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Science fiction alien invasion flicks. They are a dime-a-dozen. Mysterious ship arrives on Earth and blows the population to smithereens. Or the creatures are disposed of in short order by flag-waving, cigar-chomping patriots who “don’t take no $%#@ off anyone.” Then, in some, the invaders arrive with mysterious intentions and we earthlings soon learn just how cerebrally outclassed we are by the intruders.

A different path, however, is taken by Denis Villenueve’s thought-provoking Arrival, a film that takes its focus away from the invaders – for the most part – and shines it directly on human character and the questions of what might happen if we actually tried to communicate and solve the puzzle of our differences with brains, rather than brawn. A novel concept, I know, but one that opens the way for us to investigate the purpose of our existence, discover our place in the universe, and to inspire unity among the people of earth. Arrival does all these things while at the same time providing just enough wonder and spectacle to transport us into a mesmerizing fantasy world.

In a beautiful, all-in performance, Amy Adams is linguistics professor Dr. Louise Banks whose class is interrupted by the sudden news of a dozen or so gigantic Pringles-chip-shaped alien vessels that have situated themselves over various locations scattered across the globe. They aren’t doing anything, just hovering 20 or so feet off the ground.

At home, Dr. Banks settles in with a glass of wine and reports of the incident playing on the TV. Visions of playing with her young daughter fill Louise’s head as Villeneuve toys with time via what appear to be sorrowful – yet, at the same time – peaceful flashbacks of Louise’s life.

Louise is soon visited by Army Col. Weber (Forest Whitaker) who enlists her linguistic services to help authorities translate and communicate with the alien invaders. Louise, along with mathematician and theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) enter the spacecraft and try to decipher the alien writings which resemble circular octopus inkblots.

As gratifying as Adams’ multi-faceted performance is, Villenueve is the real star of the show as he casts a spell of satisfying warmth over us with his deeply human film that is adapted from Ted Chiang’s short story titled, “The Story of Your life.” Villeneuve unfurls the plot at a deliberately calculated pace, allowing us to savor the slow discovery in the same way the characters experience it. The story prizes language and the fine art of communication and how the misinterpretation of a single word might lead to horrendous circumstances. There’s a startling relevance to the alien communication conundrum as some of the world’s governments favor going to war over attempting to break the language barrier. That might be one of the film’s biggest and most striking realities.

There’s a satisfying trend in recent science fiction films, moving away from over-the-top spectacle and more towards broader reflective themes that make us think. Look to Gravity, Interstellar, and even Inception over the last few years to see the genre’s growth in that direction. Now add Arrival to that list as the triumphant trio of Villenueve, Adams, and screenwriter Eric Heisserer continue the trend with this race-against-the-clock Mobius strip of a tale that weaves time, communication, and the notion of unity into a well-told thinking man’s detective story.

Arrival has come with a close encounter of a different kind. One that re-wires the brain and turns our perception of the linearity of time on its head. It stands in stark contrast to genre tropes and does what many science fiction films try to do but rarely succeed; it forces us to ponder the very things that define humanity. And in a world filled with widespread war and enchantment with brute force, doesn’t it make sense that we try to live in harmony if death is our undeniable outcome?

Check out the comments and discussion below for an explanation of what happened in Arrival - Plot explanation. Arrival's ending explained:

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[tab title="Details"]

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language.
Runtime: 116 mins
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writer: Eric Heisserer
Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Genre: Sci-fi | Mystery
Tagline: Why are they here?
Memorable Movie Quote: "Language is the first weapon drawn in conflict."
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Official Site: http://www.arrivalmovie.com/
Release Date: November 11, 2016
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 14, 2017.
Synopsis: When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team – led by expert linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) – is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers – and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - February 14, 2017
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1; French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD-50); UV digital copy; iTunes digital copy; Digital copy
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Paramount's 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer – presented in 2.39:1 – of Arrival is EXACTLY what you saw in the theaters. Masterfully shot with lush details, Arrival is not quite the way science fiction should be seen and heard. Black levels are not as strong as they could be. Their defined lines sometimes get murky. Colors are appropriately saturated, even if a steely blue swaddles the release with moody hues. Primaries are never bold, but that is by design which amps up the cold and unnerving aspect of the film. Johann Johannsson's mesmerizing score gets the DTS 7.1 treatment and it is a feast for the senses. Some of the effects; however, don't have the same oomph as you might have wanted. Overall, Paramount might be proud of the film, but there's some work to do on getting this one right for home systems.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

Comprised of five mini documentaries, the substance on the supplemental material is surprisingly in-depth. We get candid insights from the filmmakers and the cast and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, including the score and the editing process of putting the film together. The release also includes the UV/iTunes digital copy of the film.

• Xenolinguistics: Understanding Arrival (30 min)
• Acoustic Signatures: The Sound Design (14 min)
• Eternal Recurrence: The Score (11 min)
• Nonlinear Thinking: The Editing Process (11 min)
• Principles of Time, Memory, & Language (15 min)

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