Arrival

Woah. What a fantastic movie this was. It featured a completely original and a seemingly realistic take on what an alien invasion would really look like and I love it for that. And I haven’t even mentioned the fantastic writing, great performances, superb direction from Villeneuve, and honestly I don’t know if I can think of another synonym for great to describe that ending. That ending alone makes this movie great, and it might be my favorite part of the movie. But as you can probably already tell, I loved every part of this movie. Arrival absolutely floored me. The film revolves college professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) who is recruited to lead a team of investigators when giant floating objects touch down the planet. When the threat of global war surrounding the objects arise, Louise and her team have to race against the clock to find away to communicate with the aliens, in ways that could potentially threaten her own life, as well mankind as they know it. Arrival is a very entrancing film to say the least, drawing you in from the very start, and keeping you wholly intrigued for the entire runtime. A lot of this is due to its fantastic story. The characters are layered, and the film delves very deep into each one of them, making the films experience so much better. You care for the characters and seeing them in peril is just so intense. I also loved the realistic depiction of what an alien invasion would look like. I don’t believe in aliens, but if they were to come invade I think it’d look like something like what this film depicts. Less laser explosions, but a lot more real things, like political disagreements and studies and whatnot. The way that they took the idea of an ‘alien invasion’ isn’t really something completely new but the way they handled it was fantastic. The performances from both Adams and Rennner were some of the best things about this film. They were not only completely believable, but they made the film feel real. I sometimes forgot I was watching a film, and that I wasn’t sitting in the middle of an alien invasion. Their characters were both very compelling, and the performances just enhanced that. Before I end this review, I have to touch on the gorgeous cinematography from Bradford Young, who made this already gorgeous movie even more gorgeous from a visual standpoint. I liked the calmness of it, even during the chaotic scenes. It was quite beautiful.  - Great cinematography? Yep. - Great writing? Yep. - Great story? Yep. - Compelling characters? Yep. - Fantastic direction? Yep. - Visually gorgeous? Yep. - Great acting? Yep. - A beautiful score that elevates each and every scene? Yep. - A tremendously unique and impactful ending? Yep. If you like any of those things when you watch a movie, then I truly believe you could find something to appreciate about Arrival. I finally see where all of its love comes from, and I can proudly say that I am now among those who adore this film. 5/5 (100%)