulates a sense of reality. As mobiles start to ring one by one during a routine lecture, it imparts a chilling sense of fear: especially watched from the point of view of Banks, the lecturer who is unaware of the current events. As the world responds, the global sense of panic and lack of direction soon turns to fear and bad decisions. Witnessing the proceeding from Banks point of view as a pragmatic and learned person the sense of frustration is palpable. Watching as the small minded and powerful military ignore the opportunity for the world to pull together and learn from the unknown.
The narrative explains itself well throughout and makes its points with drive and clarity. Each plot point once recognised does not require a complex venn diagram to understand, only an open mind. Once you reach the end, most of the loose ends are tied off, or you realise an earlier scene is giving you a leading clue. It is nice to walk out of a cerebral film and be able to discus its finer points immediately rather than require a second watch to even begin to wrap your head around it.
Cinematography is as good as you would expect coming from the director of Sicario, Denis Villeneuve. Sweeping wide shots give a superb impression of the scale of the visitors craft. The use of the elements create interesting questions around the scientific explanations for the visitors ways of life and technology. As a sci-fi this will certainly tick all the boxes for lovers of that genre, but it is not exclusive to those viewers. All the elements of a mentally challenging thriller are there too as it builds suspense exceptionally well.
Given the beautifully captured vision of the book it is based on, Vision of your life by Ted Chaing, I would recommend seeing this to anyone of age. It’s a pertinent message to our fractured society, which must be applauded: finding a situation where the defining act of humanity must be one of understanding and acceptance rather than fear, greed and conflict.
Author: Joe, Bath store
