Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve, focuses on the world's reaction to an alien invasion. In all honesty, I was not expecting a great deal out of this movie, because alien invasion movies tend to have the same, overused story line. Regardless, I felt inclined to give it a chance considering Villeneuve was the mastermind behind 2015 Oscar contender, Sicario. Let me just say, I am glad I gave Arrival a chance, because it really changed my perception on the alien invasion genre.

Starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, Arrival sets out to not only tell the story of aliens coming to Earth, but seeks a much deeper meaning. Adams portrays troubled linguist, Louise Banks, as she is partnered with Ian Donnelly (Renner) in order to decipher why the aliens have landed on seven different parts of the globe. The beginning of the film seems to follow a linear timeline, but is drizzled with scenes that seem purely random. The audience is found to be following completely from Louise's perspective as she unravels the language of the aliens. She and Ian band together to translate and interpret the purpose of the invaders, so as to suppress a potential war outbreak. Arrival portrays many intense and complex scenes and, surprisingly, has little or nothing to do with aliens. This film is purely about human life abiding to the social construct of time itself. Villeneuve effectively utilizes a realistic, global response to an alien invasion, making this particular world feel tangible. Not only does he capture every perspective for the sake of realism, but he also uses various aspects of both Ian and Louise's professions as effective plot points to the overall story. Furthermore, Arrival served as a fantastic example of a linear plot line evolving into a nonlinear story line. The transition from linear to nonlinear was effortless and smooth. Most stories require exclusive use of one plot format, but Arrival is one of those few films that can dance on both fronts. The story of this film is very deep and complex, but has a significant amount of freedom to explore abstract concepts of this day and age.

Not only did the story prove to be captivating and well developed, but the computer animation of the aliens were also very detailed. Every part of this movie felt incredibly realistic, and a lot of attention was placed on every aspect of the film. Although the aliens had a very small role in the film, they still served as significant aspects to the story, and were not unnecessary. In addition, no matter how small a character seemed, they still played a specific role in the furtherance of the overall story.

All in all, without provoking spoilers, Arrival was a very surprising film. I went in expecting it to be boring, dull, and repetitive, and came out of the theater completely dumbfounded at what I had experienced. My one and only flaw is that this movie is above your average alien invasion film. Arrival is nothing like the other alien invasion movies that have released in the past, it is so much more. Although this seems like a very good characteristic, Arrival may be too surprising for certain audiences. Regardless, keep an open mind and give this film a try. Arrival is a very mature and well-done movie that all people should attempt to decipher and understand.

Score: 9.5