I went to see “Arrival” sort of reluctantly because I am not into sci-fi movies with aliens coming to take the world over and a war ensues between the good guys (us) and the Bad (the aliens) and we always win. It was a choice of seeing this movie or “Rules Don’t Apply” and I am not a fan of Warren Beatty’s and I understand it is really a flop so I decided on “Arrival”.

The main reasons I was interested in seeing “Arrival” was because I am becoming a big fan of Amy Adams and on YouTubeI saw a video titled “Arrival Ending Explained” which intrigued me though I didn’t watch it until after I saw the movie.

The first hour of the movie was like watching a foreign language film without subtitles and didn’t hold me interest at all. The second hour with the 12 egg-shaped UFOs all over the world set up the standard them versus us but that isn’t where it goes.

Amy Adams is Dr. Louise Banks, is a language expert, who had a daughter who died at the age of 12, and is called on to help make contact with the aliens who are named Abbot & Costello by the theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly, played by Jeremy Renner, who brings the  very rare humor in the movie. They work together in ways not exactly up to what Colonel Weber, (Forest Whitaker) and a CIA agent played by Michael Stuhlbarg want from them.

The film revolves around Adams and Renner with little time for the other actors except for an important cameo by Tzi Ma who plays the Chinese leader though it is Adams who holds your attention every time she is on screen which is through the whole film.

The film is not about them versus us but about time and how it can be looked at in different ways. We see many scenes with the mother and daughter from birth until her death 12 years later and by the ending these scenes all are looked at in a way that we weren’t aware while watching them.

The ending is done subtly by the director Denis Villeneuve and screenwriter Eric Heisserer instead of hammering the audience over the head but I really wished I had watched that YouTubevideo before I saw the film.

Adams performance is constrained, as it should be, where it could have been melodramatic. When it comes to her what it all is about she calmly accepts and understands what is happening and what happened. Renner is very strong support for her performance.

This is not an ‘entertaining’ film in the sense you can sit back, munch on your popcorn and enjoy aliens invading earth but to which you have to think.

“Arrival” for the most part is a boring film except for the last 15 minutes and I didn’t think the time invested was really worth the first 101 minutes and time is what the film is all about.

 MOVIE TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLO4X6UI8OY

MAJOR SPOILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpIFm4O2YvU