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Arrival (2016)

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When twelve mysterious spacecraft appear around the world, linguistics professor Louise Banks is tasked with interpreting the language of the apparent alien visitors.

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(screenplay), (based on the story "Story of Your Life" written by)
Popularity
108 ( 18)
Won 1 Oscar. Another 56 wins & 243 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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8-Year-Old-Hannah
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12-Year-Old-Hannah
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6-Year-Old-Hannah
Frank Schorpion ...
Dr. Kettler
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Private Lasky
Christian Jadah ...
Private Combs
Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld ...
CNAC Anchor
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Environmental Tech
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Environmental Tech
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Storyline

Linguistics professor Louise Banks leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touchdown in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. Hoping to unravel the mystery, she takes a chance that could threaten her life and quite possibly all of mankind. Written by Jwelch5742

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

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Why are they here?


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

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Language:

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Release Date:

11 November 2016 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Story of Your Life  »

Filming Locations:

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Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$24,000,000 (USA) (11 November 2016)

Gross:

$100,501,349 (USA) (3 March 2017)
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In the novella, the scientists name the aliens Flapper and Raspberry. In the movie, they name them Abbott and Costello. See more »

Goofs

The team ascends to the spacecraft on a platform that is elevated with a scissors mechanism. A wide shot shows the platform half-way between ground and underside of the spacecraft as well as how much the scissors are being unfolded at this stage. Thus when coming close to the underside, the scissors should be even more unfolded. However, a brief shot shows they are less unfolded when the team arrives at the underside. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Louise Banks: [narrating] I used to think this was the beginning of your story. Memory is a strange thing. It doesn't work like I thought it did. We are so bound by time, by its order.
Dr. Louise Banks: [coddling her baby girl] Okay. Okay. Come back to me. Come back to me. Come back to me.
Dr. Louise Banks: [later playing with her in the yard] Stick 'em up! Are you the sheriff in this here town? These are my tickle guns, and I'm gonna getcha!
6-Year-Old-Hannah: No!
Dr. Louise Banks: You want me to chase you? You better run!
6-Year-Old-Hannah: [giggling and scampering]
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Crazy Credits

Right after the cast credits, "On the Nature of Daylight" by Max Richter is given an extra credit as the "Beginning and end music" in addition to the usual soundtrack credit near the end of the credit roll. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Film 2017: Episode #45.9 (2016) See more »

Soundtracks

Principle Of Least Time
Written by Jóhann Jóhannsson
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
Best of the (fairly rare) "smart" sci fi forks...
19 November 2016 | by (North America) – See all my reviews

To this reviewer, there are two kinds of sci fi.

The common type dates back to Buck Rogers and has more modern iterations in Star Trek and Star Wars. Action and mayhem.

The other type, the "smart" or intellectual type, is harder to classify. It has been around forever but appears and disappears randomly. Consider the DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951/2008) or CUBE (1997) or the more recent MARTIAN (2015).

The second type is an oddity because most of the heavy lifting takes place in your brain, not on the screen.

I consider ARRIVAL the best example of the "Smart" genre ever done.

These films, because they are so subjective, require a central character that the viewer can identify with. Ms. Adams deserves special merit for picking this film up and carrying it to the finish line.

A must see, for fans of "smart" scifi.


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