Arrival Movie Review

I am a lover of old movies.  The more black and white and vintage the better.  Anything by Alfred Hitchcock, The Godfather, Dead Ringer, From the Terrace – I could go on and on and on.  Even though I’m a movie-lover, I’m not a movie-goer.  So you can just imagine how shocked Neily Bear was on Saturday when I said, “Let’s go see Arrival.”  You see, I read a little Arrival movie review and it piqued my interest when the reviewer said the movie wasn’t like any movie he had seen before.  I’m not really sure if I agree with that assessment, but here is my take on the new Amy Adams/Jeremy Renner/Forest Whitaker film.

Why Arrival is Different

I studied communications in college and a large part of my studies involved analyzing movies.  Most movies follow a format that we have all accepted as part of our communication:  there is a beginning and an end, the good guy always wins, etc.  That is one of the reasons why the ending of The Sopranos was so shocking to viewers; it didn’t end in a way that our communication allows.  Arrival is unlike any movie because it also breaks a basic principle of a commonly used element that we have come to accept in our movie communication.  Instead of being based on flashbacks, Arrival is based on flash-forwards.  However, even though there is one small hint – if you listen closely – the viewer doesn’t realize what is happening until the end of the movie.

The Aliens

The aliens are a huge part of the movie, but I am still left wondering about their purpose in both coming to earth and to the story itself.  I don’t understand it.  Neily Bear was bawling at the end and trying to explain his interpretation to me, but just like I felt confused at the end of Interstellar, I left Arrival with more questions than answers.  I need to watch it again and again before I can piece it all together.

Should You See It?

Yes, it’s worth the price of admission, which is a rare treat with movies in my opinion.  Just approach the movie with the concept I described – that you are seeing flash-forwards and not flashbacks, and maybe you will understand it better than I did.

Please leave your thoughts.  I can’t stop thinking about the movie, and I would love to hear your Arrival movie review, too.