A masterpiece. A subtle, nuanced film in an elliptical structure.
The film has a cumulative, resonating emotional power.
If people want a shoot 'em up tacky mainstream derivative blockbuster, the equivalent of junk food, go elsewhere.
Villeneuve's Sicario is a masterpiece and he improves.
A director and story-teller at the apotheosis of his career.
Semper Fidelis.
"Okay let's not get carried away here."
Geeze, I know, right?
I hate to say it again (no I don't), but some people seem to have a psychological predisposition towards overt adoration. It's as if almost any film which isn't a mass-appeal, comic book, action extravaganza (but which contains any amount of metaphor)...is by default a "masterpiece" to them.
What a wonderful captive audience. As long as you stick to the template, they will applaud with profound glee.
It sure would be hilarious if some adventurous film maker with a sense of humor set out to purposely create a satirical anti-homage to art films, filled with art-film cliches, loads of silly symbolism, and borrowed execution from other similar films, while not labeling it as such. People of the type I'm describing would declaring it a monumental work of art. Not unlike the paintings done by monkey's which were presented to art critics as abstract paintings done by human artists, which were...hilariously...well received.
It's as if they believe things like symbolism and metaphor are incredibly difficult things to illustrate in a film, and therefore attach so much unjustified value to it, since the person behind it surely must be some sort of otherworldly genius.
Umm...lol?
I strongly recommend the films of Stan Brakhage to the OP. An art-film-adoration-club members dream director! So open to interpretation. So filled with seemingly simple and mundane imagery, but which any AFAC can read any number of things into. Heck, if you try hard enough, each of his films is about YOU.
In regards to this film Arrival, meh. Just ok. Mostly forgettable. Not terribly imaginative or unique. Littered with bits of Contact and Sphere. Which, despite not being ground-breaking films, can be watched a second time. This one? No.
I was expecting a lot from that Villeneuve guy. Well, maybe not a lot, but I figured he'd probably attempt something radically different considering how many "first contact" type films there have already been. Nope, nothing terribly different here. Well, unless you are a member of the AFAC. In which case,
...IT'S A MASTERPIECE!