Just watched Arrival (2016) - SPOILERS PERMITTED

[Jagiine]

I watch a lot of TV and movies and am not commonly impressed by the directions they go in. However, I deeply enjoyed Arrival, and I believe it is largely because it was such a fresh take on alien encounters. Typically, when I hear of an alien flick, I think of either a kids movie or a war film. But, even when war was instigated here, the extraterrestrials were so benevolent and peaceful! Part of me wonders if other viewers grew restless because of the lack of action. But, I don't think it was ever really boring - there was always a great build of suspense and technical interest. When it came down to the reason for the visit, I found myself dumbfounded that the aliens would spend so much time on basic communication just to give the humans a gift. I suppose the time wouldn't matter since the heptapods aren't bound by our understanding of time, but I can't be sure. I wouldn't say that I necessarily understand how the time bending works, but I like that it was tied into the circular nature of the language. The art also impressed me. I appreciated that the creatures didn't too heavily resemble any of the standard alien forms, such as having the frame of either a human or a green blob.

What were your thoughts on the movie? What were you expecting going into the film? How did it measure up? I'll stop my questioning there so you have room to form your own post.

[DakotaA]

I loved it! I saw a lot of negative reviews on it, mainly because of the pacing. I didn't mind that it felt slow and thought it was impeccably made. I highly recommend you to watch Netflix's Annihilation with Natalie Portman if you haven't already. It is also a new take on 'alien invasion' and is breathtakingly beautiful. Also, if you haven't seen Under the Skin with Scarlett Johansson, it is worth watching if not only for the soundtrack.

[Jagiine]

I loved it! I saw a lot of negative reviews on it, mainly because of the pacing. I didn't mind that it felt slow and thought it was impeccably made. I highly recommend you to watch Netflix's Annihilation with Natalie Portman if you haven't already. It is also a new take on 'alien invasion' and is breathtakingly beautiful. Also, if you haven't seen Under the Skin with Scarlett Johansson, it is worth watching if not only for the soundtrack.

I suspected some people would call the pace slow, but it just felt honest to me. Thanks for the recommendations!

[mamilla93]

Movies on aliens are nothing new, but Arrival certainly introduces a very new angle to the genre. However, the overall pace of the movie is slow and is not as exciting as the usual alien encounter movies.

[Jagiine]

Movies on aliens are nothing new, but Arrival certainly introduces a very new angle to the genre. However, the overall pace of the movie is slow and is not as exciting as the usual alien encounter movies.

That's a fair opinion. I felt more like it shouldn't be compared to typical encounter movies- they're completely different to me. I feel like that would be like comparing Inception to The Terminator. Sure, they're labeled as the same type or genre of movie, but they're entirely different and supposed to be. There are also movies like Paul, which I'd also never compare to the stereotypical alien flick. When it comes down to it, I thought the pace of the movie was perfect for what the movie was doing.