Arrival (2016)
Foreign languages always felt alien.
Presentation:
The more I think about and rewatch this film, the more I think it is the best alien film of all time. This is Denis Villeneuve's entry into his desired science fiction genre. The film looks fantastic utilizing beautiful natural light and a very moody atmosphere with Zeiss Super Speeds. This is a very pleasant addition offering something new to the alien genre, which relies mostly on psychological and political aspects requiring you to think compared to most alien flicks. It’s one of the moodiest films with Johann Johannson’s best soundtrack of all time, blurring the lines between horror, thriller and psychological drama. It’s beautiful though visually one of the dimmest pictures I can remember, which allows for that magnificent brooding atmosphere.
Story:
Ridiculous premise, you can't see the future even if that's how language programs your mind, still a great watch anyway.
Conclusion:
A fascinating story that hinders on some psychological theories like linguistic determinism/whorfs hypothesis, which if you've never heard of or aren't able to grasp, may lead to a confusing academic experience. But the visuals and presentation might be so strong that you'll love every moment of it. So much so, that you might even think it’s one of the best alien films, which is not exactly a very high bar to begin with but still demonstrates the caliber of this film. I believe this is the best alien film in the Hall of Spice.
Recommendations
Riding sandworms into a satisfying sunset.