Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Saturday 30th March 2024 - 01:14:37

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Movies > Drama > Arrival review

« The Singing Dolphin - Te Aihe I Waiata reviewThe Singing Dolphin - Te Aihe I WaiataShadow House #2 You Can't Hide reviewShadow House #2 You Can't Hide »

Score: 8.3/10  [1 review]
3 out of 5
ProdID: 7487 - Arrival
Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Arrival
Price:
Blu-Ray $44.95, DVD $39.95
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Roadshow (NZ) Ltd

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Roadshow (NZ) Ltd or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
February 22 2017

Arrival product reviews

When mysterious spacecrafts touch down across the globe, an elite team - lead by expert linguist Louise Banks - is brought together to investigate. As mankind teeters on the verge of global war, Banks and the team race against time for answers - and to find them, she will take a chance that could threaten her life, and quite possibly humanity.

Check out Roadshow (NZ) Ltd onlineClick here to see all the listings for Roadshow (NZ) Ltd Visit their website They do not have a Twitter account Check them out on Facebook They do not have a YouTube Channel They do not have a Pinterest board They do not have an Instagram channel They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
alien   amy adams   arrival   denis villeneuve   dvd   forest whitaker   heptapod   jeremy renner   mark obrien   michael stuhlberg   sci fi   tzi mz
Other listings you may be interested in:
Brokeback MountainBrokeback Mountain
Rating: 8.4
Time Traveler's WifeTime Traveler's Wife
Rating: 4.1
Wreck-It RalphWreck-It Ralph
Rating: 8.8
BeowulfBeowulf
Rating: 6.0
Muppet Treasure IslandMuppet Treasure Island
Rating: 7.8
Sharknado Sharknado 
Rating: 7.6
The Hangover Part 3The Hangover Part 3
Rating: 2.0
BarefootBarefoot
Rating: 9.0
The AlamoThe Alamo
Rating: 2.5
Dark ShadowsDark Shadows
Rating: 6.8
Hunt for the WilderpeopleHunt for the Wilderpeople
Rating: 10.0
LoganLogan
Rating: 9.8
Woody WoodpeckerWoody Woodpecker
Rating: 8.3

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of alexmoulton

Review by: alexmoulton (Alex)
Dated: 12th of March, 2017

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 8.3/10
Pay to see it again:
Score 9 out of 10
Attention Span:
Score 7 out of 10
Believeability:
Score 8 out of 10
Personal Choice:
Score 9 out of 10

Arrival being classed as a drama, should give you an idea on the level of "hollywood" action that the viewers are likely to find. Watching the trailer, and with an idea of the plot, one would expect an aggressive movie with missiles and nuclear weapons, but we are provided an entirely different experience; a science fiction drama.

When you meet the protagonist, Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams), we discover that she is a linguist. A fact that provides the direction for the rest of the film away. Focusing the bulk of the proceedings on engaging in communication with this spacecraft. In reality, this is barely a sci-fi film. The movie just provides a new way to look at establishing a basis for translating an unknown language. This premise itself is interesting as we ourselves learned our language a long time ago. So long ago that we can often lose touch with how easy it is to misconstrue and misunderstand a word; a scenario that in this case could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences.

Visually, the film is stunning. Finally we get a sci-fi film that isn't all chrome, holograms, and high tech gizmos; we instead get some very ugly hazmat suits, a scissor lift, and a whiteboard and marker. A very grounding experience. Instead of clean, sterile environments everywhere, we get a dank almost well-like interior, in an area that is dark and gloomy, and puts you into a contemplative mood. You aren't distracted by the beauty of the environments, instead you are focused on the plot.

The casting worked well, and it was interesting to see these comic book characters (Jeremy Renner plays Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Amy Adams plays Lois Lane in the DC Extended Universe) interacting together, I almost fell I would have preferred more unknown actors/actresses. Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams (and Forest Whitaker) are names and faces that are very well known, so sometimes it does become difficult to uncouple them from their previous roles and to fully engage with them in the movie.

The pace of the film is quite slow in places, and did have me checking how much longer I had to watch a couple of times in the middle, but the beginning and end of the film are gripping to watch. One of the aspects of the film which is probably glossed over as you watch it, is the soundtrack by Jóhann Jóhannsson. With many sound effects created simply with layered piano and vocals, we are given an eerie musical playlist that works together with the film, providing room for the dialogue and other sound effects, but still accentuating the tension and emotions in the room. Brilliantly done.

Overall, a very unique stance on the sci-fi "first contact" film, and a refreshing change from the hollywood releases of late. A film that makes you stop and think; responding instead of reacting to an otherworldy situation. Is it believable? Well, in my honest opinion, if the situation were to arise in real life, I don't imagine the United States would be as restrained as they were in this film, but I could still empathise with the level-headed approach. A pretty accurate portrayal of the wide range of responses that we would come to expect, and something I would definitely look to watch again.

Random listing from 'Movies'...

Score: 9.3
Product reviews for listing 8233: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part -  Director/Studio: Mike Mitchell

Product image for The Lego Movie 2: The Second PartThe citizens of Bricksburg face a dangerous new threat when LEGO DUPLO invaders from outer space start to wreck everything in their path. The battle to defeat the enemy and restore harmony to the LEGO universe takes Emmet, Lucy, Batman and the rest of their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds that test their courage and creativity.

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"A man who is 'of sound mind' is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key."
Paul Valery (1871 - 1945)