First, the Recap:
What would you do if you could see your life, your future, your choices, and the ramifications of it all in advance? Would you change anything? Earth has once again become the designated destination for an unknown alien force in the form of 12 ships arriving and planting themselves around the globe. In the open countryside of Montana, renowned linguist Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) are called upon by a military liaison Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) to be the point of contact with their specific site’s ship, allowed to enter it and directly attempt to communicate with the visitors while also trying to use Bank’s vast knowledge of languages to translate the alien’s speech. Yet, the further Bank’s encounters with the creatures goes, she makes a decision that not only puts humanity’s fate on the line, but her own personal experiences of memory and life itself as well.
Worth Seeing: YES
Folks, this isn’t “Independence Day”, it isn’t “The 5th Wave”, heck, it isn’t like anything this reviewer has really taken in from the oft done alien invasion genre. Based on Ted Chiang’s story “Story of Your Life”, director Denis Villeneuve delivers one of the most intellectually-based, original sci-fi trips in recent years, and does so with a superb use of deeper, dialogue-centered drama intermixed with impressive but grounded visuals/SFX, plus an overall mood and tone that very much invites additional contemplation and assessment as to what just occurred. It’s fresh, different, and certainly won’t necessarily be for everyone, especially those wanting explosions and non-stop chaos. This actually has none of that, and perhaps that is one of the best overall things about it. Adams is fantastic, Renner is entertaining, Whitaker holds his own as always, and the aliens are decidedly cool. It’s intelligent, unique, heady sci-fi for the masses. Try it on–you might like it!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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