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Arrival (2016)
A heartfelt and near flawless sci-fi, that is sure to become a modern classic.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, and adapted from Ted Chiang's The Story of Your Life [1998], Arrival explores how mankind would react to, and communicate with, extraterrestrial beings, who without warning and with an unclear purpose, touch down in twelve locations across the earth.
Threatened by their arrival a team of specialists, led by linguist Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and scientist Ian Donnelley (Jeremy Renner), are tasked with communicating with the aliens, and ultimately deducing whether they have peaceful or hostile intentions.
Perhaps surprisingly Arrival is not just a film about an encounter with extraterrestrials, but is at its core a heartfelt and visceral look at more universal and ideological themes of love, loss, tolerance and acceptance, to name a few.
Acting, particularly from lead Amy Adams, is superb with scenes of genuine emotion and delicate intimacy throughout. Jóhann Jóhannsson's original score matches this sentiment well, with deep and resonating crescendos and delicate strings, which create subdued and deeply moving scenes.
Though the scenario of aliens landing on earth could be viewed as cliché and overdone (Close Encounters of the Third Kind [1977], Independence Day [1996], Contact [1997], etc.), it is ultimately in the final act where Arrival steps into new ground, and transforms into a movie that demands your attention and reflection long after the credits have rolled.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
A comedy which is genuinely funny, with a cast of charming characters
Taika Waititi's new comedy, set in the New Zealand bush, sees the wacky manhunt of a young orphan, Ricky (Julian Dennison), and his foster uncle Hec (Sam Neil). Following the threat of returning to the public system, Ricky flees his new remote farm home, with his foster uncle tracking him down shortly after deep within the bush. With the authorities believing their disappearance to be kidnapping, both Ricky and Hec quickly become fugitives running from the law.
Waititi's excellent brand of comedy doesn't disappoint, with solid character based humour and genuine laugh out loud moments throughout. If you're a fan of Edgar Wright you're sure to enjoy the visual comedic style of the movie, as well as the levity and frivolity, which isn't too dissimilar to that seen in Wright's cornetto trilogy.
Casting is solid with the partnership between Neil and Dennison producing some excellent chemistry; well balanced by the comical partnership of unrelenting and headstrong child-services worker Paula (Rachel House) and incompetent police officer Andy (Oscar Kightley).
The Signal (2014)
Original and intriguing, but lacks real characters
The Signal is a disturbing and intriguing ride that will undoubtedly satisfy many sci-fi fans, but for those hoping for an emotional and satisfying tale you're likely to be disappointed.
What I loved about The Signal was its ambitious exploration of a huge variety of sci-fi themes, often whilst dipping its toe into other cinematic genres. When I watched the trailer I anticipated it would be a pseudo horror-sci-fi-thriller type movie (Alien, The Cave, The Andromeda Strain, etc), but I was pleased to see the film push the envelope a little and break the mould. As a result there are some genuine moments of suspense and surprise dotted through the film, often mixed with some excellent visuals and cinematography. This builds well for a climactic ending, which I didn't expect and was satisfying enough to justify the 97 minutes spent.
Unfortunately there are some negatives. Though the film's short running time gives the movie a fast pace, there are many scenes which tend to hinder this momentum, including ambiguous flashback scenes that often jar with the scenes of action. The first 15 minutes of the movie are unforgivably dull and could be thrown away or shortened. Understandably introductory scenes such as these are essential in establishing the film's premise and its characters, but by and large they don't add to this movie and fail massively in their attempt to engage the viewer emotionally.
The three main characters aren't completely devoid of life, yet they remain somewhat muted throughout, due in part to the sparse dialogue between them. In truth I only just finished watching the film and I can't remember any of the three main characters' names, including the protagonist. It's a shame because the casting and acting aren't bad, rather the film is let down by a script that appears to have been written with the action and story in mind. The characters and lovestory on the other hand seem shoehorned in afterwards. If the film had been longer then maybe I would have felt more invested in the characters, but as it is I felt two of the three main characters, Hayley and Jonah, could have been cut entirely.
The Signal is a movie still worth watching (especially if your a sci-fi fan), rememberable for its original story, tension and unexpected twists
just sadly not its characters.