I was expecting a generic alien invasion movie, and I was pleasantly surprised
One of favorite movies of all time. I watch it at least once a year.
I watched Arrival (2016), there was a lot more to it than I was expecting
Submitted 4 weeks ago by reef@lemmy.ca to movies@lemm.ee
Comments
boaratio@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
toynbee@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
What are you talking about, it only came out last year … Uh, right?
veroxii@aussie.zone 4 weeks ago
Well according to the movie what you’re saying can make perfect sense.
boaratio@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Sure feels like it.
DJKJuicy@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
This movie absolutely destroyed me emotionally for like a week. I was wholly unprepared for what this movie was really about. I was expecting an alien invasion movie and got a brickload of emotions dumped on my heart.
mombutt_long_and_low@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Same. Saw it a few months before my first child was born and it opened up something in me that I didn’t know was there. I’ve never watched a movie that made me weep until this one. Full on sobbing. Watched it again a week later, wasn’t a fluke - sobbed again.
JoMiran@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
For anyone wondering, the music that just destroys you in the movie is by the amazing Max Richter. The song is On The Nature of Daylight.
PS: He recently released a piano arrangement of the song.
Beetschnapps@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
“When I first started drinking warm water for my prostate…”
Fuck YouTube so much…
tatterdemalion@programming.dev 4 weeks ago
This song is everywhere if you look. I heard it in Shutter Island first.
Ilandar@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
I’d like to watch this and Annihilation again. I’ve only seen each of them once, both around the same time, and my memories of them are pretty fuzzy at this stage.
JoYo@lemmy.ml 4 weeks ago
that fucking bear 💀
toynbee@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Was fuzzy, indeed.
ImmortanStalin@lemmygrad.ml 4 weeks ago
I’m pretty sure I saw it in a Dolby theater and it kept me up that night.
QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Two of my absolute favorite movies. They are both amazing examinations of contact with life that functions completely differently than us, albeit in very different ways
Yaky@slrpnk.net 4 weeks ago
FYI Annihilation novel has the same premise and setup as the movie, but is quite different plot-wise. It’s more emotional, introspective, and has very vivid imagery. Much different from what I usually read, but I loved it.
Ilandar@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Interesting, maybe I’ll read that before re-watching the film. Thanks for the recommendation!
Microw@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Still one of my favourite movies ever
IdleSheep@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
I watched it for the first time last year without knowing anything about it and, as someone who loves to nerd out about anything linguistics related (am translator, for context), I cannot describe how gleeful I was that such subjects had center focus in a big blockbuster like that. Obviously the other aspects of the movie were amazing as well and the story got me very emotional by the end, but I will never shut up about how interesting and important that translation/communication aspect of the movie was.
princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
Yeah, genuinely one of my favourite original sci-fi movies I’ve watched in the last decade. I did a linguistics course in high school so just really loved that side of it. It also really felt like they did a great job building the tension and making it feel like there were high stakes to her work.
keimevo@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
It’s not original, though it expands on Ted Chiang’s short story “Story of Your Life”.
freddydunningkruger@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I suppose you are going to tell everyone that Dune was based on a book the next time someone compliments the pacing and direction of that movie?
The poster art for Arrival says it’s based on a story by Ted Chiang, it isn’t some secret nobody knows but you.
What does being original or not have anything to do with what the original commenter wrote? MOST movies are based on previously existing stories. They were focusing on the movie. If you read the book and want to show everyone how much more you know than they do, it would be more impressive if you had said “i read the book the story the movie was based on, and comparatively, <your opinion here>”. It might have even made for an interesting and productive comment.
NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 4 weeks ago
The world is shocked to discover that Terry’s Chocolate Oranges are actually seed pods for intelligent extra terrestrial life.
Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
It’s not Terry’s, it’s Extraterrestrials.
Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I had no idea what I was watching when I sat down in the theater. My friend had bought the ticket and I just showed up. I didn’t know ANYTHING.
One of the best experiences of my life and it turned me into a Denis Villeneuve super fan.
akilou@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Now you have to watch it again. Seriously
lIlIllIlIIIllIlIlII@lemmy.zip 4 weeks ago
I just did it.
lobut@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
Amy Adams wrecked me with two movies back-to-back. Nocturnal Animals and Arrivals really did a number on me.
prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
I didn’t know how it was going to end, at any point during the movie.
That’s a good thing
FormallyKnown@feddit.dk 4 weeks ago
Loved the movie! Such a great concept and so elegantly made. But the tagged on love story kind of took me out of it. Could almost hear the producers pushing that love story for wider audience appeal.
tan00k@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
It happens in the short story too.
FormallyKnown@feddit.dk 4 weeks ago
The producers got to the book too!? /s
No okay did not know that. So maybe my problem is with the general need to put love stories into stories. Or maybe it was written better in the book? Might have to read the book now
Lighttrails@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Alien Linguistics. Love this movie
chuymatt@startrek.website 4 weeks ago
The best sound design team. I also love the ability of the visual design team to give a true feeling of scale and weight to things.
bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 4 weeks ago
The concept of linguistics changing the way we understand the world is interesting but i cannot enjoy a movie that portrays other countries as unreasonable warmongers and incompetent while portraying the US as reasonable and brilliant.
leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 4 weeks ago
The only heptapod killed in the film was killed by Americans…
f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz 4 weeks ago
Same. I’m skeptical of most newer movies given all the rehashes and sequels. The presentation of the aliens had me shaking a little bit!
Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
Now you need to watch the 1996 classic “The Arrival”!
neuracnu@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
Reading this made my knees hurt.
alekwithak@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
The aliens reminded me of the Tralfamadorians from Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five.
Bosht@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
That was a mouthful. Is it worth a watch?
Aksamit@slrpnk.net 4 weeks ago
It’s a book. Then again I don’t watch much tv, so who knows, it may have been adapted by now. The book is worth reading though, it’s very good.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Yeah its one of my favorite movies
Donjuanme@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Definitely a top 20 in my book, one of my wife’s top 5. I also love the book, it’s very short story, you can probably read it in the time it’d take to watch the movie (I’m a slow reader and did it in a few hours), it doesn’t add too much, but it’s a bit of interesting mathematical philosophy which I found quite endearing.
NoEsReal@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
So good. I think I listed it as my favorite movie for a while.
frog_brawler@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I know that I enjoyed this movie but I don’t remember it at all. Yay, I get to watch it again like it’s new.
LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Me rewatching a movie:
“Oh yeah…”
“Oh yeah…”
mlg@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
The thing I remember about this movie was that India got mad one of the fictional aliens from this movie decided to land in Pakistan instead of India.
The other thing I remember was that they for some reason decided to show the location on the map as “Punjab, Pakistan” which is even more generic because it’s a province not a city.
f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz 4 weeks ago
The other thing I remember was that they for some reason decided to show the location on the map as “Punjab, Pakistan” which is even more generic because it’s a province not a city.
I could see India being upset over that because it’s disputed territory.
mlg@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
No that’s Kashmir.
Punjab is technically a region that also happens to be the name of the province in both Pakistan and India since they both encompass the same region.
MintyFresh@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
This was a good one. Definitely recommend
pineapplelover@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
I need to give this a rewatch
modus@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Read the short story before re-watching. Definitely gives you a better perspective.
stammi@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
Could you be also recommend a few generic alien invasion movies?
Event_Horizon@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
If you haven’t seen it, District 9 is a good non-standard ‘invasion’ movie
pyre@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
you can watch skyline if you want to watch nothing new or interesting.
HexPat@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Watched it last week for the first time. Really enjoyed it
nieceandtows@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I don’t remember much about the movie, but isn’t it one of the movies where time gets wacky?
Worx@lemmynsfw.com 4 weeks ago
Almost
Title
Memories are what get wacky. The main character (as well as the aliens who “arrive”) can remember the future as well as the past due to learning the alien language. It’s based on the possibly-not-linguistically-sound Sapir-Wharf hypothesis that says the language you speak influences the way you think. The aliens use a circular rather than linear writing system so they think of time in a non-linear way
pauldrye@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
It’s based on a short story called “Story of You Life” by Ted Chiang. He’s published eighteen stories in his career, nothing longer than a novella and mostly short stories. Despite that they’ve won him four Hugos, four Nebulas, and six Locus Awards. He’s worth reading, is what I’m trying to say.
Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 weeks ago
I put him up there with Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein, easily.
peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 4 weeks ago
Well that’s got me interested then
chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
That’s exactly what I was going to say. His prose is breathtaking.
lordnikon@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I will say I read the short story and it made me love the movie even more. It rare for me to say the movie was better than they book and the books was great as well.
doublenut@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Ya know I have to say I feel nearly the same about Dune. I haven’t gotten to the the later books but the first 2 have made me love the movies more. Not that I love the the books any less though. There is very little nuance lost in the movies and the changes that are made I can understand from a film making point of view. I guess what I mean to say is I appreciate the differences and it makes me like both more rather thank either any less.
CuddlyCassowary@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I couldn’t agree more. I read them quite some time ago, and still find myself having philosophical discussions about them somewhat often today. Most are really thought provoking in a non-judgmental way.
Contentedness@lemmy.nz 4 weeks ago
If you haven’t read The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate by Ted Chiang I can’t recommend it enough. Here’s a PDF Link
It’s lesser known than his big hits like Exhalation, but I think it’s phenomenal.
Malgas@beehaw.org 4 weeks ago
It’s also featured on a two-part episode of LeVar Burton Reads.
pauldrye@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
Oh, I’ve read all of his stuff! It’s a red letter day for me when a new story is published. None since 2019, though.
My odd choice of his would be Seventy-Two Letters. I find him most interesting when he follows through in the consequences of an old disproven scientific theory or theological explanation of the universe, and he manages to fit two of them in here.
thisisnotgoingwell@programming.dev 4 weeks ago
I read the story and found it very entertaining. I’m not sure what impact it had on me, but it made me marvel at the idea of the inevitability of fate and how often our suffering and regrets of the past are the reason we’re regarded so highly by others.
How did it strike you?
Pulptastic@midwest.social 4 weeks ago
The short story was OK but this is one of the few cases where the movie did it better, added flavor to it that wasn’t in the book but carries the emotional hit farther.
The short stories in that book felt very “woah dude” to me, in the end I finished it but didn’t like it all that much. I’ve been downvoted for this opinion before, but oh well.
brbposting@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Link to Story
Banana@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
I wonder if Ted Chiang was inspired by Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five
pauldrye@lemm.ee 4 weeks ago
He’s written some “Notes” on the story when it was printed in his first short story collection and said that it has the same theme but that he wasn’t inspired by it. The roots of it were Paul Linke’s play “Time Flies When You’re Alive” and the principle of least time in optics – if you treat light as a ray, it has to know its future destination in order to know the path with the shortest time it will take to get there (though not if it’s a wave). Then there’s a bunch of diagrams and discussions about the principle that will stretch your brain.
TingoTenga@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Thanks for the reading recommendation!