Arrival

Arrival is undoubtedly one of the best movies of 2016 and one of the best movies I've seen all year (and that's saying something). This is the kind of high-concept science fiction that not only makes me proud to be in love with the genre, it inspires me to explore not only the science fiction but the science fact as well. More than that, Arrival makes me believe in good, smart movies once more. It's one of those movies that takes its time, trusts the audiences and knows when to pull back or go all out for full effect. I'd seen some of Denis Villeneuve's work prior to this but living and breathing this world here, I just needed to go back and explore the others he has crafted. Almost surprisingly, all of the worlds Villeneuve creates feels unique, real and they seep into you, inviting you to stay despite their ability to leave you a little unsettled. With astonishing visuals and an amazing soundtrack, Arrival does so very much with relatively limited and restrained tools. Even with the grandeur of the pods, the droning or the sheer scale of it all, there's a reserved intimacy that punches well above its weight. Best of all, Amy Adams gets to show off some incredible acting and be the hero we deserve. It's a world populated by men but she holds her own and has the audacity to go further and do better than anyone else. Meanwhile, she breaks our hearts with a personal story that only gets heavier and heavier as the clues start to come together. What is really impressive, though, is that you could swap out almost every member of this cast for someone else and it would still work. Having seen and lived it though, and particularly in the case of Adams, I can't imagine anyone else doing a better job. Arrival is an intelligent and meaningful film. It's a beautiful and awe-inspiring film. It's a film with a message we all ought to her and try to understand. Most of all, it's a return to good, high-quality and intelligent cinema, the kind we all crave and bemoan when absent but miss when it's there. Dammit, I just love this film.