This particular Sci-Fi is being directed by Dennis Villeneuve, who is becoming one of the most exciting directors of recent years. With the releases of brilliant films such as Prisoners, Sicario and currently filming the sequel to Blade Runner, the Canadian director seems to know how to get bums on seats.
Like with many films lately, I have avoided the trailers, as the stellar cast and Villeneuve running things was enough for me to go and see it. Well goodness me, I was not expecting it to be that good.
It is hard to know where to start. If you know what Villeneuve's films are like, then you know that they are slow burners. But while it may seem slow, it somehow never manages to lost steam at the same time. It was only until towards the end of the second act that I was beginning to notice that I was watching something special. Then when the pay-off came, it had me leaving on the biggest high that I have not had from a new release in quite some time.
This is certainly his most complex work. I was still trying to piece everything together when leaving the screening, and I can tell many others were. The story felt like a living puzzle, and I feel I have a pretty fixed idea on how it all ended.
Despite all of this praise, I will say that while the performances were good, none of them were worthy of winning any awards. That being said, Amy Adams was by far the strongest and memorable performance out of anyone. It was great to see her take the lead and prove to us that she can hold a film. Whilst subtle, I really believed in her character.
Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker were solid throughout. But I don't think they were that strong, and I feel those performance could have been done by anyone. It was nice to see Michael Stuhlbarg make an appearance in this also.
But I think clearly what makes this movie the success that it deserves to be is the complex and profound non-linear style of story-telling that you would normally see in a Christopher Nolan film.
Also, the editing plays a huge part in making the pacing and story-telling so perfect. A combination of those two has given us a really clever story that is making us trying to piece everything together. In fact, the style of the editing I felt was mirroring the dilemma our main characters are trying to work out as well. It that was done on purpose, then that is some seriously smart work by Villeneuve and his team.
As for the technical side, the cinematography by Bradford Young was really good at times. Some moments managed to feel similar to '2001: A Space Odyseey' which I was not expecting.
Also, the score by Johann Johannsson was both haunting and tense. There is also a great use of a piece of classical music that was used really well in the highly emotional moments.
If you like your sci-fi, then there are lots of references and influences that I spotted in this film from other classics from this genre. From Interstellar, to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Contact, District 9, Flight Of The Navigator and even small doses of Independence Day. There are even moments that reminded me of a typical Terence Malick film, which I was not expecting.
Now that I have seen it, I went to see how much the trailers have given away. Amazingly, they haven't. In fact, it looks as if they are making it look like something similar to Independence Day or District 9. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. While I like the deceptive approach to the marketing, it might bring in the wrong type of audience. It will be interesting to see how that fairs in the box office.
I am happy to say that this is Villeneuve's best work that I have seen. It was going to take a lot to beat something like Prisoners. But I feel he has done it. You could say this is Villeneuve's 'Interstellar', this is his '2001: A Space Odyssey'. But unlike Interstellar, I felt the ending was much more satisfying and not divisive in the slightest. I am now confident in saying that Villeneuve is the perfect man to direct the sequel to Blade Runner. Seeing Arrival shows where that film can go and how good it can be. That project is most definitely in safe hands.
It is rare these days that I rate a film this highly, and this is surely going to be a big awards contender. However, I can see some people losing patience with this. So if you're not into slow burners, then I can see you not being as into it as others might. But I still feel everyone should at least experience this on the big screen. Don't worry if you are having trouble figuring everything out. Stick with it, be patient with it and just listen carefully and keep an eye on everything on screen.
It is hard for sci-fi films these days to give the audience a real sense of wonder and amazement. This film managed to do that. It also can make you have great discussions afterwards with others that have seen it to get their take on it. Those things alone should be enough for everyone to go and see this. The best films are the ones you think about weeks after seeing it, and then is certainly one of them.
Rating: 9/10
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