Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a highly accredited professor of linguistics who lost her daughter to cancer some years previously. Memories of their time together weigh heavy on her mind. When huge mysterious black vessels descend from the sky, landing at random locations around the globe, Louise is approached by US Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker). Weber wants her to help the US government translate the otherworldly language of the vessels occupants. She agrees on the condition that she be allowed to interact with the creatures in person. Simply listening to recordings will not be enough if they are to fully understand each other. And so Louise is whisked away to the site of the US landing along with mathematician Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). Together the two of them must attempt to communicate with these alien creatures and determine their true intentions before worldwide tensions escalate. In terms of plot it would almost be a disservice to explain any further. This is really one of those films that, the less you know going in the better. Acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario), whose previous films have been captivating but somewhat flawed, gives us by far his best work yet. Evoking the likes of Kubrick and Spielberg while still very much retaining his own style, Villeneuve’s passion for the material is clear. He treats it with great respect; offering up plenty of unique ideas and inventive set pieces, as well as some truly awe inspiring imagery with the help of cinematographer Bradford Young. It will be interesting to see what audiences-at-large make of a film that’s maybe not quite what they’re expecting. While the premise of ominous alien ships appearing around the globe has been dealt with in films like Independence Day, Arrival is not your average alien invasion blockbuster. It has a deeper and more contemplative tone. The film moves at a pace that is measured and confident, allowing us time to fully absorb the mind-blowing nature of the events on display and their impact on the film’s characters, but it never drags. Each scene is always moving the story forward in compelling ways.

While Villeneuve doesn’t shy away from showing us the alien creatures, or exploring their nature, the film is far more interested in exploring the human condition through themes of connection, experience, memory, and the importance of language. The film’s focus on linguistics and communication is fascinating and tends towards a far more positive and hopeful message for humanity than most films of its kind. Military strength and posturing are frowned upon. The film has no love for guns and warfare. Language, despite the barriers it presents, may be our greatest asset.

If any of this is making the film sound overly intellectual or boring, it’s not. Like Interstellar before it, the themes and ideas in Arrival are all there just under the surface, for anyone who wants to explore them. For those who don’t, the story is exciting enough on it’s own. Taken at face value the film remains compelling throughout. It should also be noted that, unlike Interstellar, this film manages to pull off some of its trickier plot points and emotional elements to much greater effect. That it does so while successfully incorporating it’s many themes is one of the Arrival‘s greatest strengths.