By the time Arrival came onto the scene in 2016, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve was already on fire. The director had clocked in one impressive hit after the next thanks to titles like Sicario and Enemy, but his adaptation of Ted Chiang’s 1998 short story, Story of Your Life, would launch him to new heights and staggering wins at the box office and award circuit. While you wait for the third chapter in Villeneuve’s Dune cinematic series to launch onto screens and learn more about what’s up his sleeve as the latest director to attach himself to the world of James Bond, you’ll want to head over to Tubi on January 1 to stream Arrival completely free of charge.
On top of the dynamite work done by writer Eric Heisserer, who adapted Chiang’s short story into a full-blown screenplay, Villeneuve walked into Arrival with some of the best names in the biz by his side. The heavily emotional movie is fully pulled together thanks to its leading ensemble, which includes Amy Adams (American Hustle), Jeremy Renner (Mayor of Kingstown), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), and Michael Stuhlbarg (After the Hunt).
An absolute pro when it comes to driving suspense and intrigue, Villeneuve’s skills shine incredibly bright in Arrival, which centers around Adams’ Louise Banks. Still reeling from losing her daughter, Louise is launched into a state of shock when the United States military knocks on her door requesting her linguistic skills to help with an ongoing alien invasion. Uncertain of what she’ll be able to accomplish, Louise goes with them and decides to do everything that she can to show the otherworldly beings that she — and the rest of humanity — aren’t a threat. After more crafts begin to land, the globe is risking an all-out war with no one but Louise to stand in the way of total demolition.
‘Arrival’s Staggering Success
At the time, Arrival became Villeneuve’s biggest box office earner, raking in $203.4 million from its cinematic run around the globe against its $47 million production budget. In the years since, his three follow-up films, Blade Runner 2049, Dune and Dune: Part Two have blown past the alien-centered movie, showing the director’s uptick in money-making productions. Not only is Arrival perfect in the way that the alien interactions play out, but it’s also a heartfelt story that plays on the themes of what it means to be human. This is something that helped carry the title onto the awards circuit, where it garnered eight Academy Award nominations, with Sylvain Bellemare winning for Best Sound Editing.
Head over to Tubi on January 1 to stream Arrival completely free of charge.
Release Date
November 11, 2016
Runtime
116 minutes
Director
Denis Villeneuve
Writers
Eric Heisserer
Producers
Aaron Ryder, David Linde, Karen Lunder, Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Dan Cohen
