...I'm not saying it's not, I haven't seen the film myself. But everyone is praising this for being extraordinary, brilliant etc...why? What makes this different to the other films similar to it?
It just seems with every review, interview or general talk about the movie, it comes with the tag line "best film of the year"
I upgrade it from Best Film of the Decade to Best Film of the 21st Century.
shareWhy question it?
I haven't seen the film yet, but I have read Ted Chiang's short story a few times. I've also seen 3 of the 4 English movies Denis Villeneuve has directed (Sicario, Enemy and Prisoners). Based on both the brilliant short story it's based on and Mr. Villeneuve's directorial prowess, I'd be flabbergasted if it wasn't as near to perfection as the critics/reviewers and advanced screeners have made it out to be. ...top it off with what the critics are calling a performance of a life time by Ms. Adams and I'd say you have a damn fine chance on the makings of one of the finest sci-fi flicks of all time.
Hello Medoner,
I haven't seen it either, but I can offer some possible reasons why Arrival might be so special. For one, as great as Interstellar, The Martian, Gravity, Contact, Snowpiercer are (as well as other quality sci-fi films) there's at least one or two things that seem to hold these back from reaching masterpiece greatness.
For instance...
Interstellar had some questionably flat acting, a cliche moment, and some unresolved paradoxes (both an attribute and a hindrance). The Martian, while certainly good, wasn't as ambitious as Interstellar nor was it as technically amazing as Gravity. Contact was terrific from start to finish. Not much I can complain about Contact, but on repeat viewings I noticed certain people were portrayed a bit too "caricature" like (i.e., the religious leader). Some of the lines that were delivered also came across scripted than natural. Snowpiercer was a very cool movie. Had some great moments, and showcased the class differences really well. But it's odd nature can be a turn off for some. I liked how the ending was somewhat predictable yet there were things about it that were a total surprise (they masked certain aspects well).
In other words... none of these terrific movies NAILED THE BULLSEYE time & time again with every single frame. From what I've heard about Arrival...
Amy Adams NAILS it (every time). The composer NAILS the sometimes creepy vs. sometimes majestic soundtrack (every time). The photography is stunning (every time). The directing... how the shots were composed... the precision of the performances he gets from his actors... and HOW the film was meticulously constructed... every single scene (apparently) hits the bulls-eye EVERY FREAKING TIME. The story itself... composed in such a way where you think you know what's going on then something else presents itself that impresses you even more, etc. There is very little bad to say about Arrival.
But that could also possibly mean it's a bit "too safe" (which is hard to imagine, I don't know yet). The movies that tend to "haunt" the audience the most are films like 2001, Blade Runner, Solaris, etc.,. One thing they have in common is a strange element of UNIQUE WEIRDNESS that breaks new ground (even if the resolution is cold or leaves people dumbfounded). Another common element is how the film presents the audience something they have never seen before. I'm not yet sure if Arrival accomplishes this or not. Even if it doesn't, I'm sure I'm destined to really like the movie (as I did with Contact). But if it DOES provide that sense of awe & wonder (and something new & fresh that we have never seen before), I'm pretty confident it will immediately jump to my Top 3 - especially considering the "home runs" from EVERYONE who participated in the film.
One final thing to mention...
Another aspect that's universally talked about is how emotionally driven the film is. Some audience members report a strong feeling of empathy towards Amy Adams's character. Others were on the brink of tears. Some were actually CRYING at various parts throughout the movie. A film that's powerful enough to stir such a response from the audience says a LOT (especially when talking about science fiction). It's rare when that happens. As far as I know, 2001 and Blade Runner certainly didn't bring that kind of response from anyone. But I do recall getting a lump in my throat during Contact, and Spielberg's E.T. did bring me to tears (but I was a kid back then, so hard to say if it would have the same impact on me today... probably somewhat).
One can easily dismiss the universal praise as marketing "b*llsh*t. But another possibility is that it actually IS a masterpiece. So let me ask this... when was the last time a science fiction masterpiece hit theaters? Contact, Interstellar, and a few others may have come *very* close. Perhaps the answer is that we have simply been long overdue for one. After all, it's probably been decades to have something of this caliber don't you think?
Blah blah blah, whatever... just go see it 2 weeks from now already!
That response pretty much nailed it, couldn't agree more..
Well said, EyeInSky.
