Sci-fi movies have really changed these past few years. They have become deeply psychological, posing questions about humanity and why we are here and what do these aliens want from us?
Gravity, Ex Machina and The Martian were the last sci-fi movies which I enjoyed very much.
This year, it's the turn of one of my favorite directors, Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners, Incendies), as he presents his take on man and aliens in Arrival. I won't give too much of the story away since I would really urge everyone to watch it (not in the moviehouse anymore, since today is the last day).
There are moments of excitement (when man meets alien) and moment to ponder (man vs. aliens in a war?).
There was one question in the end, which Amy Adams' character poses to Jeremy Renner, "If you could see your life from beginning to end, what would you change?". Jeremy Renner's character said "I wish I expressed my feelings more."
That basically is one of the main points of the movie. Communication. How we communicate with each other - man to man, man to alien, mother to daughter, father to daughter - and many other permutations - can truly strengthen our relationships and veer us away from needless conflict.
The soundtrack is amazing and I learned later that Johann Johansson, the composer, is Icelandic! No wonder! The Icelanders (Bjork, Sigur Ros) have produced some of the most mesmerizing songs ever!
This movie should be seen though in a big screen, much like the movie Gravity. It's like Inception as well, because soon as you leave the moviehouse, I'm sure everyone in the group has an opinion on what they just saw. A perfect coffeehouse movie topic!
