The Arrival

Orion Pictures | Release Date: May 31, 1996

6.3	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 15 Ratings

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Voodoo123Aug 5, 2018

Like many lates 90's sci-fi shows and films 1996's the arrival was clearly greenlit off the success of xfiles. However with a great concept and lower end budget the ok cast deliver memorable performances. The above average soundtrack andLike many lates 90's sci-fi shows and films 1996's the arrival was clearly greenlit off the success of xfiles. However with a great concept and lower end budget the ok cast deliver memorable performances. The above average soundtrack and Sheens gravitas for the role did a great job of holding my attention through what was otherwise straight to video fare (production wise). I feel like this movie deserved a higher budget to match the high end concept. If youre a fan of sci-fi this is worth a watch.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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jsands7Jan 3, 2018

Just watched The Arrival last night. This is a solid film, especially for the mid 90s. Sheen is pretty gripping as the main character, and the movie keeps moving along at a brisk pace, changing locations to keep things interesting and reallyJust watched The Arrival last night. This is a solid film, especially for the mid 90s. Sheen is pretty gripping as the main character, and the movie keeps moving along at a brisk pace, changing locations to keep things interesting and really building towards the climax as we go deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. My wife is much less of a sci-fi nerd than me and she enjoyed it as well, for what its worth. Intriguing film; I recommend it.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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Kai82Nov 27, 2020

An entertaining science fiction movie with elements resembling the X-Files. Zane Zamisky played by Charlie Sheen is an astronomer who works for the SETI project (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). He hit the jackpot when he discoveredAn entertaining science fiction movie with elements resembling the X-Files. Zane Zamisky played by Charlie Sheen is an astronomer who works for the SETI project (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). He hit the jackpot when he discovered a signal that could be prove that intelligent alien lifeforms exist. To his surprise his discoveries are dismissed and he is shortly after fired as results of budget cuts. Because this all makes not much sense to him he starts an investigation. The more he discovered the stranger it gets. The story is clearly inspired by the X-Files and it is not a bad thing. It is always clear what they want and there are no mistakes in the story and directing. The twist improve the atmosphere of the movie. The actors and especially Charlie Sheen deliver a good performance. I think there is not much more to talk about. Overall this while being no masterpiece is an enjoyable and well crafted movie. They know what they want to do and archived it. Bonus knowledge: There are many theories while we found no signs of alien life. The base assumption is that the universe is incredible big and old. So there have to be countless other civilizations even at very small odds. There are many theories like “The Dark Forest” (They hide because there could be other civilizations that are destroying each other civilization they could find), “The Great Filter” (There is some obstacle civilizations rarely survive or cant survive) or that the universe was not suited for life earlier on (Gamma ray burst wiping out all life in proximity).… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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skeletoroneOct 3, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Arrival is one of these on the nose moral scifi films we get way too often. The story is basically centered around climate change. Aliens came to our planet because it is almost suited for them to live here. They just need to accelerate what "we" already started: global warming. Their reasoning for this is: Mankind doesn't take care of the planet, therefore we don't deserve to live here. So the aliens are basically just cynical fascists. We don't learn anything else from them. We don't really know why they need our planet in the first place. But hey, we defeat them anyway, so it doesn't really matter. The biggest problem of the movie is the fact that the big conspiracy is already fully revealed halfway through the movie, so there is no big reveal, no grand finale. Overall The Arrival is a rather bland movie with laughable effect work and campy characters. It is watchable if you don't have anything else to watch and want to see mid-90s Charlie Sheen again.… Expand

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RobMarr75Aug 8, 2023

I have always really liked this movie. The plot and the pacing are good. That being said, it's not going to blow you away. It's just not a prestige film. It's just good enough to be a lot of fun.

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