These days, so many science fiction films either dazzle viewers with special effects or terrify them with doomsday-laden end-of-the-world scenarios. So it is a happy surprise to find one that is genuinely intelligent, emotionally powerful-- and one of the best films of the year. Such a film is ARRIVAL, directed by Denis Villeneuve, which presently is arriving in movie theaters.
At the start of ARRIVAL, the sci-fi aspect of the storyline is non-existent. The central character is Dr. Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams, a linguist and college professor whose young daughter passes away. Banks pleads for her child to come back to her: a heartfelt sentiment that is sure to resound as the story plays itself out.
Another early sequence also is decidedly non-sci-fi-- and potently reflects on the current state of higher education. Here, Dr. Banks is lecturing in a mostly empty college classroom. The students who are present are focused more on their computers than on anything the professor is saying.
However, at the crux of ARRIVAL is the breaking news that aliens in “strange crafts” are landing at locations across the globe, from Montana to Russia to Venezuela. Who are these visitors? Why are they here and what exactly do they want? Is their presence a threat to the future of humankind? So Dr. Adams, a linguistics expert of some renown, is recruited to translate the sounds made by the aliens.
As the story unfolds, several points are made that echo the present-day state of the world. First, there are no responsible world leaders who can represent our planet in finding answers to the questions about the visitors. Even more to the point, why don’t the nations’ heads-of-state unite, and work together, and share intelligence in order to solve the crisis and save the world? For after all, it is not as if some countries are threatened while others are safe. The fact is that the entire planet is imperiled.
While watching ARRIVAL, I was reminded of one of the great post-World War II/early Cold War sci-fi films. It dates from 1951, is titled THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, and it should not be confused with its inferior 2008 remake.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL deals with the arrival of an alien on earth; tellingly, it lands right in the heart of Washington, DC. The alien, whose name is Klaatu, is, well, different-- and anyone or anything that is different will be viewed with suspicion. But Klaatu is more humane than just about any earthling. His message to all earthlings is that they must live together in peace or else be viewed as a menace to other planets. And it will be for this reason that, someday soon, Earth just may be destroyed by forces that are beyond the control of earthlings.
Now of course, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is science fiction. But the point being made here is as valid today as it was in 1951. It is a perspective that poignantly and powerfully resonates in ARRIVAL.
Rob Edelman has authored or edited several dozen books on film, television, and baseball. He has taught film history courses at several universities and his writing has appeared in many newspapers, magazines, and journals. His frequent collaborator is his wife, fellow WAMC film commentator Audrey Kupferberg.
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