Arrival

Fun, brainy sci-fi with a linguistic bent. The twist at the end – an extreme form of the “language determines thought” hypothesis – may not actually be possible biologically but it’s fun to speculate about. A few details are left unexplained, for example: How did Amy Adams’ character survive in the atmosphere on board the alien ship when it’s obviously walled off for a reason? What kind of apparatus do the aliens use to write their graphic language? (Or is it done completely through thought transmission? If so, why did it develop as an entirely graphic form?) But these flaws are easily overlooked. The movie is beautifully shot, has spectacular special effects (though they often seem played down) and an engaging plot. Also, it unfolds slowly (like other sci-fi effects classics such as "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"), giving the viewer a chance to savor the experience rather than being caught up in more and faster action sequences. Worth a watch.

1 STAR RATING. Long, boring movie. Lots of implied meaning ending stuff. Borefest. I kept fast forwarding to the end WHICH WAS overrated. But it's free rental why complain, right?

I found this movie to be very slow and not worth watching. The story line could have been alot better.

Aliens arrive and a woman linguist is the only one able to make sense of their language. Riveting science fiction that will blow your mind.

The portrayal of the aliens in this film reminded me of Kang and Kodos, the duo of fictional recurring characters in the The Simpsons, & while it is an interesting story, I believe that the book would offer improved character development & probably avoid the hyper-dramatic military interventions that Hollywood requires to sell films. If you're interested in the idea of extra-terrestrial life & linguistics, then you'll be able to tolerate this film.

Meh. The process of breaking the alien's unusual language happened much too fast, therefore to me made this movie more cliché. Interesting aliens though, quite creative IMO. Unfortunately the movie transposed into an idiots vs intellects, good guy vs bad guy scenario. The protagonist's connection to a major military figure was highly unbelievable and unconvincing. It's as if the producers of the movie realized it was going overtime so they forced a deus ex machina.The ending didn't resolve, similar to No Country For Old Men, a movie I didn't like.

(spoiler)Good sci-fi. Some very slow minutes. It switches back and forth over the main characters time-line in life. You can miss that the aliens were trying to explain knowing what happens to the future is what is given to the main character.

Really creative story...

This movie utilizes some stellar sci-fi concepts, and Denis Villeneuve is a great director. There is a sublime kind of paranoia that runs through the stories that he presents to the screen. Arrival felt like a practice run for Blade Runner 2049, but the script fell short of the expectations that carried me through the movie. It was a gripping story with some angles that needed strong reveals, yet the ending just fell flat for me. For some viewers, it will feel like the perfect conclusion, but I wanted a different kind of twist.

Simply boring. The writers were no way as clever as they thought they were. Full stop. Pass it by.