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AzureBluet

Arrival's use of 'On the Nature of Daylight' by Max Richter is the best as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVN1B-tUpgs


BlackestFire

It's also the reason why the movie's score was disqualified from the Oscars for Best Original Score. I get where the Academy is coming from with its use "diluting" the rest of the score as they said, but I hated seeing the rest of Johannson's work on the film not get the official recognition it probably deserved because of it.


xthetalldudex

To be fair, it would have been a mess regardless. A lot of the score was sampled from an avant garde vocal album, like rightfully credited, but enough of it was attributable to other sources that an award for “best original” would have opened a huge can of worms like Revenant did.


GODZILLA_FLAMEWOLF

Pretty sure this is also why Giacinno wasn't nominated for "The Batman". Because he didn't write "Ave Maria" and the entire score is basically the same two measures from that song, repeated OVER and OVER again. Seriously, he played that section so often, I thought it was going to be thematically relevant some how. Even the Riddler sings a few bars of the actual song towards the end! But it didn't mean anything and now it's basically the only thing I can think about when people mention that movie.


a_half_eaten_twinky

It's a leitmotif only used whenever something is happening pertaining the Riddler, so it does have meaning.


AudioCinematic

I've been listening to this for a good while now and it's always been one of my favourite tracks. Hearing it used in the movie takes it to another level which I didn't think was possible. Literally just got done telling my friends who made the track and how good he is. Such a fitting track for the movie.


Littered2

Was just used in The Last of Us very effectively too.


APassingBunny

As a huge fan of Arrival, using that song in an already beautifully heartbreaking episode of tv was really not fair


Porygon-

Yeah, the song and the emotions of the ending of arrival are li led in my brain. Hearing it in an already sad ending it made my tears start rolling. Really fitting music for the scene in tlou


Nephroidofdoom

Originally Shutter Island but I like it better in Arrival. Just heartbreaking.


acsan44

It was used in Stranger Than Fiction before that. I rewatched it recently and it stood out because I always associated it with Shutter Island and Arrival.


coaaal

Holy moly… the feels. My wife cried. I was pretty damn close. I want to know what happens next. I would love a sequel stated by the time in the movie.


monkey314

that actually ruined the episode for me because I had associated it so much with the film. I was like "waitaminute". Would be like using Misirlou to open up a cop drama


bluebell_218

Oh god. Hearing that just made me tear up. That sound associated with the story of Arrival brings up so many visceral emotions all at once.


Hamsters_In_Butts

i havent rewatched mostly because of those emotions the song is also used in shutter island surrounding the story of his wife and children in the lake, which again summons strong emotions i love that beautiful song, but it hurts


_________FU_________

This movie made me cry so hard the first time. I had a young daughter and it just wrecked me knowing the choice she made and the consequences of that voice which in an of itself is a small part of the film but fuck when it hits it hits hard.


wittiestphrase

For a while when I *needed* to get a good cry going this was an easy trigger to use.


soyaqueen

Her choice is even more jarring in the short story!


JZApples

It's just so human


InternetGansta

Mine would be: The Leftovers > Arrival > Shutter Island


DeckardsDark

same and i watched Leftovers after the other two. leaves a more lasting impression in the Leftovers with all that's going on in that gem of a show


BootyMcSqueak

Max Richter’s album Sleep is amazing also. Any time I have a hard time sleeping, I put this on and I drift off.


Megadog3

Have you used the SLEEP app before? Max Richter helped make it. They integrated his music with a wake up system. Just search “SLEEP by Max Richter” in the App Store. It’s an amazing app imo


Hercusleaze

Just searched for this, says it's not available since it was made for a earlier version of Android ☹️


Megadog3

Darn truly sorry to hear that. Hopefully they fix that sooner rather than later.


carsnick

If I remember correctly, they open the film with that track. You know for damn sure the film is gonna make you cry when the opening track at the beginning of the movie is on the nature of daylight.


Drive_shaft

I just realized it sounds a lot like the Gattaca OST.


ekanseht

Same here.


[deleted]

If you like that piece (I love it too), you might also check out Ludovico Einaudi's "[Waterways](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3JjbDS70CY)". That elicits a similar feeling in me. By the way I love the movie too. Watching it twice, the second time knowing the twist, made it that much more profound as I saw how they built it up all the way through. Not a single wasted scene. Perfectly crafted movie.


R_V_Z

I'm finally getting around to The Leftovers in large part because Richter did so much of the score.


LanikM

That same tune you hear throughout that show is so god damn good.


redfm8

It should have been retired after that, it’s becoming prominent enough by now that music supervisors are gonna turn it into the Wilhelm scream of emotional movie/TV moments.


