Film/TV Nov 9, 2016 at 4:00 am

The Close Encounters of Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival

Erik Henriksen
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Comments

1
Erik - I'm curious if you have read Stories of Your Life? Such a great story, but so different in tone and pace from how the movie appears in the trailer, which makes me a little wary of the movie in spite of the universally glowing reviews. Any comment?
NobodyCaresWhatIThink? on November 11, 2016 at 3:14 PM Report this
2
I haven't seen the film yet, but I have read it. From the trailer, I feel the tone shift is acceptable to the greater narrative. There are many things in the story that just don't work off of a page imo as they are presented.
Akbar Fazil on November 11, 2016 at 3:23 PM Report this
3
Seen it twice in the last 2 days,,,brilliant, different than I anticipated, on the second viewing, the creators of this film stick to the premise from the get go,,,the less said the better, go see it, a sci fi of ideas and an"army sets up base camp" cornball worthy of a Godzilla flick, and that fabled "sense of wonder," and it all works...a ton of fun!
Wild Bill on November 12, 2016 at 10:17 AM Report this
4
Could you please add the word "are" to the first 4 words of this article? It's driving me crazy. Editor, anyone?
scudderp on November 12, 2016 at 11:37 PM Report this
5
Great.. except I thought we could've done without the super cheesy personal narrative parts of the film:
The dying daughter sequence at the beginning seemed forced & fast.
We're supposed to believe this college prof lives in THAT house? Not even with the mathematician ex-husband salary.
When the line "Do you wanna make a baby" was uttered at the end I had a spontaneous outburst of laughter.
Why must these films always have a bullshit romance injected into an otherwise interesting science-themed story? I suspect it's to interest the ladies in the audience, which I find insulting.

gunmmoontree on November 14, 2016 at 11:06 AM Report this
6
#5, I think you're missing something crucial in the story,

check out this analysis: http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/arriv…

Also, the critic at The Atlantic, who has picked Arrival as the best film of the year so far, writes of the "cheesy" sequence you note:

"The sequence—a brief life encompassed in still briefer summary—is surely among the most heartbreaking since Michael Giacchino’s magnificently versatile waltz carried us through the “Married Life” segment of Up. And while at first it appears to be mere backstory for Adams’s character, it is in fact much more, perhaps the most crucial thread in Villeneuve’s intricately woven film."

The sequence and the let's make a baby line are crucial plot points...

Anyway, glad you liked it...
Wild Bill on November 14, 2016 at 2:37 PM Report this

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