Denis Villeneuve 'Arrival'

[analog]

Spoiler

Does Ian maintain a relationship with his daughter after Amy Adams fills him on her decision/fate of their daughter? Because aside from the "Ask your Father, he's the scientist" comment, we never see him in any of the flash forwards.

It's one thing for him to leave Adams, but if he completely abandoned his daughter, especially in her dying moments

 

[analog]

Hmm, I like Amy Adams, I like Forest Whitaker...but I hate Jeremy Renner.

Worth seeing? I might go later tonight.

I dislike Amy Adams and Emily Blunt but Villeneuve managed to make them both tolerable. I'd say go see it.

 

[gluvnast]

Spoiler

Does Ian maintain a relationship with his daughter after Amy Adams fills him on her decision/fate of their daughter? Because aside from the "Ask your Father, he's the scientist" comment, we never see him in any of the flash forwards.

It's one thing for him to leave Adams, but if he completely abandoned his daughter, especially in her dying moments

Spoiler

Yes, he still maintains a relationship with their daughter. Their daughter was very vocal about them separating and asked Julian why her father looks at her differently, and that's when Julian implied that she told Ian that their daughter was going to die of a rare cancer or disease. But why he's not revealed until the end is to conceal the twist and also all of the flash forwards are from solely Julian's perspective.

 

[TheGodling]

I disagree with you. If you make a world that is based on this world that we live in you are dealing with a set of logic and rules that we are going to follow. When you make the jump they make in this movie, you have to build it up more than being understanding of a language.

Accepting a method of travel is one thing, trying to sell me that understanding of a language can do what they tried to claim in this movie is another.

We cant speak on their mode of travel because its not even touched on in the movie. ..let alone where they are from.....

I dont mind them exploring the idea about a high level language...what I do mind is them just saying its high level and you will "get it" and be able to have abilities......tell me how the brain changed to facilitate this change!!


I will say this...."Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic "

And for us...that was magic!...great movie tho

But that's the whole point:

Spoiler

The very idea is that this is such an insane leap for mankind that it will advance humanity by several millennia. It's not supposed to be relatable because as of now, such an idea is completely unfathomable. You can't really ask how her brain changed to facilitate this, we wouldn't know because this concept is completely unheard of. But within the established movie universe, her brain changed gradually as she started having visions (both flash forwards as well as dreams) that she only later realized was her simultaneously experiencing past, present and future. They weren't visions, she was living these moments at the exact same time but her brain simply couldn't process that at the time.

Keep in mind that when the movie ends, she was still the only human being in existence with a high enough understanding of the language to even see "through" time. It's not like people could unlock it by just reading her book, they would need to intensively study the language and learn all of its complexities, and the movie establishes she is one of the highest ranked language experts in the world. The amount of people who could do what she did at this moment in time would be absolutely minimal.

 

[gluvnast]

True, but your complaints (and those of @David_TheMan ) aren't based on flawed logic, but your own lack of suspension of disbelief. The movie sets up a concept and in the context of the rules of this world the concept works. Whether it's actually possible in the real world is completely beyond the point, that's why it is science fiction.

I mean:

Spoiler

you blindly accept that these creatures can travel through the galaxy to come here in ships far beyond our understanding (without it ever being explained how their ships or technology works), but you can't accept that the language they use is so far advanced that it transcends the "original" purpose of language?

They're still thinking 3-dimensional about beings that live in a 5th dimension. From a HUMAN perspective, you aren't supposed to understand because that kind of science does not exist in our galaxy. They pretty much explained that much.... so if it means breaking their language code equals mastering the 4th dimension, which is TIME.... then roll with that because our concepts with time and anything beyond three dimensions is all we know.

 

[Silver Surfer]

I dislike Amy Adams and Emily Blunt but Villeneuve managed to make them both tolerable. I'd say go see it.

I agree....I hate them both

 

[gluvnast]

But that's the whole point:

Spoiler

The very idea is that this is such an insane leap for mankind that it will advance humanity by several millennia. It's not supposed to be relatable because as of now, such an idea is completely unfathomable. You can't really ask how her brain changed to facilitate this, we wouldn't know because this concept is completely unheard of. But within the established movie universe, her brain changed gradually as she started having visions (both flash forwards as well as dreams) that she only later realized was her simultaneously experiencing past, present and future. They weren't visions, she was living these moments at the exact same time but her brain simply couldn't process that at the time.

