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Arrival |OT| Director Denis Villeneuve, Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson (11/11 wide)

shira

shira

Member
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Homepage | IMDb | Box Office Mojo | Wikipedia | Twitter | iTunes soundtrack(*mild spoilers)

- Based on the Award winning short story "Story of your Life" by Teddy Chiang, linguist (Amy Adams) races against the clock to communicate with aliens.
- Sicario and Prisoners Director Villeneuve reunites with superstar Composer Jóhannsson for their first sci-fi collaboration with their next being the much awaited Blade Runner 2049
- Hotshot Cinematographer Bradford Young adds to his already impressive resume including Selma, A Most Violent Year and the Han Solo movie


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Trailer(*mild spoilers) | International Trailer(*kinda spoilery) | Download Trailers from The Digital Theater | iTunes featurette | TheFilmStage: 2 short clips | Rottentomatoes: 20+ short interviews

If you want the best experience I would go in without watching anything. Then watch it again.


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Rottentomatoes: 8.3/10 - 197 Fresh, 15 Rotten | Metacritic: 81% - 51 reviews | Cinemascore: B

_______________________________

Hello movie fans!

Please use this thread to post your hype, general questions and personal reviews.
I personally have not seen the movie but will do so opening night.
I will try to do my best to answer questions and update the OP with any news, GAF reviews or impressions.

We have an ARRIVAL Rottenwatch thread if you want to discuss professional reviews.

I'm not 100% sure if it is necessary but I'll err on the side of caution and throw up a Spoiler Thread just in case.
I know several people have seen the movie at various film festivals or preview events.
Please use the Spoiler thread to discuss any sensitive information that may impact others' enjoyment.
*ARRIVAL Spoiler Thread Link*

Thanks and enjoy!
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
How many threads on this movie are there!

Anyway, i'll chime in in this one as well. It's a must-see in my book.

Can't wait to see it again with some other friends next week.
 
shira

shira

Member
Hoo-doo said:
How many threads on this movie are there!

Anyway, i'll chime in in this one as well. It's a must-see in my book.

Can't wait to see it again with some other friends next week.
Click to expand...

12.

I don't think it's mainstream enough to be popular though.
Hell I don't even know if a 2nd week Dr. Strange is going to beat it out in the NA Box Office.

It sort of has the early buzz but I'm not hearing Oscar type hype.
 
R

Rumblebones

Banned
Saw it last night and don't really get what the fuss is about. In my estimation it's a competently made film with some novel twist that make critics feel smart about themselves for getting it. Performances aren't exactly noteworthy and neither is the directing.

It's an average film I think will be a lot more divisive over time once the novelty wears off.
 
shira

shira

Member
Rumblebones said:
Saw it last night and don't really get what the fuss is about. In my estimation it's a competently made film with some novel twist that make critics feel smart about themselves for getting it. Performances aren't exactly noteworthy and neither is the directing.

It's an average film I think will be a lot more divisive over time once the novelty wears off.
Click to expand...

It's one of my favorite directors and composers.
Not everything has to do with the story for me.
I guess I just like watching these two dudes work their magic.
 
H

Hoo-doo

Banned
Rumblebones said:
Saw it last night and don't really get what the fuss is about. In my estimation it's a competently made film with some novel twist that make critics feel smart about themselves for getting it. Performances aren't exactly noteworthy and neither is the directing.

It's an average film I think will be a lot more divisive over time once the novelty wears off.
Click to expand...

I could see this opinion as well. The story isn't all that satisfying and the twist - well you just have to see it for yourself.

But I am such a sucker for the premise, theme and visuals, that I still really loved it. The opening half gave me shivers like few movies do and it's a very slight disappointment that they weren't able to ride out that high all the way to the end.
 
T

thenexus6

Member
This weekend hopefully. Denis Villeneuve is one of my favourite directors at the moment, paired with Jóhann Jóhannsson is even better!
 