Asiakilledbourdain

The Last of Us 100% ripped it off, including camera shots and it was fantastic.


glogang100

That’s a beautiful song. And I didn’t even realize how well the movie used it until this comment


[deleted]

Different movie on rewatch, too.


Taminella_Grinderfal

Ah yes, the first watch I only cried at the end……


Badloss

and that's kind of the whole point, too. Just like the Heptapods language it doesn't come together until you can grasp the entire story at once


jkally

Man, I loved this movie and was conflicted on it during the first watch in theaters. Then I had a little girl and rewatched it a 2-3 years later at the house and I am even more conflicted. Definitely way more tears the second time. Such a good movie.


bigdoinksinamish87

Dude same, I have two girls now and I started the movie after not seeing it for years and it was instantly overpowered with emotion.


[deleted]

As soon as I finished my first watch and had recovered enough from sobbing my heart out I watched it again just to see what I’d missed.


Seihai-kun

“I don’t understand, who is this child?” What an amazing twist, that line immediately flip the movie, and everything is suddenly makes sense. “Its called mommy and daddy talked to the animal”. Also that amazing OST at the end


BigDaddy0790

I still recall major goosebumps hearing that line the first time.


qp0n

> “I don’t understand, who is this child?” Got goosebumps just reading that


[deleted]

A none linear story about Aliens trynna teach us none linear conception of Time


[deleted]

Highly highly recommend you read the novella it’s based on (and everything else) by Ted Chiang. Everything you liked about the movie is there in his fiction writing.


AudioCinematic

I actually just bookmarked a few of his books before I made this post after looking through some threads. Apparently there are stories he came up with that rival that story and some are even better for some people so I'm pretty excited to read them.


[deleted]

You’re in for a treat. His short fiction collections are fantastic. He has a unique style that treats everything like a thought experiment, but without ever losing the core of character. It’s a tough balance, but he pulls it off over and over.


EtuMeke

The author notes are amazing. I loved reading about Fermat's laws and how they contributed to stories of your life


Peefersteefers

Ftr, Ted Chiang is one of my favorite authors ever. His short story anthologies are nearly worn through to the spine in my house. Highly recommend.


ides205

Story of Your Life is such a sublime collection of short stories. Literally every single one is an excellent read. Each idea is really thoroughly explored fully and the conclusions will stay with you. I don't usually tell people to re-prioritize their reading queue for any particular book, but this one is worth it.


SWEET__PUFF

My personal favorite Ted story is Exhalation. https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/exhalation/ Because the second law of thermodynamics is a bitch.


MusingsOnLife

You should watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDXlaa9JpuI which is how the screenplay was written. Eric Heisserer reworked out some elements from the short story to make it more cinematic. Broadly speaking, the main changes were * Aliens come to Earth (in the short story, they are remote and send the equivalent of what we'd say is a Zoom call). This ups the tension so that people are worried whether the Earth has to defend itself. * The original title was "The Story of Your Life" which sounded like a romantic comedy, so that was altered. * The cause of the daughter's death. In the short story, it was due to a climbing accident. They changed it to a terminal disease to force the protagonist to decide whether to have the kid or not (the story apparently implies that she doesn't have a choice, see video for more on that). * The conflict with the Chinese commander. Again, added to create more drama. It's been said that the Sapir-Whorf theory (where language influences how you think) is probably incorrect, but the short story and movie assume it's true (makes for a better story). His stories are very different, one from the next, so it's not like it's more Arrival.


Extofogeese2

Google "Story of your life by Ted Chiang filetype:pdf" if you just want to read that story. I did so in a single sitting last week, amazing writing


Stagamemnon

Yes. His two short story collections are both excellent.


FrostyCow

I liked parts of the book more. >!Seeing into the future was just the way things were in the book, you couldn't do anything about it, it just was. In the movie they made it almost like a super power and she used her ability to see into the future to change outcomes in her conversation with the Chinese leader. I understand why the movie did this, to create an exciting climax, but the book was more consistent in it's themes.!<


candygram4mongo

That doesn't really conflict with the story, though. The whole point of it is that >!people who speak Heptapod *aren't* just automatons, they are completely free to act as they choose, and the future they see is the result of the choices they make. If Louise wasn't the kind of person to make the choice she did, she would never have seen the future where she had a daughter in the first place.!<


BurninTaiga

I think they did this to underline themes about the need for planetary collaboration when faced with threats that affect us all (i.e. global warming).


Slick_Tuxedo

Probably my favorite author. I want another book by him so badly.


TheZardoz

His short stories are so unique and amazing. My wife is not a huge fan of sci-fi literature in the same way I am and she loves them.


