What to Watch: Arrival

(Ugh, terrible movie poster, but oh well)

I love Amy Adams, so I wanted to see Arrival when I knew she was in it. The Sci-Fi element gave me pause, but c'mon, I can enjoy a good sci-fi plot as much as the next lit nerd. So, I rented it on Demand the other weekend and was surprised by just how affecting I found the movie. It was absolutely beautiful in a quiet and considered way. 

Amy Adams is the lead--she's a smart, thoughtful, melancholy, slightly unlike-able but imminently root-for-able (is that a thing?), and totally human. She should have been nominated for an Oscar. It was an excellent, affecting, surprising performance. Jeremy Renner was also wonderful--he was a great counterpart to Amy Adams. He wasn't just eye candy, he was thoughtful and his work highlighted her character's brilliance, compassion, strength and bravery.

I was transfixed--I wanted to watch the movie while doing my taxes. Instead I put my papers to the side and was totally absorbed by the movie. It's a quiet and eerie movie, but surprising in a way that was sort of reminiscent of M. Night Shamalyn, but more organic / less heavy handed.

I left the movie with a sense of hope, possibility, and grace. 

Check out the trailer below:




Here's the plot from Wikipedia:
When mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team - lead by expert linguist Louise Banks - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers - and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.