H

hardcastlemccormick

Banned
Saw Arrival last Friday in a preview. It's definitely a true blooded Villeneuve movie - it packs a heavy punch. The whole movie is just caked in foreboding unknown atmosphere much like Enemy or Sicario. It makes you feel like you were there in ways that most movies don't do. It has remarkable restraint as well - for the first two acts, the movie really just embraces the premise and doesn't try to make the whole thing any more than it needs to be.

My biggest comparison would be 2001: A Space Odyssey's second act for the way that when you strip down a first contact story, what remains is still so rich in ideas that all you really need is a black monolith and it implies so much. Arrival diverges from 2001 in its focus on the humanity and experience of the main character and some supporting cast, but there really is something about the two films that touch on the same spots.

I think people will really like it, though I suspect for some they will respect it more than they want to watch it again. It really is powerful both emotionally and intellectually in an almost overwhelming way.

Rumblebones said:
Saw it last night and don't really get what the fuss is about. In my estimation it's a competently made film with some novel twist that make critics feel smart about themselves for getting it. Performances aren't exactly noteworthy and neither is the directing.

It's an average film I think will be a lot more divisive over time once the novelty wears off.
Click to expand...

Some people won't like the stripped down aspects, or won't find themselves drawn into the picture as much as I was. I'd say that's fair.

I don't think the latter plot points would make anyone feel clever for "getting it." They could have ended the film early and I would have been satisfied. It's a richly thematic film, with a lot to unpack and ponder. If there's anything I fear, it's that too many people will dismiss it after their first watch because they're too caught up in the plot to think about the simpler ideas presented, and how they all connect.
 
Corpsepyre

Corpsepyre

Banned
Rex Reed
New York Observer November 9, 2016
Arrival is a weird flick, slow and tedious, too metaphysical for Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone and most likely to appeal to people who like to play video games and solve puzzles.
Full Review | Original Score: 1/4

---

:)
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
Hoo boy. Yup, I am pretty sure I loved that movie.

I am a huge fan of slow burns and this was that, but I never felt uninterested or "bored" or challenged (in that respect). Some of the dialogue is a little clunky and the characters aren't the most memorable, aside from Amy Adams', but the themes it tapped into were great. It's a movie where everything it's trying to do doesn't really "click" until the last 20-30 mins but when it did, I was 100% onboard.

My date described it as "Tree of Life + Interstellar" except much more successful than Interstellar, which I have a soft spot for but can recognize was extremely clunky at times. This is far more cohesive and well-constructed, but it also had some (good) Nolan-esque touches to it.

I also think it did a great job of balancing genre and depth. There is a lot here for sci-fi fans to love and it simultaneously has a pensive core to it.

Still processing--I'm that kind of person that needs a week and maybe a rewatch to calibrate and determine how I really feel. But I went into the theatre feeling exhausted and dejected after the election and left in a fantastic mood. Really energizing, ironically, for a slow, meditative movie.

Gonna see it again next week.
 
W

wenis

Registered for GAF on September 11, 2001.
Cool. Forgot about this. Now I know what I'm doing Friday afternoon.
 
M

Moonkid

Member
Unbelievable movie, highly recommend to all especially if you need some positive energy. I left the cinema feeling a little bit optimistic for the future :)
 
A

acohrs

Member
Moonkid said:
Unbelievable movie, highly recommend to all especially if you need some positive energy. I left the cinema feeling a little bit optimistic for the future :)
Click to expand...

Me too, loved team film. Will there be a separate spoiler thread? Really want to talk about it!
 
Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
Saw this last week, complete with a talk by Bradford Young.

Entertaining film, beautifully shot, found it a bit silly and pointless however.

Young seems like a man with a lot of anger and pain for his ancestors treatment.
 
J

joesmokey

Member
I liked this movie a lot. I wasn't expecting the themes this movie explored and I think I enjoyed it more not knowing ahead of time. The trailers did an excellent job keeping that hidden despite showing a large part of the movie.

It was a little slow in parts but every scene had its purpose and it did a wonderful job of drawing you in. The cinematography and the music really pulled everything together.

Biggest flaws of the movie were the unfortunate caricatures, but at least they were minimally invasive.
 