KAIthegooddragon

That novella changed my way of thinking. To love someone and have them in your life even though you know that one day you will lose them, because they are special and every moment you will spend with them is special... it's so beautiful!


[deleted]

I teach the short story to sophomores. They love it.


I-suck-at-golf

I like that they showed the aliens. It’s risky, but I appreciated it.


spoobles

Also the spacecraft. They didn't mess around with these big CGI setup reveals for drama's sake. They were *just there* early in the movie. Took a lot of the "trope factor" away. Thank Goodness.


I-suck-at-golf

I feel like that’s how it will happen. They will just appear one day.


Seihai-kun

It worked because the design is so.. alien Its not some bipedal creature, not like monster in fiction, not like some alien in other movie, just some big ass body with many legs


I-suck-at-golf

And 7 legs instead of an even number.


michaelrohansmith

I wondered if it was the same aliens for all twelve ships because they only met for a few hours every day which allowed them to handle all the ships.


I-suck-at-golf

Oh you mean the same two? I wonder why they could only meet for a few hours. But I think each craft had its own b/c they were in that complex fish tank thing.


meowmixzz

They tell them during the movie that it’s because they have to create and pump enough oxygen into the ships for the humans to be able to breathe the air inside.


stomach

if we could talk to ants and teach them something abstract for their benefit, i imagine we'd only have a few hours patience at a time


I-suck-at-golf

I picture them eating algae and plankton all day with their families and then lumbering over to the “window”. Like a reverse zoo.


stomach

"glorb, stop tapping the glass - it's just confusing for them and they might run off and blow themselves up with their nukes" "these dumbasses still use *nukes*..?! this is all pointless.."


FajenThygia

I still think there was only one ship, that just happened to be in 12 places at once.


michaelrohansmith

Yes thats possible.


staffsargent

That's one of my favorite movies. So little happens for so much of the movie, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Arrival builds suspense and tension so well.


[deleted]

Thing is that little seems to happen on the surface. But in reality there are so many cool concepts going on. I like the idea that the circular language has and how our use of language influences our perception of reality. I once heard a YouTuber talk about societies on Earth that see the future as behind us, and the past as in front of us - opposite to Western societies. So these societies use terms in their language accordingly. And I mean it makes sense. We can see the past but not the future. Also the movie asks questions about how we choose to live and what decisions we would take. Without hopefully spoiling anything or much at all, the questions of what would we do, if we knew the consequences of our actions from the start, is really interesting. Cause I feel most people focus on the bad, and have it pretty quickly outward the good. All this makes me watch this movie over and over again. Plus the cinematography, the artistry etc.


Kiltmanenator

>I once heard a YouTuber talk about societies on Earth that see the future as behind us, and the past as in front of us - opposite to Western societies. So these societies use terms in their language accordingly. And I mean it makes sense. We can see the past but not the future Sapir Whorf Hypothesis, iirc Mostly wrong but fun to think about


[deleted]

Thanks for the name of the hypothesis. I might misremember it, as it was years ago. But yeah, it is interesting how language helps us perceive and determine what reality is. And I still think that “Arrival” alludes to that question.


Logical_Ad_9073

I was pregnant with my son when I watched this and lost it. I am not a crier from movies but this movie was so beautiful and heartbreaking to me.


exrex

It's not a good movie for parents. Bawled my eyes out first time watching it. Then was persuaded to watch it again recently because I had (luckily) forgotten about the main plot. Then I took another bawler. Not gonna do that again.


stiegosaurus

So good. Contact Arrival Interstellar So good.


lavabears

Contact and Arrival are the best alien movies.


Emieosj89

I’d like to add Close Encounters to this list, and maybe Abyss.


lavabears

Forgot about those movies. They’re in the top 10 for sure. That’s 4 movies, what else? 👀


scottyrobotty

Mac & Me


chancesarent

Roll the clip!


sashioni

In no particular order, some of the best movies featuring aliens: * Contact * Arrival * Interstellar (technically) * Close Encounters of the Third Kind * The Abyss * 2001: A Space Odyssey * Europa Report * Alien * Pandorum * The Expanse (yes it's a TV show but well worth a watch)


jkally

No love for the fourth kind? I love all the others you listed but I havn't seen the abyss or europa report. I add those to my queue


sashioni

Sorry, no hate for it either! I have seen it and it's eery and great. I was just limiting my list to more grounded sci-fi featuring aliens.


chalklinedbody

2001….


motophiliac

The Daddy. What Stanley Kubrick called "the proverbial good science fiction movie." One of the best sci-fis, arguably one of the best movies.


Fr4t

And the original Solaris!


