Denis Villenueve’s latest Sci-fi thriller Arrival expands on the topic of first alien contact by creating a narrative that explores the beauty of space and time travel through the lens of an individual perspective. The film is visually stunning, and masterfully crafted, creating an emotionally visceral experience for audiences.
Dennis Villenueve (Sicario, Prisoners) brings another incredible science fiction piece to the screen in his latest full length feature film. The film surrounds a linguistic professor, named Louise (Amy Adams), who is tasked with the job of communicating with the first extraterrestrials to reach planet earth. As the film progresses, Louise struggles to create a reliable communication system in order to create trust and peace between the extraterrestrials and humans. The ultimate question she and the rest of mankind desire to know is: What is your purpose here?
The film branches off from so many first contact films because of it’s ability to elevate anticipation and slow down the pace of the first encounter. While most films explore conflict between humans and extraterrestrials, Arrival is able to focus on the reality of how difficult it would be to communicate with a life form that shares little to no similarities to our own.
The film does an incredible job of balancing moments of emotional driven dialogue alongside in-depth science. According to the Stephen Wolfram Blog, Denis Villeneuve and writer Eric Heisserer, consulted with Stephen Wolfram an expert in mathematics, computer science, and theoretical physics in order to ensure the scientific ideology of the movie was accurate. The level of research and detail is apparent throughout the film as it continually poses scientific-data driven questions that make the film seemingly realistic.
The film’s narrative is supplemented by a beautiful crafted score by Jóhann Jóhannsson (Theory of Everything). With the arrival of the extraterrestrials, the music elicits feelings of anxiety, fear, and ultimately hope. This ability to evoke a variety of thoughts in audiences minds is what sets it apart from other first contact films. While the film does detail widespread perspective of how humanity views the arrival, the film’s ability to focus on Louise’s backstory and her running thoughts makes the film more personal to the viewing audience.
Audiences hoping to experience a unique thought provoking science-fiction film should make sure to check out arrival in theaters. Check out the trailer below:
