Arrival is a science fiction and fantasy movie  drama that fans of extraterrestrial visitors are going to rave about.  Although no longer playing in theatres, Arrival comes out on DVD just in time for Valentine's Day. This thriller would make a perfect movie night selection for the upcoming holiday!

Raising $97,325,199.00 in box office sales, 21 Laps Entertainment surely hit home in this unique production in 2016 based off Ted Chiang’s, “The Story of Your Life”. Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is so profound due to its many underlying plots that require deeper thinking than what’s shown in the film. This film has won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie, and Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

During the 116 minute running time, Amy Adams, plays Dr. Louise Banks, a linguistics specialist,  was chosen to decipher another worldly language from the aliens who landed on earth. Dr. Banks travels to the landing sight to gain further information to proceed with her directions to peacefully communicate with the aliens, or Heptapods, of their reason for being on earth before violent actions are taken.

I loved this film because it takes on a peaceful perspective to figure out why the aliens landed on earth rather than violence to simply get rid of them. I also love how they portrayed the aliens, it was just enough to be suspenseful but lighthearted enough for the whole family to enjoy.

It was brilliant  that it had a strong female lead because it is rare that you come across them. As researched by The Wrap, only 34% of films had a female lead as of 2014. That 34% is the highest percentage of female leads of all time, but it’s still not as high as people want. I think it’s important to have strong female leads in films, as we are at the time that equality is booming.

This film is so unique because it focuses on facing fears through peaceful techniques such as the desire to communicate with and learn from the visitors, rather than immediately going to violence and war. It’s definitely a movie that requires the viewer to pay attention to the plot twists and non-traditional progression (quite Inception-esque in parts), however the underlying messages are basic human themes that all viewers can understand and appreciate.