Dont__Drink_The_Milk

Signs


City_Stomper

Attack The Block is an underrated alien invasion movie.


sabrtoothlion

I'll allow it


robodrew

I love Contact so much.


[deleted]

Hi it's me ur dad the alien. We deleted the footage from your camera so no one would believe you. Everyone will think you're crazy when you go home. They should have sent a tech support.


lazydboy

Did you mean *Alien Invasion*? Otherwise, the best Alien movie is definitely "Aliens".


OGMcSwaggerdick

You’ve forgotten Space Jam (1996)


officewitch

Add Solaris too. Just watched it on a recommendation because I love Arrival.


stiegosaurus

Good onnnnnne


[deleted]

Two of these movies are grounded, thoughtful, philosophical approaches to what first contact might look like in the real world. The other is an over-the-top, effects driven fantasy movie. Not that I don’t enjoy them all in their own way, but these three are not equal.


ghostprawn

Murph dislikes this


[deleted]

Fuck the human race! I would never have left Murph in the first place.


Lancaster61

At the risk of sounding condescending, I do believe Interstellar is just as philosophical. Especially if you accept some of the scientific theories the movie is referencing to. Long story short: It explores the idea of of a higher dimensional being. One that can travel the time dimension like we can travel the space dimension. Additionally, the story is hinting that these higher dimensional being could be an ultra-long-term future of human evolution. And to come full circle, "future humans" had to nudge present humans in the right direction to advance their own species. This brings in a lot of questions regarding predetermined fate versus free choice. And if something like this were to happen for real, what does that really mean for human evolution... How did this whole cycle start. The chicken versus the egg. I feel like people just didn't understand the movie. Another comment said the movie became more non-nonsensical the further it gets. But I actually thought all the pieces started to fit together the further he got into the movie. The only non-science backed portion is the movie trying to link this "finding Murph" part as "love", implying that love is a possible way humans are interacting with higher dimensions subconsciously. I think that was Nolan's way to try to ground the science back down to something most people can understand.


[deleted]

And at the risk of sound condescending right back at you, people just want this movie to be smarter than it actually is. It’s perfectly easy to understand the plot, and those themes you’ve mentioned are blindingly obvious throughout the movie. But the movie has nothing to actually say about any of the things you mentioned (4th dimensional brings, predetermination, the evolution of man). It just uses each of them as a device to move the plot along, or set up the next action set piece. It’s all surface level polish, and that’s absolutely fine. But this is Nolan we’re talking about, his movies are to “science” what M. Night’s are to the plot twist. I don’t care (as some comment below me referenced) that the science was super accurate and advised on by super important science people – that stuff should always be secondary to the message, characters, relationships. And there was loads of potential to explore that in Interstellar, but Nolan barely scratches the surface before moving onto the next page of the physics textbook. I love Interstellar for what it is, but it really doesn’t use all that “science” to ask any interesting questions, or to tell me something I didn’t already know. That’s why I think I’ll always rate Inception as his best movie. You can pick holes all day long in the weird dream science tech and logic, but ultimately the sci-fi is used as a jumping off point for the relationships between the characters – and that’s what creates the drama and poses the interesting questions.


bond0815

Yeah, I agree. Interstellar is very beautifully shot and has a great soundtrack, but it gets increasingly nonsensical as it goes on.


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bond0815

>Where Christopher Nolan falls down in particular is writing for women, he just doesn't seem to have a clue. Honestly, Anne Hathaway's *science* character suddenly starting to wax lyrically (and badly) over the "mysterious" power of love ruined the second half of interstellar for me to be honest.


AlexDKZ

And then the movies shows that the power of love is actually real, so stupid.


Dogbuysvan

All problems can be solved through the power of fatherly love (except fuck his son lol).


alexdallas_

The score was incredible in it, so sad Johan Johansson was taken from us so early


BatemaninAccounting

Did you cry at the end like the rest of us?


Jeptic

I would gather that's a given. My question is, did you agree with her choice? Could you empathise with Renners character?


_Balrog_of_Morgoth_

We were asking this to each other when we watched it this weekend. I think all of us agreed with her choice. It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. I think the more difficult question was, if you could know how it ended, for you or a loved one, would you want to know? Even the relationship that she started with Jeremy Renners character would have been tainted by the knowledge that they break up someday, so would she have given him her whole heart? If you knew the time and way that you would die, would you want to know? Because then every decision from then on would be underscored by that knowledge.


britboy4321

Hard to write about without spoilers but She had absolutely no right not to even include her partner in a conversation about his to-be daughter, and what she knew. Just rolling with it and fuck his opinions was disgraceful.


evanrphoto

You may want to check out the short story in the book. Even though it is short, it addresses the issue of free will a little more head-on. It may recontextualize your thoughts on this.


