“Language is the foundation of civilization. It is the glue that holds a people together. It is the first weapon drawn in a conflict.”
In the 2010s Denis Villeneuve released 6 features and firmly established himself as one of the Top Directors. He has built on that run with the epic Dune films, but Arrival is my favorite film by Villeneuve, a story that could’ve been messed up in the editing with just some simple adjustments to hand-hold or be even more ambiguous. I’m impressed at the balance struck and how much that bullseye balance of science fiction, mystery and emotional character drama got everything the script was aiming for. It features the best performance from Amy Adams, her last Great performance. The same could be said for Jeremy Renner, and how rare to have a fantasy film where the actors are given so much attention that the effects seem basic by comparison. (By basic I mean simple in their execution. The film never looks less than absolutely real.)
Watching Arrival again, this time knowing what’s revealed by the end, those opening scenes were wrenching. Not just because I know the secret, these moments and the dialogue were carefully selected to directly hit you on a rewatch. Knowing the journey, I could still appreciate the patience Denis Villeneuve uses in getting us to the ship and getting us absorbed in the process of what seems to be an impossible task. So much of the film is just a small amount of actors staring at some screens, but the high technical qualities make it incredibly immersive and I connect to Amy Adams’ Louise even more knowing the way her character plays out. This is some of the best brainy sci-fy of all time and a rare case where the smart ideas are inseparable from the character’s emotions.
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