Better Late Than Never on "Arrival"
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For a good long time now RD has told me about his distaste for the movie "Arrival". He really does not seem to like this movie at all. He has told me what he dislikes and likes about the movie, but the dislikes definitely outweigh the likes. I had planned on seeing it awhile back, but after talking with my brother about it, I put it off, until last week. I have been in a movie watching kick lately, and I have been trying to catch up on what some consider to be modern classics. "Arrival" kept popping up on a bunch of those lists, so I decided it was time for me to make my own decision on this movie.
And, right off the bat, sorry RD, but I really liked this movie. I did not love it like I love other Denis Villenuve movies, but I still found "Arrival" to be compelling and very interesting. I liked the whole idea behind the movie. By the way, spoilers ahead if you haven't seen this movie that is almost ten years old now. I really liked the beginning of the movie because it pops off with the alien ships already on Earth. Sure, we see the backstory of Amy Adams and her daughter, and her daughter's untimely death, which was brutal to see, but that is about three to four minutes of screen time. We are then thrust right into the world created by these writers, which just happens to have alien ships docked at twelve different places spread out all over the world. Amy Adams plays a linguist professor who happens to be the best linguist in the country. She is paired up with Jeremy Renner, who I think is some kind of math/science genius, but I couldn't put my finger on it all the way. Forest Whitaker is the colonel who brings them together and the movie goes from there as soon as they get to the alien sight in Montana.
I will say, to RD's point, Renner isn't great in this movie. I like his acting and I think he does an okay enough job in his role, but this is Amy Adams' movie and she is great. More on her in a second. I did really like Whitaker in this movie, but he is one of the best actors ever and I was a fan of his going in. And even though he has little screen time, Michael Stuhlberg shows why he is so reliable as an actor. But, like I said a second ago, Adams shines in this movie. I don't know what it is about her, but Adams' movies are hit and miss for me. I am not the biggest fan of "Nightbitch" or "American Hustle". But, I love what she brings to "Ricky Bobby" and her one episode of "The Office". But this movie proved to me, not that she needed it, her true stardom. I was enrapt when she was onscreen, and that was the whole movie. I felt for her. I rooted for her. I wanted her to figure it all out. And when she did figure it out, I agreed with her decision in the end. Here comes the big spoiler. When Adams figures out the alien's language, and how they track time, she realizes that she has seen into her future. She and Renner get married. The child in the beginning was her child. But the biggest twist, none of that happened yet. She has memories of it all, but the stuff with Renner and their daughter hasn't actually happened yet. I thought this was a great choice by Villenuve and the writers of the movie. I love the whole idea of, if you know what your future holds, would you change it or just let it roll. And I agreed with Adams' character's decision to let it play out. I will say that the movie does go deep into scientific terms and territories, and I did find that confusing. But, after reading more about the movie online after watching it, I appreciate how true to the real world they tried to make this sci-fi movie.
So, sorry RD, but I am one of the many people who think "Arrival" is a very good, very intriguing movie. And at this point, there's no reason for me to doubt Villenuve's work. The dude knows how to make a movie.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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