Arrival is muddy narrative mixed with a confusion plot dipped in some nice visuals. A film that tries to be too smart for its own good while making political undertones but can’t even cover its own plot holes to come to a satisfying conclusion. Amy Adams give a good emotional performance but honestly she can only do so much with what she is given. Director Denis Villeneuve does the best with what he haves and almost is able to salvage a passable movie but I put the blame on the screenwriter for coming up with a poor adaption to a short story.
Just seen it and I enjoyed it. It was slightly confusing in parts, but everything gets cleared up. It's a very emotional film and I had to hold in my tears by the end.
Just seen it and I enjoyed it. It was slightly confusing in parts, but everything gets cleared up. It's a very emotional film and I had to hold in my tears by the end.
Did you get the lightbulb moment where everything made sense and the film kinda flipped on its head a bit?
I saw it on Thursday afternoon, really enjoyed it. I wouldn't agree that it moved me to tears, but it was a very touching and well performed film.
Did you get the lightbulb moment where everything made sense and the film kinda flipped on its head a bit?
I saw it on Thursday afternoon, really enjoyed it. I wouldn't agree that it moved me to tears, but it was a very touching and well performed film.
I thought it was really good . Amy Adams was outstanding. I realised what the plot reveal was going to be when Louise told her daughter to ask her father to help with her homework question.
Arrival is muddy narrative mixed with a confusion plot dipped in some nice visuals. A film that tries to be too smart for its own good while making political undertones but can’t even cover its own plot holes to come to a satisfying conclusion. Amy Adams give a good emotional performance but honestly she can only do so much with what she is given. Director Denis Villeneuve does the best with what he haves and almost is able to salvage a passable movie but I put the blame on the screenwriter for coming up with a poor adaption to a short story.
Great movie, it's always good to see some cerebral sci-fi get some mainstream attention. I looked up the OST on Spotify, but it doesn't have all the music
I thought it was really good . Amy Adams was outstanding. I realised what the plot reveal was going to be when Louise told her daughter to ask her father to help with her homework question.
The homework scene confirmed my suspicion and the major light bulb moment actually made my suspicion make sense
I have not yet seen it, but my elder son did and he
thought it was terrible, except for Amy Adams who
he told me, was good. I will withold my opinions until
such time as I have personally viewed it, but I have to
say that it looks like the kind of film I WOULD enjoy!
I enjoyed it but found the ending a bit of a let-down and the 'sci-fi' element is actually pretty poor on reflection. I'd call it a personal melodrama dressed up on some pseudo sci-fi and the 'message' the film is trying to convey is a bit confused really.
Did you get the lightbulb moment where everything made sense and the film kinda flipped on its head a bit?
No
i'm just on my way home from seeing it and i'm still a bit confused. If that moment is what i think it is, it feels more like an "oh.....ok then" rather than a "whoooooah" sort of revelation. i shall have to mull it over some more
The film and story it's based on reminded me too much of Star Trek DS9; particularly the pilot episode Emissary which had a strong emotional focus on existence, loss, etc
I watched it yesterday and I'd agree with those saying that it's a good movie rather than a great one. Good enjoyable proper science fiction film where you're asked to think about things rather than sit back and watch stuff blowing up.
Some people will certainly come out of the cinema disappointed because the trailers managed to keep the actual storyline hidden and so you don't quite know what you're getting. I personally considered that a big positive.
Some plot holes in there (or at least stuff they did to progress the story that didn't ring quite true) but if you're still thinking about and emotionally involved with what you just saw 20 minutes later then I call that a good film.
Amy Adams is terrific, but the rest of the central cast are wasted really as they are little more than cardboard cut outs given precious little to do. I also felt that the concept, underneath the smoke and mirrors, is actually pretty thin and that the film had some real pacing issues. That said, it did have an emotional sucker punch of an ending.
Now that i'm home and i've read the synopsis on Wikipedia that confirms my suspicions, I do now "get it", and I do agree that it's good - very good even - but not great.
Having read Chiang's story recently I am both looking forward to and dreading seeing the movie. The story is a little intellectual gem about causal v teleological world views and their relation to language. It is the essence of the plot that nothing really happens, there can be no surprises: everything is known from the beginning. People used to say that Cloud Atlas was unfilmable, but surely not as much so as this. To make it filmable (as I understand) events have been added to the movie - nuclear threats, earth space ship etc. - that were not merely not in the original story but which are quite at odds with everything the story is about. Hence my reservations about the movie which I shall nevertheless be sure to see.
People often complain that movie aliens are just people in funny costumes. They think like people, act and react like people, are usually bipedal with two of everything physiologically. They think like we do - serially in terms of action and consequences. Unusually Arrival and the story it derives from postulate aliens who are fundamentally different from humans. Whether you do so before or after seeing the movie, I strongly recommend reading the story. You may find as I did that the only way to explain to someone what the story is about is to persuade them to read it for themselves.
Comments
Arrival is muddy narrative mixed with a confusion plot dipped in some nice visuals. A film that tries to be too smart for its own good while making political undertones but can’t even cover its own plot holes to come to a satisfying conclusion. Amy Adams give a good emotional performance but honestly she can only do so much with what she is given. Director Denis Villeneuve does the best with what he haves and almost is able to salvage a passable movie but I put the blame on the screenwriter for coming up with a poor adaption to a short story.
https://society-reviews.com/2016/11/11/arrival-review/
I'll be going to see it next Tuesday.
Did you get the lightbulb moment where everything made sense and the film kinda flipped on its head a bit?
I saw it on Thursday afternoon, really enjoyed it. I wouldn't agree that it moved me to tears, but it was a very touching and well performed film.
I thought it was really good . Amy Adams was outstanding. I realised what the plot reveal was going to be when Louise told her daughter to ask her father to help with her homework question.
Rotten Tomatoes - 93%
IMDB - 8.5
Empire - 5 Stars
Kermode loved it
You've found the one contrarian - the definition of there's always one isn't there
I guessed part of it when they showed Louise scenes with her daughter shown at the start and the father of her daughter was so obvious!
It's an interesting bit of sci-fi though!
3.5/5
The homework scene confirmed my suspicion and the major light bulb moment actually made my suspicion make sense
I know right, who I'm I to form my own opinion and not just go with everyone else?
thought it was terrible, except for Amy Adams who
he told me, was good. I will withold my opinions until
such time as I have personally viewed it, but I have to
say that it looks like the kind of film I WOULD enjoy!
I thought that they were actually modelled on a hand..
No
i'm just on my way home from seeing it and i'm still a bit confused. If that moment is what i think it is, it feels more like an "oh.....ok then" rather than a "whoooooah" sort of revelation. i shall have to mull it over some more
Some people will certainly come out of the cinema disappointed because the trailers managed to keep the actual storyline hidden and so you don't quite know what you're getting. I personally considered that a big positive.
Some plot holes in there (or at least stuff they did to progress the story that didn't ring quite true) but if you're still thinking about and emotionally involved with what you just saw 20 minutes later then I call that a good film.
Amy Adams was excellent.
People often complain that movie aliens are just people in funny costumes. They think like people, act and react like people, are usually bipedal with two of everything physiologically. They think like we do - serially in terms of action and consequences. Unusually Arrival and the story it derives from postulate aliens who are fundamentally different from humans. Whether you do so before or after seeing the movie, I strongly recommend reading the story. You may find as I did that the only way to explain to someone what the story is about is to persuade them to read it for themselves.
Could do without the spoilers please