The Arrival (2016) - why is this considered so good?

Sluis Van Shipyards

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I talked to another person today that swears The Arrival is the greatest scifi movie of the decade. I thought it was completely unrealistic. If aliens came here to talk to us, they are going to be able to speak to us clearly from first contact. We've had enough signals out there to learn our language, so that wouldn't be a problem. We're a species that is still, though not as bad as the Cold War, on the edge of a nuclear release. so why would you show up, strategically (in our minds) position your ships around the globe (because we saw Independence Day!), then leave it to us primitives to decipher what you're saying? Yeah, the language was the gift, but that's goofy. I know it's a movie, but I just don't think any species more advanced than us, would leave it to us to figure out what they are saying!
 
Umm... It's a movie. Made in Hollywood. You didn't expect actual thought to be put into it did you? And the person you talked to need to get out more.

:ninja

-GG
 
I talked to another person today that swears The Arrival is the greatest scifi movie of the decade. I thought it was completely unrealistic. If aliens came here to talk to us, they are going to be able to speak to us clearly from first contact. We've had enough signals out there to learn our language, so that wouldn't be a problem. We're a species that is still, though not as bad as the Cold War, on the edge of a nuclear release. so why would you show up, strategically (in our minds) position your ships around the globe (because we saw Independence Day!), then leave it to us primitives to decipher what you're saying? Yeah, the language was the gift, but that's goofy. I know it's a movie, but I just don't think any species more advanced than us, would leave it to us to figure out what they are saying!

Had the exact same conversation with someone right after I saw the movie. I don't consider it the greatest sci-fi EVER, but I did enjoy it.

I think that, for one, since there was a time related aspect to their language, they had seen what they needed to do to accomplish the outcome they desired. From the human standpoint, it's happening right then, but to them, they were doing things like arriving, communicating, guiding the humans in a very specific way. We just didn't know it.

I also think they were more than aware of human arrogance. We couldn't feel like we'd taught them anything. We had to learn through complete immersion.

That's how I took it anyways, but it didn't seem that clear to me till I was questioned about it & had to think about it.
 
I didn't find it unrealistic, I just didn't connect with the character enough to care when the plot twist finally revealed itself.
 
The whole point of the movie was that humans had to learn the alien language which had its unique features. Also the aliens with their language and mindset could see through time already so they knew that they would succeed (and Abbott also must have known he's not going to make it). I was more bothered about the fact that the "heureka" moment was completely skipped, they were studying the smoke rings, then fast forward 3 months and they're kinda talking already. Where was their Rosetta stone?
But all in all I loved that movie, I thought the direction and photography was gorgeous, music was good, performances were really good, there were things set up then paid off...like an actual movie. :)
 
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Had the exact same conversation with someone right after I saw the movie. I don't consider it the greatest sci-fi EVER, but I did enjoy it.

I think that, for one, since there was a time related aspect to their language, they had seen what they needed to do to accomplish the outcome they desired. From the human standpoint, it's happening right then, but to them, they were doing things like arriving, communicating, guiding the humans in a very specific way. We just didn't know it.

I also think they were more than aware of human arrogance. We couldn't feel like we'd taught them anything. We had to learn through complete immersion.

That's how I took it anyways, but it didn't seem that clear to me till I was questioned about it & had to think about it.

Yep,...I wouldn't say it was the best of the decade, but I did enjoy it, like a Twilight Zone, Outer Limits or even Black Mirror episode.

The aliens didn't come to talk to us,....we had to understand their language to get the gift

J
 
It’s a marvelous film, one that lets you discover the story rather than clobbering you over the head with it. The novella is a bit more clear about it.

But if you come away from it thinking some plot detail didn’t make sense and ruined it, you clearly didn’t grasp it. Try reading the novella, then seeing the film again. If you still don’t like it, fine then you don’t like it. Unlike the novella, the film turns it into a very personal story, the first contact is almost secondary to the primary thread.

Best of the decade? Hmm, maybe in the top ten, along with Moon, Primer, The Fountain. I thought Interstellar was too bombastic, a thinking person’s Transformers.
 
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Best of the decade? Hmm, maybe in the top ten, along with Moon, Primer, The Fountain. I thought Interstellar was too bombastic, a thinking person’s Transformers.
Agreed on Interstellar. I for some reason cannot get into Nolan's movies. He is a really fine filmmaker, knows his craft well but for some reason I cannot connect with his movies on an emotional level. It's like a computer made those movies. Everything is exactly where and how they should be, build-ups are fine, the emotional moments are all in place but it's sort of hollow a bit for me, sterile...like the little spark and heart is not there. It's hard to explain because his films are fine movies and great on a technical level but they never captivated me like Cameron's, Carpenter's or Spielberg's. The only movie of his that I genuinely enjoy is Inception, mostly because the script is really clever and builds the rules and ins-and-outs of the dreamworld really well.
I think Arrival is one of the best sci-fis that came out lately. Not the best per se, but was really a breath of fresh air and after Sicario and Prisoners definitely put Villeneuve on the map for me. The other two sci-fis I really really liked lately were Ex Machina and Annihilation.
 
I think people liked "Arrival" so much because it was quiet and thoughtful, and we don't get much of that anymore from Hollywood,
especially with science fiction films.
I liked "Arrival", but I wouldn't call it the best SF of the decade.
That would go to "Under the Skin" or "MOON", for me.
Heck, I think I liked "Annihilation" better than "Arrival", come to think of it.

I want to know why "Interstellar" is considered so good.
 
Arrival is overrated. It’s good but not great. I think people might have been more impressed simply because it was pensive with an emotional journey. The Arrival is beautifully shot and alludes to more thematic depth than is actually there. My guess is that a lot of people mistook the pretense of profundity for actual substance. But it’s not a lousy film. It’s very good film with an amazing plot twist.
 
I think people liked "Arrival" so much because it was quiet and thoughtful, and we don't get much of that anymore from Hollywood,
especially with science fiction films.
I liked "Arrival", but I wouldn't call it the best SF of the decade.
That would go to "Under the Skin" or "MOON", for me.
Heck, I think I liked "Annihilation" better than "Arrival", come to think of it.

I want to know why "Interstellar" is considered so good.

All of the truths.

I am beyond amped for more people to see PROSPECT.
 
I only know one person whose seen Arrival besides myself and we both think Interstellar is far superior.​
 
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I feel like Arrival was one of those things that worked better on the page. both the novella and the screenplay were great reads, but it lost something onscreen. Perhaps a story about the written word is best told with the written word.
 
Well, first of all the movie is titled "Arrival", not "The Arrival". Second you are missing the point, by learning the alien's we begin to think like them, we see the world in a different way. The movie also asks some very interesting and thoughtful questions. Great film!
 
I like the way the movie approaches the first contact story line in a different and more complex fashion. Its also a great example of the directorial craftsmanship of Denis Villeneuve. Cant wait for his Dune.
 
... by learning the alien's we begin to think like them, we see the world in a different way. The movie also asks some very interesting and thoughtful questions. Great film!
I get that. The brilliance of the film is that it was able to even depict such an abstract concept. The resulting plot twist was very clever.

But Arrival falters in other basic aspects of storytelling. Every character other than Amy Adams is devoid of nuance and essentially one dimensional. Arrival has a ridiculously naïve depiction of government and the military where their behavior is dictated by cliché even when it violates common sense. What a waste of Forest Whitaker that even his role was so thinly written. What we have here is a great sci-fi concept serving a film that is more of a character study than a story.
 
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