Arrival

[Cray]

This movie does a wonderful job of depicting inter-species translation issues, also (arguably) intertoposophic. If you ever want a glimpse of first contact problems in an intelligent, well-paced fashion, see this movie.

From a conventional movie going sense, it's a slow burning drama. Linguists and scientists try to figure out the alien language and vice versa, while there are moments of military forces going off half cocked. There's an odd time travel / preconception aspect that unites the beginning and end of the film.

Now, at the end of the film a geezerly movie goer behind me announced "This is the worst movie I've ever seen," but I assume he has led a sheltered life free of Battlefield Earth and Lawnmower Man 2. I have seen far more obtuse scifi films (e.g., the US "Solaris" remake). This is pretty straightforward and comprehensible if you pay attention from start to finish.

[Rynn]

The trailer and adverts have intrigued me. Hearing it doesn't turn into a generic SF-action film makes it all the more attractive. Might pop and see it next week.

[Worldtree]

The movie is based on the Ted Chiang short story "story of your life" . It's an incredible and really well thought out concept and plot. So, when i hear good reviews for this movie too, it's very heartening.
I reccomend anything written by Ted chiang-

[rom65536]

Just watched this film. Good film...but a little slow. Might have made for an excellent episode of The Outer Limits, but as a two-hour movie it was just a little slow.

I did appreciate that it didn't hand-hold the viewer, didn't "talk down" to the viewer, and had enough guts to expect the viewer to bring their brain to the show.

But it could have done with 30 fewer minutes of Amy Adams staring sadly out on a lake. I don't know what you'd fill those 30 minutes with, and I suspect the director didn't either (and that's why she's staring sadly out on the lake).