Why thank you :-)
I just hope that my expectations aren't built so high I'll inevitably be disappointed. I have a pretty good idea on what to expect with Arrival. When I first saw the trailers I thought it did look interesting but never once did I imagine this was going to be reach "incredible masterpiece" status. I'm glad the previews do a good job at hiding the bulk of the story, and hopefully also hid the best scenes.
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when was the last time a science fiction masterpiece hit theaters?May 15, 2015
I'm not sure. At this rate though I'm calling it the front runner for Best Picture!
What's missing in movies is same as in society: a good sense of work ethic and living up to ideals.
Knowing the Academy, I'm actually predicting "La La Land" or "Manchester By The Sea" to be the front-runners. But Arrival should surely been in good company, and likely deserves the nomination (if not the win). Like another poster stated, even if it doesn't walk away with a single award it shouldn't stop EVERYONE involved of being very proud of what they all accomplished to make this happen.
As wonderful as La La Land and Manchester By the Sea likely are, I doubt it will gather the same amount of attention 30-40 years from now whereas Arrival may be still HIGHLY respected and revered for generations to come.
Here's an example...
I really enjoyed Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind", yet it's FARGO that I keep coming back to (and re-watching on occasion).
I go to many advance audience screenings, saw this back in February. It is the rare film that not only did I give it excellent marks on my report survey, but my girlfriend scored it the same way. We looked at each other when it ended and said " now THAT'S a best picture type film!". It's the kind of film where once it ended, we both wanted to see it again right away. "Mesmerizing" would be the one word to best describe it. I'll be seeing it again opening weekend, hopefully nothing has changed.
it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again
Hi Jame...
I commented a couple times about your tact in how you discussed this film without giving away any spoilers, but I never once heard back from you! Nice to see your return on this thread.
I simply cannot wait for this release come November 11th, and it was YOUR initial comments when you and your GF saw it at the TIFF screener in Ontario that initially stirred my interest. I especially liked how you mentioned the aliens being shown in such a fresh and unique way that hasn't been done before, and how super quiet the audience was when they first made their appearance you could hear a "pin drop". If I recall correctly that's what you said :-)
Denis Villeneuve has now reached my top 3 directors of all time in this generation. It's especially a treat when the material he's directing is Nebula/Hugo sci-fi award winning caliber and the acting by Amy Adams (and the music) is top notch. It sounds like every single scene in this movie hits the "home run".
Yeah, I really have no qualms about giving away spoilers for terrible films, but good films deserve my respect. Arrival, Miss Sloane, and Allied are the 3 best screenings I've seen this year.
it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again
Likewise, I remember you talking about how you had seen a very early screening of the film and didn't give away any spoilers. Thanks for that! Having just seen it myself, I am glad I didn't know what was coming. It is the best movie of the year in my opinion. Near perfect from beginning to end!
"We're fighting an army of robots... and I have a bow and arrow."
How in the heck did YOU see it already? Did you go to one of the film festivals?
Aye... you guys make me envious (lol).
No... but Odeon cinemas do this thing called Screen Unseen where they show an advance screening of an upcoming movie. The sting is they don't tell you what movie it is so you have to just book and chance it. However, they do leave cryptic clues to its identity on the internet. This time the clues indicated that last night's Screen Unseen movie would be "Arrival" so I went... and it was!
I was so pleased. I thought it was a brilliant film! Best movie of the year for me!
"We're fighting an army of robots... and I have a bow and arrow."
Sometimes, when you just walk out of a theater you simply know without a shadow of a doubt you just experienced your favorite film of the year - regardless of what the academy thinks or any other Oscar contender you might see soon after.
Sometimes, a movie not only "hits all the right notes" but also gets under your skin in the best possible way. Who would have ever guessed Arrival would have become such a movie. The previews looked decent, but NOTHING about them screams "holy sh*t masterpiece". Looks like Denis Villeneuve has done it again!! Which makes next year's Blade Runner sequel all the more promising.
Yeah - pretty much what I thought.
To be honest though, this was my most anticipated film of the year ever since I heard about it. The subject matter, Jeremy Renner (I admit it!) and Denis Villeneuve (for Prisoners) made it a must-see for me.
And given the reviews, my expectations were pretty ridiculously high going in. I was impressed that it lived up to and even exceeded my expectations in some ways (which is quite an achievement).
Looking forward to Blade Runner 2049 too now!
"We're fighting an army of robots... and I have a bow and arrow."
Have you seen Enemy yet? I'd venture to say that's probably his most complicated film yet. It's definitely worth a look. It's David Lynchian weird, and the ending will surely leave you pondering about it for quite some time. Check it out :-)
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