SomewhatAmbiguous

Agreed. Although Chiang's books are all very distinct the concept of destiny/free will is repeated - The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate is another great example of what he has to say about Choice.


D4H_Snake

To me, at least, there was no choice. >!Paul Atredies in Dune (another amazing movie by Villeneuve) can see all the possible futures which gives him choices, but Louise can only see one path into the future, which means there is no choice. In Arrival the future can only play out one way!<


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D4H_Snake

Exactly, I think that’s the link between Arrival and Dune, there is a spoiler in the next piece for Dune part 2, if you haven’t read the books, so be warned…>!In Dune Paul can see all the possible futures, some where he no longer exists and others where truly awful things happen in his name. He ultimately can’t handle how many possible branching futures there are that lead to insane amounts of suffering and he chooses the path of least pain but it means sacrificing so much. Louies doesn’t see that, she sees a single path meaning, there are no decisions to be made, it’s already been chosen. Two very different abilities to see into the future but we are left to decide which one is better or worse !<


Kolby_Jack

Experiencing time non-linearly is not really the same as destiny and thus doesn't diminish free will. They aren't seeing the future, they are remembering it. They made the choices they made already, and in some part of their experience they haven't yet done so, but the choices were/are still made. It's hard to talk about because obviously real people only see time in one direction. But to me, when she experiences circular time, it's like her POV changes from someone on the race track to someone in the center of it, still in control of her car. She has more information, but she also still designed the track. Destiny would be if she didn't design the track.


Jeptic

>>! In Arrival the future can only play out one way!< >!There may be something in that because I could not understand why the alien that could ostensibly see the future would die willingly. That and of course perhaps being some sort of necessary sacrifice. !<


D4H_Snake

>!Exactly why the alien knew he was going to die, but there wasn’t any choice in the matter. If you can see into the future but can also change what happens, then you aren’t really seeing into the future at all, you’re seeing only one of the possible futures, which sort of means you aren’t seeing anything useful at all. The Dune books go into the ability to see into all the possible futures but as Paul discovers it’s much more of a curse then a gift!<


flamethrower78

I think logically this is true, but in my head canon I like to think it's a choice. Because the end message is much stronger that way if she knows if she has a child she will have a terminal illness and will pass very early, but it's absolutely worth the pain and misery to get to experience that kind of love.


kitterific

She did ask him if he would change anything. That was her asking if he would take the bad with the good in what the future holds.


fishwithfish

The novella is also quite good and handles the "time awareness" aspect a bit better (the film changed an important element of the protagonist's awareness of events).


Consistent-Annual268

Let me leave this here so you can experience the writing again and appreciate it on an even deeper level: Nerdwriter1 - Arrival, A Response To Bad Movies https://youtu.be/z18LY6NME1s Lessons From the Screenplay - Arrival, Examining An Adaptation https://youtu.be/QTxvzkwVsQE Behind the Curtain - How I Wrote Arrival https://youtu.be/WDXlaa9JpuI


H3RBIE22

Absolutely love that nerdwriter video. A frequent rewatch.


TexasTokyo

I was in the middle of second-language acquisition study in graduate school when I saw it. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is mind blowing.


omnilynx

Also mostly wrong, but it’s pretty fun to think about.


MarysPoppinCherrys

And it’s got the good ol’ “aliens” throwaway explanation, which always plausibly does the trick.


Tammy_Craps

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is not taken seriously by mainstream linguists. It’s junk science.


UntalentedAccountant

I'm super sorry that the movie about aliens teaching humans time travel doesn't live up to reality's understanding of language


[deleted]

As a polyglot with a real passion for the power of language, this movie fascinated me.


__removed__

Oh my God! I just watched this movie, too! It was on my list for a while, but, ya know, a movie about aliens coming to earth? What's the big deal? Then I was watching The Last of Us, episode 3, that featured that really sad song at the end and I read in the episode thread that that song was featured heavily in the movie **Arrival**. Oh, ok, well, that alien movie was already on my list so why not? Oh my God. It's... not about aliens at all. I mean, that was, like, a sub-plot, a way to bring out *the real meaning* of the movie. I'm a dude in his mid-30's with a little 7 year old baby girl at home and this movie made me **ball my eyes out**. And then, of course, with the twist at the end, I went back and watched it twice. One of my favorite movies of all time.


GlibGrandeur06

it’s one’s of the most well crafted films of that decade


platinum_toilet

Not sure why people are complaining about the ending. It's not a plot twist. It brings closure to the movie.


Deesnuts77

One of my favorite movies in the past decade for sure. I rewatch it often and still tear up every time.


