Arrival
A linguist confronts humanity’s fear of the unknown when deciphering an alien language begins to transform her understanding of time, loss, and choice.
Overview
A linguistics professor must decode an alien language to prevent global catastrophe.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Mild
- intellectual
- foreboding
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- thoughtful movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an intelligent, emotionally resonant, visually accomplished first-contact drama that makes language and communication central to its science fiction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Louise's apparent recollections of her daughter function as emotionally charged clues to the film's treatment of time.
Louise must establish a shared language with the visitors while military and political actors fear hostile intent.
The global first-contact crisis is closely tied to Louise's personal experience of loss and her choices about love and suffering.
The gigantic spacecraft, misty landscapes, restrained production design, and subdued palette make the encounter feel solemn rather than spectacular.
Films like Arrival, and why
Contact
shared first-contact science fiction, linguistic mystery, philosophical themes, and emotionally intimate human stakes
Interstellar
shared cerebral science fiction, communication across radically different intelligences, and reflective treatment of time
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
shared cerebral alien-contact premise, global uncertainty, atmospheric tension, and emphasis on communication over combat
Movie Details
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Release Date
- 2016-11-10
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (19931)
Cast
- Amy Adams
- Jeremy Renner
- Forest Whitaker
- Michael Stuhlbarg
- Mark O'Brien
- Tzi Ma
- Abigail Pniowsky
- Julia Scarlett Dan
- Jadyn Malone
- Frank Schorpion
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Arrival about?
- A linguist confronts humanity’s fear of the unknown when deciphering an alien language begins to transform her understanding of time, loss, and choice.
- What is Arrival like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Arrival as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Arrival violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Arrival as mild.
- What did critics think of Arrival?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an intelligent, emotionally resonant, visually accomplished first-contact drama that makes language and communication central to its science fiction.
- Which films are like Arrival?
- Films with a similar feel include Contact, Interstellar, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
- How long is Arrival?
- Arrival runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch Arrival?
- In United States, Arrival streams on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
