The Arrival of Wang

It would be easy to be jaded about a film like this as we've all become so used to big-budget special effects, especially in fantascienza films. And, yes, it does meander a bit in the beginning before it starts getting interesting. But the performances of the main characters are spectacular, and there's a neat twist at the end of the movie that's worth waiting for, with some creative filming that may be low-budget but it stands out as fun and effective regardless.

The version I watched was in Italian with no English subtitles, but I only have a smattering of Italian at my disposal, and I can say you don't need to be fluent in the language to understand what's happening. Like most good science fiction and fantasy, it's as much about human nature as anything else. I think it's worth the 80- minute investment for fans of the genre. It also proves that you don't need a billion dollars to make a decent science fiction film; it's not all about the bling.