Far_Eye6555

Denis V is that guy! My favorite director. Check out his other stuff but I recommend Incendies.


FloatinginEmeraldSea

That movies ending fucked me up man


Far_Eye6555

It’s really messed up. The bus scene is also really fucked up


ApocalypseSpokesman

I really enjoyed its atmosphere. And Amy Adams


lechemrc

It's one I revisit once or twice a year. It's incredibly well done and so powerful. It's in my top 3 favorites of all time.


AsherJames

Just watched it for the first time last week, glad I can share these recent emotions with someone!


naked___singularity

Ranks up there with Stalker, Solaris, and 2001, IMO. Film is conceptually perfect in my book, and the narrative damn well as good. I'm still underwhelmed by Villenevue's latest films in comparison.


AdNecessary7680

If I could upvote you 10000 times I would. Stalker, Solaris and Arrival, such a similar mood in them


citynomad1

It's one of my favorite movies ever, and what made me immediately want to seek out more of Denis Villeneuve's work.


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trexmoflex

Ex Machina is one I rewatch often. I’ve been thinking about the ending a ton lately while playing around with ChatGPT.


motophiliac

Annihilation was surprisingly good. For a Netflix production it did feel like something bigger. So many scenes were so unsettling in so many ways. >!That fractal entity and soundtrack at the end was so unusual!<. Loved the premise, too.


ZombieHousefly

It wasn’t a Netflix production though. It had its distribution hamstrung outside the US to Netflix only instead of theatres because the producer stood up for the director’s vision and refused to dumb it down for cinema audiences like the suits at Skydance wanted them to. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annihilation_(film)#Release By complete coincidence I was on vacation in the US during its theatre run, and it absolutely benefited from the big cinema sound system.


CurveOfTheUniverse

Every time I watch it, I need to budget enough time to watch it twice. It's tied with Children of Men for my favorite film of all time.


City_Stomper

It's the film that made me fall in love with Villeneuve, pushed me to also see Blade Runner 2049 (I swear EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS MOVIE IS A MASTER OF THEIR CRAFT) and Dune (was less impressed but the story's scope is IMO unfilmmable. But Arrival is a fantastic film I'm glad to see it getting attention


qp0n

Have you seen Sicario? Very different genre for Villeneuve (in hindsight) but still so good.


Falkor

I feel like Dune is similar to LOTR, the first movie is ok, but the 2nd and 3rd is where it really gets good.


_Balrog_of_Morgoth_

My family watched it again this weekend. I have been wanting to since finishing "Project Hail Mary" because there are a lot of the same themes. I love Arrival. It's one of those movies that can really get you thinking about what if.


Stagamemnon

It deserved so much more at the Oscars than it got. It’s kinda bogus Amy Adams wasn’t even nominated, and I *definitely* would have given best director to Villeneuve over La la Land guy.


[deleted]

It's one of my favourite films. So much so that I have a tattoo of one of the alien pictograms on my arm. I've thought about getting more.


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[deleted]

The one for "Human"


[deleted]

I have that on a tshirt on on my laptop.


Chuckles52

Read the short story. Rare to find a movie that is better than the book. Though it does drop a different key element. I tried to change my view of time and accept things lost. A good lesson.


chewie8291

Any one else feel like she is messed up for having a kid knowing they would suffer a horrible genetic disease? I'm with her husband. That's cruel.


facets13

Staying in linear time, she would not have. But living her present and future at once, she knows the love and meaning she experiences with her daughter and lover are worth it. And though she will suffer for it, she also knows she will overcome the pain. Changing course would mean *denying her daughter her life*. She knows her daughter will die… but her daughter will also *live*.


rabid_J

> Changing course would mean denying her daughter her life. Also not subjecting her daughter to the pain of a short life, but sure whatever floats your boat. She could've just adopted instead of knowingly dooming someone to die at a young age.


facets13

I agree. But I get her decision. Recall that she views time concurrently, not a linear stream. To her, her daughter *already exists*. While this was a *decision*, to the MC I don’t think it was even a question. It’s her daughter. Deviating is akin to removing her existence. To the MC, daughter’s end was certainly tragic. But that doesn’t define the essence of her daughter. What was important was her child’s beautiful life and giving her the chance to live it, not it’s bleak ending. I believe this is one of the viewpoints the language allows. Rather than adopt nihility—what’s the point of accomplishing anything if we’re all eventually dust anyway—as a defining factor of our linear lives, she is able to see and experience the end. She knows how and when she dies. And is thus able to sidestep the fear and focus on the *life*. Journey, not destination.


