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How do people feel about Arrival?
So I saw Arrival and I'm kind of torn about it. I think it was a very well crafted film and I think the story is somewhat well-written but I'm doubtful it's the sort of movie that will hold up to repeated viewings.
I enjoyed it but the reason I enjoyed it was because of the mystery of it and now that I know the mystery of it , I'm not sure if i'd enjoy it as much on second viewing . I also think that while it's a good film , it's relativily easy to figure out if you're a lifelong fan of science fiction. Someone whose somewhat well versed in Whovian or Trek mythology , isn't really going to find Arrival all that groundbreaking honestly.
The obvious comparison is to something like The Day Earth Stood Still but the The Day The Earth Stood Still is a way more philosophical film then Arrival. Not to say that Arrival is completly unphilosophic , it does comment somewhat well on human society as a whole but it's defiently not as proufound as something like Blade Runner or The Day The Earth Stood Still.
I also feel like it's eerily similar to The Voyage Home. Specifcally the heptapod calls. Those totally reminded me of the whale calles from The Voyage Home and that really helped me figure out the mystery of the plot close to the end.




I loved it, and I intend to grab it the moment it's available on Blu-ray (Feb 14), at which point I will watch it a few more times and let you know.
It was wonderfully crafted, and it's about so much more than the mystery.
I think it touches on many questions I don't know if I can answer, like, if you knew what she knows, could you do what she does? Would you? Could you not?
As I said, I'll let you know if it holds up to repeated viewings. I think it will.
I don't think Arrival is the kind of film you enjoy over and over again but it's still my top film of 2016.