Arrival
The title of the story from which the film, Arrival, is based on is “Story of Your Life.” Now does that sound like a science fiction movie to you? No. But it is a science fiction type of story. Also, that title should give you a clue on what type of movie you about to see. Arrival doesn’t. It connotes alien invasion. The original story title connotes a more intimate story, which is how the movie played.
The story is about a linguist given the duty to decipher the language of aliens who’ve just arrived. She needs to solve the mystery of why. Or the world will start shooting.
From the get go, the film was an intimate story. It started with what looked to be a flash back, but in the end may have been a premonition. Or it could’ve been the present. You see it was all time based. Now. Then. Tomorrow. Today. Past. Present. Future. What she and us experienced is the now — the story of my life.
As the movie ended and I was leaving, this gentlemen looked me directly in the eye and said definitively, “That movie sucked!” Yes. It is a divisive film because it wasn’t sold correctly. People wanted alien invasion, but it was a story about the linguist and her life. They should’ve never changed the title, but I understand because who will watch a science fiction film that is an intimate story.
I think it will enter the cannon of great science fiction movies, but that will take some time.
3 of 5 stars.