F

FriendlyGoat

Member
Loved the movie. Loved the pacing, the cinematography and the score, though I do find it amusing that for a score by Jóhann Jóhannsson (enough to feature in the title of the thread even), the real heavy hitter was Max Richter.
 
M

m_shortpants

Member
Movie was incredible.

Think it's pretty interesting that both this and Dr Strange came out so close. I agree with Red Letter Media in that the visual effects in Strange are great, but ultimately superficial.

This film on the other hand really does things to you to leave you in disbelief.

My entire drive home was thinking about the film. And in fact it didn't even fully click until I was almost home. I came up with many different conclusions along the way and they all make sense, so it's kind of fitting in that regard.

The fact that the way the film is presented challenges what you think of time, chronological order, and so on tricks you from the very beginning, and you realize what Louise is experiencing is being mirrored with the very way that the film is presented.

God damn incredible.
 
M

Mumei

Member
Saw it tonight. I thought it was fantastic. A bit slower than I'd been expecting, but that's not a flaw for me. I'd like to see it again.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
joesmokey said:
Biggest flaws of the movie were the unfortunate caricatures, but at least they were minimally invasive.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the characters were the weakest part, outside of Louise. Not that Renner, Whittaker, etc. did a bad job, there just wasn't much to them. The broad strokes were nicely established but that's it. The caricatures definitely bothered me (even if I think it's completely plausible that
frightened soldiers might go rogue
), although I appreciate that the
Shang character has a nice, diplomatic, and touching turn by the end
.

m_shortpants said:
Movie was incredible.

Think it's pretty interesting that both this and Dr Strange came out so close. I agree with Red Letter Media in that the visual effects in Strange are great, but ultimately superficial.

This film on the other hand really does things to you to leave you in disbelief.

My entire drive home was thinking about the film. And in fact it didn't even fully click until I was almost home. I came up with many different conclusions along the way and they all make sense, so it's kind of fitting in that regard.

The fact that the way the film is presented challenges what you think of time, chronological order, and so on tricks you from the very beginning, and you realize what Louise is experiencing is being mirrored with the very way that the film is presented.

God damn incredible.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. Strange's effects were pretty amazing but didn't hold half the awe of the simple "getting used to gravity change" scene or the first time we see Abbott and Costello or even how the "shell" ship is shot.

Some things I've been thinking about lately:

I didn't realize it at first, but the
circular language of the aliens
is oh-so-perfect.
Circles have no beginning or end--similar to the way the aliens perceive time, as well as tying into the core ideas of the film. Of course, some of their "words" had breaks in the circle, but it still stands.

I also appreciate that, despite the film being so slow and feeling "still", Bradford Young's camera is almost CONSTANTLY moving, even if it's just inch-by-inch. It's a nice way to keep a finger on the audience's pulse, especially those who may be more easily bored.
 
W

Wollan

Member
I really enjoyed it. Villeneuve bringing the same type of rising tension as in Sicario fits so perfect with the sci-fi premise here.
 
T

TheExhaustedWalrus

Member
I found it an eerie but ultimately beautiful film about understand and human connection, in addition to being a real mind-bender. It gave me some optimism in these tough times. Villeneuve outdid himself. The score was also incredible.
 
P

Prologue

Member
m_shortpants said:
Movie was incredible.

Think it's pretty interesting that both this and Dr Strange came out so close. I agree with Red Letter Media in that the visual effects in Strange are great, but ultimately superficial.

This film on the other hand really does things to you to leave you in disbelief.

My entire drive home was thinking about the film. And in fact it didn't even fully click until I was almost home. I came up with many different conclusions along the way and they all make sense, so it's kind of fitting in that regard.

The fact that the way the film is presented challenges what you think of time, chronological order, and so on tricks you from the very beginning, and you realize what Louise is experiencing is being mirrored with the very way that the film is presented.

God damn incredible.
Click to expand...


Unless I'm remembering the movie wrong, didn't they show the daughter dying at the very beginning? With her being depressed and walking into her class room/office/house? Before the Arrival and before the language exposure? Didn't they deliberately mislead the audience? For a while I thought she had a second child, and she was witnessing a whole new set of things to come for her. Then my own mother had to explain it to me.
 
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