At the point when twelve puzzling shuttles show up the world over, etymology teacher Louise Banks is entrusted with translating the dialect of the evident outsider guests.
... the most cerebral of first contact films, a science fiction drama about communicating across cultures and across species and even across time without a common language, while failing to communicate within our own world.
Arrival is bold, emotionally-resonant and poignant. It's science fiction at its most beautiful with a finale that will simultaneously make your heart swell and break.
Those expecting a whiz-bang film should be prepared for a more cerebral and emotional experience, admirable for its ambition and tone, if not wholly satisfying in its payoff.
The revelation here is Villeneuve, who expands on the symphonic pacing showcased last year in the drug war drama Sicario. Even though the concept of Arrival is far-out fiction, Villeneuve treats it with no less detail or urgency.
