ARRIVAL (2016)

11/14/2016 - Arrival (2016) – 8-/10

A remarkable and exquisite contemplative piece of science fiction. A methodical puzzle that tugs at our emotions, thrills us with possibility, and astutely & poignantly pokes at the soft underbelly of humanities lackings. Similarly to Inception, Childhood's End and the Fountain, this film will leave you picking at different threads of a large and beautiful blanket before you wrap yourself up in its ephemeral existential warmth, its quizzical determinism/anti-determinism and the comfort of hope despite sadness.

Amy Adams is an oft recognized but under-praised cinematic gem. A deft touch for heart and a sturdy tone of believability pour from every line and gaze. This film is her, and it works. The other cast is quite good, but her soulful inquisition is both the heart and the hand fashioning the film.

Villeneuve gets another "GRAPE JOB" scratch'N'sniff sticker on his film project from me. Not perfect, but I love this guys work, delivering tones of realism, loneliness, deserved moodiness, and dour visual palettes that curve towards positive possibility rather than fatalistic defeatism. He picks the right actors and positions them to bring full bodied emotional performances that don't feel staged or stuffy, all with the gorgeous aesthetic of a shadowy baroque and the tinge of hopeful light in the darkness. A Fincher that is less interested in the mathematics and more the metaphysics, if that make any sense. This essence, symbiotically paired with the score, sound design, and sfx provide a seamless and provocative experience.

Despite my seeming gushing, there are plenty of issues with the film, from the perceived overly complex plotting, some might say emotionally manipulation, a few side characters have less than healthily explored motivations for their actions, and there are jumps in internal logic when the plot demands it. These only hindered me from bestowing signs of greatness. I see the necessity of these slight mis-steps and thus they do not hang down as a burden around my viewing neck. Others might disagree, and I recognize that, but I moved passed.

The Arrival is a slow, tense, and sweetly touching science fiction film that I am surprised is finding the audience that it deserves. There is a subtly and intellectualism that rarely gets appreciated. I am glad. This feels more like the film Interstellar should have been, though it was more ambitious (and probably a bit over its skis) than this. Though not without fault (perhaps plodding and inscrutable at various moments), Arrival brings a unique and daring sci-fi vision to life, even if it is done in a mixture of bombast and mundane.