When 12 mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the alien passengers inside.
Actress Thandie Newton has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Maeve in the HBO's "Westworld." What other significant parts has she played over the years? Visit IMDb's Golden Globes section for red-carpet photos, videos, and more.
IMDb is going to the Golden Globes! Visit our Globes section to learn more about the nominated stars and series. Check out red-carpet photos, videos, quizzes, and more. Don't miss our live coverage of the Golden Globes beginning at 4 p.m. PST on Jan. 8 in our Golden Globes section.
WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
Director:
Mel Gibson
Stars:
Andrew Garfield,
Sam Worthington,
Luke Bracey
A timeless story of human self-discovery and connection, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
In 1942, a Canadian intelligence officer in North Africa encounters a female French Resistance fighter on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. When they reunite in London, their relationship is tested by the pressures of war.
Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.
A fast-talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a quest for revenge.
Director:
Tim Miller
Stars:
Ryan Reynolds,
Morena Baccarin,
T.J. Miller
A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic Australia in search for her home-land with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max.
When mysterious spacecraft touch down across the globe, an elite team - led by expert linguist Louise Banks - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers - and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.
Director Denis Villeneuve and the writing team took extensive efforts to ensure the movie's scientific ideology was accurate. Renowned scientist and tech innovator Stephen Wolfram and his son Christopher Wolfram were consulted to ensure all terminology, graphics and depictions were sound. See more »
Goofs
Louise is told to translate some overheard Mandarin and is momentarily confused at hearing the Mandarin word for "suits" before realizing that it is a reference to Mahjong. In actual Mandarin, the word for "suit" that refers to clothing and the word for "suit" that refers to a classification of cards in a card game are not the same word. If the speakers had really been using the word "suit" in the card-game sense, Louise might have initially translated it as "flower-color" and been confused, but the only way she could have translated it initially as "suit" would be if she already knew of the card-game meaning. See more »
Right after the cast credits, "On the Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter is given an extra credit as the "Beginning and end music" in addition to the usual soundtrack credit near the end of the credit roll. See more »
On the Nature of Daylight
Written and Performed by Max Richter
Courtesy of Deutsche Grammophon GmbH
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises See more »
ARRIVAL delivers on so many levels it's impossible to describe without spoilers. The book is out there, so if you really must know before you see a film, read, "The Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang...but I highly recommend you see the movie first. Honestly. You want it to unfold as a warm, fresh croissant on a chilly morning, and melt in your mouth.
From visually stimulating scenes to an unexpected score masterfully composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson you recognize at once this is a thinking film you'll long remember.
One scene in particular features a cloud that took my breath away. Sure, the extraterrestrial vehicle was amazing, but that cloud... As a photojournalist of nearly fifty years, I was stunned at the lifelike character of the cloud and suspected it was real, though I knew that was impossible; you can't cue Mother Nature when it's time to roll. I wanted to praise the CGI team for the effect, but Shawn Levy confirmed it was natural. They had set up to shoot this wide shot, worried about impending rain, or too much wind, or the lighting being too dark for the right effect, but the cloud wanted to become a star that day, and it rolled into frame with absolute perfection. This scene alone is worth a nod to Bradford Young for best cinematography.
The special effects team delivered, too.
Amy Adams performance was stunning. Sci-fi is largely disregarded when awards are passed out, but if the Academy neglects to acknowledge Adams work in this film, I may boycott them forever. Adams is Oscar-worthy for a Best Actress nomination for her character of linguist Dr. Louise Banks in this one, though Meryl Streep will most likely take it for Florence Foster Jenkins.
It is clear the five years taken to bring this story to the screen were well worth the work.
Ten well-deserved stars for ARRIVAL. I wish it a huge success at the box office so this team will continue to make more films of this caliber.
144 of 249 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
ARRIVAL delivers on so many levels it's impossible to describe without spoilers. The book is out there, so if you really must know before you see a film, read, "The Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang...but I highly recommend you see the movie first. Honestly. You want it to unfold as a warm, fresh croissant on a chilly morning, and melt in your mouth.
From visually stimulating scenes to an unexpected score masterfully composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson you recognize at once this is a thinking film you'll long remember.
One scene in particular features a cloud that took my breath away. Sure, the extraterrestrial vehicle was amazing, but that cloud... As a photojournalist of nearly fifty years, I was stunned at the lifelike character of the cloud and suspected it was real, though I knew that was impossible; you can't cue Mother Nature when it's time to roll. I wanted to praise the CGI team for the effect, but Shawn Levy confirmed it was natural. They had set up to shoot this wide shot, worried about impending rain, or too much wind, or the lighting being too dark for the right effect, but the cloud wanted to become a star that day, and it rolled into frame with absolute perfection. This scene alone is worth a nod to Bradford Young for best cinematography.
The special effects team delivered, too.
Amy Adams performance was stunning. Sci-fi is largely disregarded when awards are passed out, but if the Academy neglects to acknowledge Adams work in this film, I may boycott them forever. Adams is Oscar-worthy for a Best Actress nomination for her character of linguist Dr. Louise Banks in this one, though Meryl Streep will most likely take it for Florence Foster Jenkins.
It is clear the five years taken to bring this story to the screen were well worth the work.
Ten well-deserved stars for ARRIVAL. I wish it a huge success at the box office so this team will continue to make more films of this caliber.