film review: Arrival

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aliens, Amy Adams, Arrival, Denis Villeneuv, Film Review, film review Arrival, Films, Jeremy Renner, language

The language we speak in influences the way we think – or so many hypotheses claim and/or question. After all can you think about something you have no words for, or is it the lack of vocabulary that hinders us thinking about things we can’t name? Additionally there is our culture – our habits, rites, lifestyles and traditions – that influences our language and thus possibly how we think.

So what would happen when aliens arrive on Earth, how would we communicate and what have they got to say?

Arrival, the latest film by talented director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) asks exactly this question. At it’s center is Louise Banks (Amy Adams) a talented linguist who is tasked with learning how to communicate with aliens hovering in egg-like spaceships over 12 locations all around the globe.

Banks partner is theoretical physicist Dr. Ian Connelly (Jeremy Renner) and while the two of them try to decrypt the alien’s language the whole world is waiting for the Heptapods, the seven legged squid like aliens on board the eggs, to act or attack.

Slowly Banks learns to understand the Heptapods language and read their circular hieroglyphic script-like smoke signals. As she does, how she thinks changes, time folds in on itself and past, future and present become one.

Arrival is a quite film, no capitals explode or spaceships are captured the action lies in the attempt to simply understand. And while as a concept this is extremely interesting it isn’t an easy sell on film, and doesn’t always work. Adams however does a wonderful job at selling the importance of language and fills the screen with her enthusiasm, Renner on the other hand has little to do and seems to be well aware of this.

Beautifully filmed and cleverly conceived Arrival just can’t quite keep it’s promise of becoming the next Close Encounters of the Third Kind and leaves the viewer wondering if Arrival just might have been an amazing film, or maybe it just might have missed its mark.

Amy Adams as Louise Banks in Arrival by Paramount Pictures

 

Film review: Man of Steel

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Amy Adams, Christopher Nolan, entertainment, Film Review, Henry Cavill, hollywood, Review Man of Steel, Russell Crowe, summer blockbuster, The Man of Steel, Zack Snyder

In Hollywood’s latest reboot  Man of Steel the story of Superman is given a facelift and some changes.

With Krypton disintegrating into civil war and environmental meltdown Jor-El (Russell Crowe) decides that the only future for Krypton lies with his only own son.  So while his world is crumbling around him Jor-El sends his baby boy into space, fending of General Zod (Michael Shannon) at the same time and sacrificing his life for his beliefs.

On earth Clark Kent (a very buff looking Henry Cavill) drifts around from one menial job to another, always trying to keep his powers a secret, yet never able to let go of always doing “the right thing”. Tormented by inner demons Clark is trying to find out who he is and where he is from.

In a series of flashbacks Clarks background and history is revealed and his adoptive father (Kevin Costner) as the source of Clarks inner struggle.

When the US government find a spaceship trapped in ice Clark finally finds the answers he is looking for and a love interest in the Pulitzer Prize wining journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams).

From that point onwards the story become messy. General Zod and his troops invade earth and attempt to turn it into a new Krypton. Clark, in his new superhero outfit donning his famous “S”, which incidentally doesn’t stand for Superman but for “hope” in Krypton, of course does the right thing.

Director Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300) and producer Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins) are obviously comfortable in the realm of superheroism, however they do seem to put an emphasis on it being a burden rather than a gift. And in the scenes where little Clark begins to discover and test his powers they do create a believable context for Clarks trauma and self-doubt.

But overall the film lacks. The chemistry between Adams and Cavill is just not there and while he has a permanent frown on his face she is annoyingly perky.

No matter how many epic battle scenes, collapsing buildings and burning spaceships  Man of Steel is too long, too messy and overall just another attempt of reviving a Hollywood classic that doesn’t quite work. But undoubtingly it will be a big summer blockbuster and find its fans.