Arrival is Top Shelf Sci-Fi with Brains

Fear of the unknown. The impulse responsible for more of our behaviors - both good and bad - than nearly any other aspect of the human condition. It practically defines us. So when a dozen colossal spaceships appear at various points across the globe with no explanation, how do we react?

Arrival is the anti-Independence Day. It spoils nothing to say that there are no colossal battles or CGI annihilated cities in Arrival. It joins the short list of science fiction films like Close Encounters and Interstellar aimed squarely at adults, that stays smart and uses the tropes of the genre to say more about the nature of mankind, than about the nature of alien life. This will be a pretty short review, as the less you read about Arrival before you see it, the better. Amy Adams is Dr. Louise Banks, a university linguist recruited by the government to try and find a way of communicating with our mysterious visitors, in hopes of cracking the big question - why are they here? 

Written by Eric Heisserer (from a story by Ted Chiang) and directed by the great Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario), Arrival is a breath of fresh air on so many levels. Example: there's a lot of tech on display in the military command center beneath the ship, but for once we're not inundated with electronic product placement - there's no jarring close-up screaming "CISCO" or "NOKIA." Arrival also steers away from the trend of CNN-branded faux newscasts with real-life anchor cameos, which always seem to lessen the feeling of realism, rather than increase it. Villeneuve has become such an accomplished filmmaker, I'm frankly giddy knowing he's the guy directing next year's Blade Runner 2049. Are we ever in good hands.

Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker are both terrific here, but this is all Amy Adams, who's in nearly every scene and delivers a nuanced, at times heartbreaking performance. It's so refreshing to see a realistic adult female character who's not dependent on men or approval or who's a prisoner of her emotions. I suspect audiences are going to welcome her character and the rich emotional storytelling of Arrival with open arms. Very highly recommended.

In Through the Out Door: Doctor Strange Will See You Now

It was a hard trick to pull off, but once again, Marvel’s done it. After the nuts and bolts success of Captain America: Civil War, adapting the more mystical and esoteric story of Doctor Strange could have gone wrong and felt tone-deaf any number of ways. You think Thor is psychedelic and astral! But there are two things Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige always seems to excel at: hammering the story into shape, and casting. And with Doctor Strange, Marvel has delivered one of their most unique and satisfying films yet.

Created by Steve Ditko in 1963, Stephen Strange is a brilliant neurosurgeon who rivals Iron Man’s Tony Stark in the arrogance department. When a devastating car accident turns his surgeon’s hands into mangled pulp, Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) embarks on a quest to find the rumored healing knowledge that can restore his defining abilities, the spark that lets his narcissistic ego blaze brightly. Without the power (and vanity) of his peerless skills, he has no idea who he really is.

His journey takes him to the Himalayan temple of Kamar-Taj, a remote sanctuary where Strange hopes to find the secrets necessary to restore himself. What he finds there is much, much more. He becomes a pupil of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), an ageless Master of the mystic arts from whom Strange learns more about the cosmos – and himself – than he ever dared imagine. Swinton’s casting was pretty controversial. The Ancient One was always Asian in the comics - so whitewashing accusations flew fast and furious. But I have to say, I think it’s an effective choice. If they’d kept the character Asian, I think we’d have another hoary Pai Mei/Master Po stereotype, and Swinton is just superb here, making The Ancient One a being who seems to transcend age, race or gender. It’s a cool choice and it works. Her scenes with Cumberbatch are tremendous, and a sequence where she essentially pulls back the curtain on the universe to Strange, sending his consciousness reeling, is a fantasy tour de force. I saw Doctor Strange in 2-D, and for the first time in ages, I found myself thinking that this just might be a film actually worth seeking out in 3-D.

Massive credit has to go to director Scott Derrickson (Sinister, Deliver Us from Evil), whose horror pedigree brings a real sense of atmospheric “otherness” that gives Doctor Strange a unique flavor that really does make it seem a few degrees from normal within the Marvel Universe. Like Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s fantastic to see that Feige has the confidence and scope to have different tones and styles that make up this massive tapestry. Screenwriter Jon Spaihts (with Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill) has done a fantastic job of keeping Strange clever and full of wit, without ever seeming snarky or aloof. It’s a smart adaptation, but it’s always fun, which isn’t easy to pull off. A sequence where Strange lies dying in an operating theater, while his disembodied spectral self does battle with an ethereal foe is an imaginative, nail-biting crowd-pleaser. Cumberbatch is a perfect embodiment of the character, detached and severe at times, but never insufferable.  As the villainous Kaecilius, Mads Mikkelsen is threatening, but a bit too mellow and low energy. Guardians’ Ronan (Lee Pace) is an erupting volcano in comparison. Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benjamin Bratt and Benedict Wong are all great additions to the cast. Bratt is particularly cool.

I won’t spoil the plot or surprises of Doctor Strange, but fans of the comic are going to find themselves thoroughly satisfied, and audiences hungry for something fresh, smart and engaging are going to have a fantastic time. Like any Marvel saga, stay all the way through the end credits, for more than one bonus scene. I loved Doctor Strange, and my hunch is you'll be looking for a red cape of your own once you've seen it.