Keep in mind that when the movie ends, she was still the only human being in existence with a high enough understanding of the language to even see "through" time. It's not like people could unlock it by just reading her book, they would need to intensively study the language and learn all of its complexities, and the movie establishes she is one of the highest ranked language experts in the world. The amount of people who could do what she did at this moment in time would be absolutely minimal.

EXACTLY....

 

[Silver Surfer]

So does she becone ambidextrous and able to write the same way they do or does she use her writing hand and still write in linerar form like the rest of us...drawing the circle in a beginning to end....Plot Hole!

 

[gluvnast]

So does she becone ambidextrous and able to write the same way they do or does she use her writing hand and still write in linerar form like the rest of us...drawing the circle in a beginning to end....Plot Hole!

She's a linguist... she can do both.

Spoiler

But in one of her flash forwards it showed her publishing a book on teaching others how to write and understand that language.

 

[David_TheMan]

But that's the whole point:

Spoiler

The very idea is that this is such an insane leap for mankind that it will advance humanity by several millennia. It's not supposed to be relatable because as of now, such an idea is completely unfathomable. You can't really ask how her brain changed to facilitate this, we wouldn't know because this concept is completely unheard of. But within the established movie universe, her brain changed gradually as she started having visions (both flash forwards as well as dreams) that she only later realized was her simultaneously experiencing past, present and future. They weren't visions, she was living these moments at the exact same time but her brain simply couldn't process that at the time.

Keep in mind that when the movie ends, she was still the only human being in existence with a high enough understanding of the language to even see "through" time. It's not like people could unlock it by just reading her book, they would need to intensively study the language and learn all of its complexities, and the movie establishes she is one of the highest ranked language experts in the world. The amount of people who could do what she did at this moment in time would be absolutely minimal.

That isn't the whole point, the story line forces a ending to be the "hook" at the end just for the sake of there being a hook. that is poor plotting. Its a narrative leap the story doesn't bother to build and doesn't make sense in terms of what we are presented.

Doesn't matter if she is the only one,

Spoiler

the point is that mentally understanding a language does not do what the movie proposes, the magic of a language or method of communication doesn't pull one outside of temporal space or elevate one to being a god. unbeholden to the rules of reality, above time, or allowing one to experience time as one who is outside of it while still being a finite being in a fixed space.

 

[gluvnast]

That isn't the whole point, the story line forces a ending to be the "hook" at the end just for the sake of there being a hook. that is poor plotting. Its a narrative leap the story doesn't bother to build and doesn't make sense in terms of what we are presented.

Doesn't matter if she is the only one,

Spoiler

the point is that mentally understanding a language does not do what the movie proposes, the magic of a language or method of communication doesn't pull one outside of temporal space or elevate one to being a god. unbeholden to the rules of reality, above time, or allowing one to experience time as one who is outside of it while still being a finite being in a fixed space.

I hope you realize this movie really had NOTHING to do with

Spoiler

aliens and it was about HER journey. It's why the film started and ended around her.

 

[Corey Matthews]

The trailers make it look like Childhoods End

 

[David_TheMan]

I hope you realize this movie really had NOTHING to do with

Spoiler

aliens and it was about HER journey. It's why the film started and ended around her.

I believe I said my problem with the movie, it relies on a deus ex machima construct to provide the hook and I find that poor writing.

 

[gluvnast]

I believe I said my problem with the movie, it relies on a deus ex machima construct to provide the hook and I find that poor writing.

But there isn't one. Saying it relies on a dues ex machina would mean there some "conveniences" or "coincidences" that just happen just for the sake of resolution when in truth NONE of it is a convenience or coincidence..... once she was able to break the language barrier, EVERYTHING in that movie makes total sense in regards of that none of it is linear.

 

[David_TheMan]

But there isn't one. Saying it relies on a dues ex machina would mean there some "conveniences" or "coincidences" that just happen just for the sake of resolution when in truth NONE of it is a convenience or coincidence..... once she was able to break the language barrier, EVERYTHING in that movie makes total sense in regards of that none of it is linear.

What the language does to the lead is the dues ex machina, its what makes the whole movie. Its pretty huge leap.
You liked the hook fine, but I thought it was poor and only existed to justify the twist.
You literally have to stop thinking to think the twist is clever, IMHO.