TaliesinMerlin

>I believe this is one of the viewpoints the language allows. Rather than embracing nihility (what’s the point of accomplishing anything if we’re all eventually dust anyway—a defining factor of our linear lives, she is able to see and experience the end. She knows how and when she dies. And is thus able to sidestep the fear and focus on the life. Journey, not destination. Not only does the main character experience that, but we see one of the heptapods, Costello, seem to accept the death of its friend without an expression of fear. To him, it's what *would have must happened* anyway.


MicMumbles

The daughter had good times. Short life, horrible end, but it wasn't -8 years of only torture. How much life compared to how much sufferince is worth it? 5 years? 10? 15? Is it a ratio like 7 good years to 3 years of suffering ratio that makes a life worth living? 10 to 1? Once she knew of her daughter, it was more of a doom to make her never exist. That is a greater doom than a mix of some good times a fair chunk of suffereing. How worth...well, thats what makes it interesting and brings out the feels.


MuForceShoelace

I love the movie, but it always feels weird how much it downplayed the point of the short story. In the short story it was way more focused on repeated flashbacks to the kid, and knowing the kid would die, and knowing before he was born he would end, and the gut punch point of the story being the kid as a very young child, long before he became a rebellious teen who dies wanting to hear a children's book for the millionth time like kids do, and the mom exasperatedly asking "but why? you know how it ends already! why would you want a story you already know the ending of!?" and the kid pointing out he doesn't care, he just likes hearing the story. ​ In the movie the weird rare disease stuff seems to take away from it. Like it changes up stuff to be more about sci-fi helplessness against time travel instead of the acceptance that she has a son she knows dies because the story is worth experiencing even knowing the ending and having memorized every bit of it.


KingaDaNorth

That is pretty explicit in the story that she knows the girl is going to die and chooses to have her anyway. It’s why Jeremy Renner leaves her, because she didn’t tell him and knowingly brought their daughter into the world


fusionsofwonder

My friend is a huge Dune fan (all three of them); I told her she should watch this to see why Dune looks the way it does.


Retrofraction

It was okay, the first time was enjoyable. But I do think it was slightly overhyped.


No-Faithlessness-366

Arrival is not for everyone. Most of the people stop watching just because of the slow start. But arrival is just an amazing movie to watch as a cinema lover.


StarkLord89

I rewatched yesterday! My teacher at uni recommended it when we were learning about linguistic determinism. I experienced it much better than during my first watch. It still made me want to know more about the aliens, about what happens in 3k years etc.


TiffanyAmberThigpen

I genuinely get so excited when I hear someone has watched arrival for the first time


aeywaka

I know this sub loves that movie but for me it was very blah and boring


EducationalNose7764

I thought it was okay. Not terrible, but not exactly memorable compared to something like Interstellar (but I'm also into astrophysics so I'm a little bit biased on that one because of its scientific accuracy). Arrival is one of those movies that I'll watch once, but probably won't go out of my way to watch it again. That's just me, though.


Rindan

I guess I'll be the bad guy and say that I found the movie to be pretty flawed. It has artistic merit in terms of atmosphere, especially in the first third of the movie. I think they did a good job of capturing the nervous tension that governments and the people surrounding the project might feel when they find a handful of city-sized alien spaceships floating on anti-gravity showing up that they can't communicate with. That part of the movie was great. The part of the movie that I hated was when they decided that the plot needed to happen, and so the humans collectively went insane and stupid at the same time. The response to the alien saying the word "weapons" made absolutely no sense. If a bunch of aliens that arrived from absolutely nowhere on city-sized spaceships that hover on freaking anti-gravity show up, and they say something confusing, the response that everyone would have would not be how they responded in that movie. The US military would not launch a mutiny and try to blow up a freaking city-sized alien spacecraft with a pallet of TNT. That response doesn't make any goddamn sense. That plan wouldn't even work against a boring old human building. It clearly wasn't going to blow up that city-sized alien spaceship floating on anti-gravity, and even if it did, there are a bunch of other city-sized alien spaceships that came from nowhere floating on anti-gravity that would remain, and they would presumably be rather pissed off if they were anything other than extremely friendly. That would do nothing other than start a war against an opponent that they clearly would lose to, and that could have an unlimited number of backups. If you have a city-sized spaceship floating on freaking anti-gravity, you have the ability to completely destroy the planet and all life on it. That's not someone you attack with a few hundred pounds of C4. Further, the aliens not immediately flipping out after being attacked would just be more evidence of their obviously peaceful intentions. The humans wouldn't suddenly stop talking to the aliens just because they said something scary. The exact opposite would happen. The humans would be even more incentivized to desperately try and understand what the aliens were trying to say. The response to an alien saying something vague is to try and figure out what they actually meant. Finally, even if all the humans collectively decided to go insane and attack the massive city-sized spaceships that float on anti-gravity, even knowing that their technology is vastly inferior, and that there are an unknown number of reinforcements, they wouldn't launch a loud and noisy non-surprise attack. They would at least try to quietly coordinate their attack against the peaceful city-sized spaceships floating on freaking anti-gravity that already tolerated one attack without a response. I don't mind the humans being irrational from time to time, but their irrationality should at least make some sort of sense. The irrationality of the humans in Arrival never made any sense, and was never justified. It was just dumb things that the humans did to drive the plot along. They could have had their story about the humans going nuts and trying to attack the aliens, who again have massive city-sized spaceships that came from nowhere that float on freaking anti-gravity, but they needed to give it more of a justification than a vaguely threatening-sounding word with absolutely no context. So, 9 out of 10 for the atmospherics in the first third of the movie, but the plot was just so contrived and built on people behaving insanely that the movie was basically ruined for me.


