The Arrival | | Cast : | Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Crouse | | Director : | David Twohy | | Studio : | Artisan Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | May 31, 1996 | | DVD Released Date : | July 25, 2000 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 04, 2005 | | Summary | Alien Paranoia at its best | Content
 | If "Contact" is the scientific part of an alien comunication from out of space, "The Arrival" is the paranoid counter-part.
The movie opens with a scientist discovering something that never was supposed to happen: Vegetation on the north pole.
From there we are moving to the accidental reception of a signal from out of space as well as Contact. But, Are they good or bad aliens?? The answer dwells on Zane ( Charlie Sheen ) who's trying to find out what they are doing here. Sheen plays a convincing extremely paranoid guy, with his face that makes you feel and live his horror. Then, we are directed to find out what the aliens have in mind: to change the planet so they can habitat in it. The end is so well-written that I can't possible imagine a sequel. The alien are convincing in their role of being beyond good and evil. So, do yourself a favor: watch both movies. Because one complete the other. Contact sees them ( the aliens) as good beings trying to communicate to say " We are not Alone", and "The Arrival" tell us they are evil trying to take over the planet. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 28, 2005 | | Summary | Surprisingly good Sci-fi thriller... | Content
| THE ARRIVAL,in a word,is excellent. Director David Twohy has put together what may someday be recognized as minor masterpiece of the "alien invasion" genre.Charlie Sheen is first-rate as the SETI scientist who clues-in on interstellar radio signals with ominous portent for the human race. Ron Silver is convincing as a grim, budget-conscious NASA bureaucract who's more and less than he seems. SFX...particularly "global-warming warning" title sequence...are often spectacular given the film's acknowledged low budget. Elements of suspense and INVASION of the BODY SNATCHERS horror are interwoven to produce a thriller that will not only satisfy sci-fi buffs but entertain viewers who "don't like" science fiction. Though THE ARRIVAL may never headline sci-fi festivals,there is much to meet the eye and provoke id-chord fear in a modest classic that's vastly superior to highly-hyped peers. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 26, 2004 | | Summary | Decent movie, could be alot better. 2 and a half stars. | Content
| While this movie isn't terrible by any means, it falls way short of where it could be. They had a good idea, they just didn't know what to do with it. I'm a fan of movies like Roswell... while the movie itself may not be great, im facinated with aliens and the story of what happened (or didnt) at Roswell in 1947... However, "The arrival" doesn't quite know if its made for fans of Roswell and who are seriously interested in this subject, or if this movie is for Science Fiction fans. There are alot of moments and things that will make those who are seriously interested in the subject go "OH! come on!".
While at the same time, this movie may not have enough of that kind of stuff for the ones who are into science fiction.
This move DOES seem to aim more to be a Roswell-type movie, by keeping things "realistic" but whoever wrote the script got himself into trouble by complicated things a little too much at times, and so in the end they did end up having to use things that are over-the-top even for those who believe in extraterrestrial life. Obviously whoever developed the scrip doesn't quite get it whats so interesting about Roswell, and things like that.
This movie also suffers from just OK acting, below average dialouge at times, predictability, characters are sometims too dumb.... Things like that.
Still on the entertainment aspect, this movie should do its job. Which is why im giving it 2 and a half stars... It entertains, just dont expect it to do a whole lot for you if you, like me, are seriously interested in the subject. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 16, 2004 | | Summary | A Science Fiction Highpoint | Content
| One of the best movies ever made about the concept of cotact with extraterrestrial life; one of the best 'conspiracy' movies (maybe THE best); "The Arrival" is an involved, intelligent and dark science fiction tale that should appeal to fans of suspense thrillers and horror movies just as much as sci-fi enthusiasts. Dead-on realistic with uniformly excellent performances, including top-billed Charlie Sheen (I never would have guessed from movies like "Hot Shots" and "Major League" that he'd be so capable of doing this kind of role so excellently) and Ron Silver, outstanding special effects and true conceptual innovation, I would have to rank this as one of the best science fiction movies ever.
Two radio astronomers involved with the ongoing globally co-ordinated scanning of the skies for radio waves that could be of artificial origin (alien transmissions) suddenly hit the jackpot when on one random night, 'The' transmission gets picked up. What should be the discovery of a lifetime becomes a maddening frustration as they're disbelieved and suppressed, and a nightmare as more drastic action is taken and the movie begins to reveal the stunning iceberg that the initial, undeciphered transmission was just the merest tip of. Outstanding. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 05, 2004 | | Summary | Good movie, mediocre DVD | Content
| "The Arrival" is one of Hollywood's few attempts to make a real sci-fi film - one that takes a creative idea and plays it out to its conculsion rather than just using sci-fi as window-dressing. The product is an entralling film that begins slow (as it should) but then ramps up the stakes with some great scenes. "The Arrival" does what it sets out to do and does it well. It is not overly ambitious and it is unpretentious.
One thing that impresses me about the film is that it pays attention to the science. It doesn't go into details much, but in the background one can see that the writer did his research. From details such as the knowledge that the transmission is from the stars and not a satellite, to the major creative idea behind the plot (which I will not mention so as not to spoil it).
Charlie Sheen does an excellent job as a paranoid astronomer. His character is dedicated, not afraid to uncover the truth no matter the cost to himself. The sidekick character Kiki though is distracting. Kiki is written as if drawing on stereotypes. Maybe there is subtle reason for that given Kiki's nature, but it's unclear. I will leave it there.
Unfortunately, the DVD release is subpar. My main concern in a DVD is for high quality in the video and audio. Alas, this DVD does not use anamorphic video in its widescreen version, which means it does not utilize the full resolution that the format is capable of. More problematic is that the film print used for the transfer is not very good, though not terrible. There are a fair number of dust specks and other film artifacts and the colors are washed out in some places. The audio for the film is decent but not spectacular. The 5.1 audio shines most in a few crucial scenes. The DVD also lacks features. It only includes a couple of trailers. I would love to see a special edition done with this film.
Overall, I give the film a solid 4 stars but the DVD only 2. |
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