This movie took me completely by surprise. The plot seemed to be nothing special at first, I had seen it all before. Aliens had come to Earth, the fate of humanity rested in one person’s hands, etc. I have always been a fan of Amy Adams, but she really did a fantastic job as Louise. The entire movie had me constantly on edge and I always felt a sense of unease. Overall, I went into this movie with pretty low expectations despite the rave reviews and I have to say, this movie lives up to the hype. Okay we are now delving into the SPOILER ZONE! Let’s talk about the aliens.

(Photo credit to texasufosightings.com)

The aliens themselves were incredibly fascinating and I found myself rooting for Louise to solve the mystery of their language. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of the aliens’ design. They looked like huge gray squids. Their hands(?) were one of the more interesting aspects of their design. They had almost like starfishes for hands(?) and communicated through these starfishes that would release an inky looking substance to form different symbols as pictured above. Throughout the entire movie, Louise kept having flashbacks of her deceased daughter, or so I thought. I thought the aliens were somehow intercepting Louise’s mind and using her past against her, but I couldn’t figure out why they would even do that. When Louise confronted the aliens about their purpose on Earth and the truth was revealed, I was completely shocked. I had never even entertained the idea that Louise’s visions were not of her past, but of her future. The aliens saw time as a whole and by learning their language, Louise gained this ability. I loved this plot twist but I was a little conflicted on one thing. I couldn’t decide if Louise being fed what she had to say to General Chang to stop a full on war with the aliens from happening was clever or a little too easy. It was super cool to use her new ability, but it also felt a little too convenient. Other than that, I was left in absolute amazement. This movie left me thinking about what I would do in Louise’s position. If I knew everything that was going to happen, could I even live like that? There’s absolutely no uncertainty nor adventure. I love that this movie encouraged the watcher to think afterwards. The more the plot revealed itself, the more I got pulled in. Overall, I found this to be a fantastic movie and I rate it 9/10 stars with only one star taken off for that one plot issue with General Chang. I encourage everyone to come out to the theatres to see this thought provoking film. Let me know in the comments down below what you thought of Arrival if you have already seen it!