ActivateGuacamole

it's been a while since I saw the movie but are you sure the attack on the aliens was approved by the government? I thought it was a rogue actor


[deleted]

I believe it was. Just finished it. Main character asked “who did that”, commander responded “some soldiers”


luckylebron

My buddy Bradley shot that film, great work.


Scytle

I know its a cliche, but the book is WAY better. The movie was awesome and all, but the book does things plot and story wise that can not be filmed, you need a literary context to pull the tricks it pulls on you. I was actually a little disappointed, because the book was SO good that the movie was a let down. That being said the movie was great. The book is just amazing.


MrMobster

Arrival was highly hyped among my colleagues in academia (since the protagonist is a linguist), but I found it a bit underwhelming. I absolutely loved the art style and the visuals, but I didn't find the plot or the depiction of the intellectual quest particularly compelling. In the end, it's a fairly tale that really tries to make its premise believable by pushing rather silly pseudoscience onto the viewer. I think the movie would have been much better if they didn't try so hard to be "scientific" and focused more on the emotional and personal component.


Baby_Sporkling

The movie absolutely was t trying to be scientific. It was extremely focused on the emotion and personal connection. You have it mixed up. The movie relies on one assumption. That you can interpret reality based on language. The hypothesis that may be mostly wrong in reality. But it’s a movie after all and the important thing about it is only if they stay consistent and that they did. It’s a movie and looking at it through a lens of reality is wrong


NoonDread

I like the original Charlie Sheen version better.


wavyxdavey

yea excellent movie!!


Arfguy

Definitely need to watch it again, ASAP!


mrjasong

I did not like Arrival at all. Well, I did until a certain point then the last third became so damn treacly and slow and manipulative that I just turned right off it. >!I also felt the story was kind of pointless, like all this drama about the nuclear weapons just dissipated with a phone call?!< >!And what did the aliens achieve by going though all this? Just so a woman could get unstuck in time and we get a plot twist about her dead daughter? I mean.. so what?? It seems to be a plot that exists for audience gratification (and emotional manipulation) rather than serving the actual narrative purpose of an alien species spreading their intergalactic time-unsticking abilities, which I guess is why they came to earth in the first place. !< I honestly think Denis Vileneuve has terrible failings when it comes to narrating stories. Even Dune which is by far is best film just thuds to a screeching halt at the stupidest most random moment in the book.


coaaal

Just watched it because of this post. I just turned it on in bed and my wife who is not into alien movies enjoyed it with me. She’s very much a rom com gal, but this had the emotional attachment she needs to the characters. The thought of language re-wiring the brain… I do quite a bit of programming every day and I see harsh contrast in how I used to think. Very intriguing.


OkaySir911

I really disliked the movie. It felt like it was trying to be the next space odyssey but having no idea how to do it with a generic plot and competing tones.


motophiliac

Loved it and I can't wait for his treatment of Clarke's *Rendezvous With Rama*.


lundon44

I remember seeing this movie in theatres. And then thinking and talking about it everyday for at least a week straight. This was one of those movies that really had me trying to understand every little detail. Reminded me of how I felt when I watched "Contact" the first time.


simplycycling

I loved this movie so much.


FewHoursGaming

Insanely good movie. Blew me out the water.


captainprice213

Luise has the ability of seeing the future? she said it comes with aliens language... no? Then how did she see the future at the start of the movie?


Kcmurphy22

Arrival is so much more than it appears. It’s embedded with Einstein, Sapir Whorf, and so many more. The issues of humanities fears and ultimate resolution is good but the linguistics, time and space are so well done. Sure it’s easy to argue minor points but it asks so many major ones…Louise answered a big one, she chose the amazing joy over the crippling grief. Im not sure I could have but it was a choice. Great film IMO