Eight stars. The biggest ding from a cinematic standpoint is the characteristic
flaw in Villeneuve's films. It's too dark. Maybe he thinks that makes it
moody. But it really just makes it too dark. There's also some fundamental
violations of basic science that, technically, moves this from "science fiction"
to fantasy. But I still include this in my list of "first contact" films for
my Life in the Universe course. Because most of it is spot-on. Of course the
official reactions would be militaristic. Of course they would be dominated by
paranoia. And, of course, the essential problem is one of communication. So
hinging the film on the attempt of a linguist to get her own people to
understand the situation is the key to the whole story. And Amy Adams does a
magnificent job of playing that character. It's the most honest portrayal of
an academic I've ever seen in cinema. Renner does a fine job as well, at least
after the staggeringly bad cliche' of his first scene. Adams has to confront
the problem of the Heptapod language, but her essential challenge is the
behavior of her own government. That's why it is so important that the
military chief and the CIA operative were also played by brilliant actors at
the top of their games. Forest Whitaker has been doing excellent work for 40
years now, and Michael Stuhlbarg for at least 20. Even though it's shot WAY
too dark, and even though the science veers into outright nonsense, it's an
insightful study of the response to first contact, with superlative acting at
the top of the bill. This is very much a film worth watching. 6 May 2022.
Review of Arrival
