Written by Logan J. Fowler and Justin Matchick
Release Date: November 11th, 2016
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
Director: Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario)
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: Prisoners was my pick for film of the year back in 2013. Since then, (the director of the aforementioned) film Denis Villeneuve has been delivering great movie after great movie. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Enemy or Sicario, but I know they are critically acclaimed flicks. Clearly Villenueve is not a flash in the pan, and he looks to be behind the camera on another winner with Arrival. –LJF
Pre-Trailer Thoughts: Dennis Villeneuve has quickly become one of the best and most consistent filmmakers in Hollywood over the past 6 or so years, with his films Incendies, Prisoners, Enemy, and Sicario all garnering significant critical acclaim. Arrival looks to continue that hot streak while the sci-fi theme is a good primer for Villeneuve’s biggest project to date, next year’s Blade Runner 2049. I’m a big fan of all of Villeneuve’s movies from the past few years, so I’m very excited for this one. – JTM
Rate the Trailer: 4 out of 5. A stellar cast, a new take on an alien invasion film, and some solid tension are all showcased in this trailer. Instead of a species from space coming to destroy our planet, Amy Adams’ characters has to figure out their language in order to realize their intentions. This is a really interesting concept, and one that will definitely make for an interesting film, as only Villenueve can deliver. -LJF
Rate the Trailer: 4 out of 5. I’m actually surprised the trailer shows us as much as it did, as I would have thought for sure that the appearance of the aliens would have been saved for the movie itself. Cast wise this is a home run, with the always reliable Forest Whitaker supporting Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. As with all of Villeneuve’s films, the cinematography is gorgeous and an early favorite for an Oscar nomination. Hopefully, the Academy will start to recognize Villeneuve’s directing this time as well. – JTM
Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided? Theater. It’s surprisingly that this film didn’t try to find a place among the summer blockbusters with the context dealing with alien attacks, but this movie could be trying to fight for an Oscar contender position. Hopefully it is considered, because it looks incredible. So incredible, in fact, that I’m going to be trying for a theater viewing. –LJF
Theater, Rent, Undecided, No Thanks? Theater. It feels like every Fall the past few years has had a must see sci-fi movie (The Martian, Gravity, Interstellar) and Arrival fits that bill exactly. The great cast and amazing director definitely have made this appointment viewing for me. – JTM
