Alien invasion cinema is characterized by spectacle and ruckus. But “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve proved in 2016 with “Arrival” that it doesn’t always have to be “Independence Day.” Tonight, you can see the exceptional film on xx.
Wacky creatures, laser guns and a swath of destruction: that’s what you usually see when aliens stray to Earth in the movies – where they usually give the riders of the apocalypse and threaten humanity. Yes, this premise just works, and in the case of movies like “Independence Day” can be the basis for strong blockbuster cinema. If you’ve had enough of the same old aliens-threatening-the-earth scenarios or just need a little variety, you should definitely see “Arrival” by Denis Villeneuve (“Dune”, “Blade Runner 2049”).
“Arrival” airs on August 24 from 10:30 p.m. on Vox – and we can only give it an unqualified recommendation. If you don’t have time tonight, it’s worth catching up on the film elsewhere. Unfortunately, the film is not currently included in any streaming subscription, but can be rented digitally for as little as 3.98 euros (for example, from Amazon Prime Video*). In addition, “Arrival” is of course also available on DVD and Blu-ray – and for those who don’t want to compromise on picture and sound quality, now also in 4K:
For us, “Arrival” is actually one of the absolute highlights of science fiction cinema. In the big FILMSTARTS ranking of the best sci-fi films of all time, Denis Villeneuve’s masterpiece thus occupies 38th place – ahead of “The Fifth Element”, “Terminator” or “Mad Max: Fury Road”, among others!
“ARRIVAL”: COMPLEX, AMBITIONAL & EMOTIONAL
Based on a short story by Ted Chiang, Villeneuve tells the story of twelve alien spaceships landing in various locations around the globe – or rather, hovering above the surface of the blue planet. What do the aliens want? That’s exactly what linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is supposed to find out together with physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner).
On behalf of the U.S. government, the duo is to enable communication with the alien beings and find out their intentions. But as the two visibly begin to understand what the aliens are trying to convey to them, they realize more and more that nothing less than the fate of all humanity lies in their hands…
Denis Villeneuve builds on emotion instead of spectacle in his comparatively pared-down alien invasion film – creating “fascinating and grandly filmed experiential cinema that involves the viewer as a thinking consumer,” according to the official 4.5-star FILMSTARTS review, among others.
“Arrival” could hardly be further away from a whimsical effects battle à la “Independence Day”, but at the same time it nevertheless lives from its visual power – also thanks to cinematographer Bradford Young (“When They See Us”, “Solo: A Star Wars Story”), who offers us numerous “intoxicating shots of beguiling beauty”.
First and foremost, however, “Arrival” is an extremely intimate film, especially for its subject, which breathes the spirit of Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris” somewhere between “Contact” and “Tree Of Life”. Coupled with a multi-layered story that invites you to puzzle and, especially towards the end, can hardly be surpassed in emotional impact, this results in one of the best science fiction films of the recent past.
