Big Picture Big Sound

I am particularly hard to please when it comes to science fiction on the big screen. Most of it is pretty much trash, in my opinion, although to be fair, I can be particularly tough on this genre.

Growing up, it was by far my favorite genre, just like a lot of young boys. Even today, my living room features three framed science fiction posters. Two of them, "The Crawling Eye" and "Queen of Outer Space" are pretty schlocky. Any time Zsa Zsa Gabor is the star, it's not going to be a cinematic gem, at least not in the traditional sense.

However, my third poster is "Beast From 20,000 Fathoms," based on a short story by Ray Bradbury with special effects by Ray Harryhausen, the godfather of special effects. Yeah, I know it's in black-and-white, and some today wouldn't appreciate it, but to me it captures the essence of great sci-fi. That's my long-winded way of telling you that when I love science fiction, I really love it.

Dennis Villeneuve's "Arrival" is this year's most prominent science fiction motion picture. There are an awful lot of things to love about it. It features excellent writing by Eric Heisserer, very good performances, particularly from Amy Adams, and most importantly a very well-crafted whole, courtesy of Villeneuve.

Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a linguistics professor who lives alone. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that she had a daughter, who has since passed away as a young woman. Villeneuve also uses flashbacks throughout to unfold a segment of the story.

One day at school, all attention is directed towards televisions and computer screens because large oval objects are landing in many places across the globe. No one is certain what it's all about, but the common belief is that these objects have come from someplace other than Earth. Within a day, Banks is visited by Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker), who informs her that the objects are populated by aliens, but that they were having trouble communicating with them. The belief by those in charge is that Banks is their best hope.

After initially hesitating, she eventually agrees to help, and is picked up by a helicopter that lands on her property, in the middle of the night. She is whisked to a military base sitting beside one of the objects. Banks is tasked with leading a crew inside the object, which opens up to let them in periodically.

From there, everything is about solving the puzzle as to why the aliens have landed and what they want. This is easily the best part of "Arrival." Most of the rest, once they are interacting with the aliens, concerns flashbacks of Banks remembering details of her daughter's shortened life. Pay attention to them. They are there for a reason.

"Arrival" is a very good film so close to being a truly great film. Really close. My only complaint, and it's a trivial one, is that in its last half hour, it asks us to accept an avalanche of information in order to convey what it all means. Let me stress again, "Arrival" is absolutely worth your time, even if you're not a sci-fi freak. You will be happy you're there soon after you arrive and even more importantly when you depart.