Rating: 
Summary: Want to know the cause of global warming? Look to the skies
Review: I have heard a lot of speculation regarding the causes of global warming. Burning fossil fuels, spraying aerosol cans, and the destruction of the rain forests have all been accused of being responsible for the melting polar ice caps. Writer-director David Twohy comes up with a more interesting culprit in this 1996 science fiction thriller, which begins with scientist Ilana Green (Lindsay Crouse) finding something in Antarctica that should not be there. However, the hero of our tale is a radio astronomer named Zane Zaminski (Charlie Sheen with a goatee), who working on a S.E.T.I. project by looking where nobody in their right mind should be looking, in the FM band. To his surprise and the shock of his colleague, Cal (Richard Schiff), he finds something there. This could be the biggest scientific discovery of the 20th century by Zane's boss, Phil Gordian (Ron Silver), not only refuses to get excited, he destroys the evidence. Then some strange guys in suits show up to make sure they have all of the evidence.Clearly Zane has discovered something he is not supposed to know about. But part of the problem is that he has no clue what he has stumbled upon or why it should get people killed. The other key part of the problem is that Zane is now unemployed and no longer has access to a gigantic radio telescope. So he has to, basically, build one, which is how "The Arrival" lets you know that Twohy has paid attention to the science of the story (okay, I know nothing about science and this could all be nonsense, but there is an effort being made to connect the scientific dots). Zane effective does build his own radio telescope, and if this new phase of his old obsession has made him lose his girl friend, Char (Teri Polo), at least he has Kiki (Tony T. Johnson) the smart street kid who lives next door to take up the slack. At some point Zane and Ilana have to cross paths, which gets them closer to the horrible truth that still has to see some people dead in this movie. But we have a big clue in terms of trying to figure out where the interests of a radio astronomer and an environmental scientist would overlap. Of course the audience gets to figure things out a bit before Zane does, but then he is distracted by the most ingenious attempts to kill someone is bath tub I have seen since "Final Destination." I checked out this film because I saw one of Twohy's more recent efforts, "Below," and again he shows some creativity in presenting the conventions of the science fiction-thriller genre. Sheen's performance is an interesting mix of paranoia and anger, sometimes switching back and forth between the two in an instance if somebody looks at him funny or is just funny looking. At a key point in the film he is asked why he knows the bad guys are not gone yet, and his response is the best line in the film. I did not bite on the obvious red herring as to who the ultimate villain was in "The Arrival," but I did not see the final revelation coming either, so that is a good thing. Ultimately, I did not find "The Arrival" to be a classic science fiction film, but for a modern version of the "B" movie it is very good. There is a sequel, 1998's "The Second Arrival," but Twohy had nothing to do with it, which is rarely a good since when it comes to such things.
Rating:
Summary: A gem of a little movie
Review: I knew that this movie has kind of a cult status, but I was skeptical nonetheless. After all it was a straight-to-video release (unlike other countries, here it had no theatrical release), with Charlie Sheen as an astrophysic (!).. Well, I was wrong, because among the bunch of brainless, plotless, and ultimately heartless sci-fi/action/horror flicks that we usually get these days from Hollywood, this deliciously B-ish movie stands as a little masterpiece, despite its flaws. First of all, the plot : I know it's more of the same aliens-among-us stuff, but David Twohy tells this old story with a lot of new twists, ( terraforming the Earth? What a cool idea!) , then giving us characters we care about, which are acting in a story where every scene has a sense in the progress of the story , and it's not a gimmick to show some obnoxious CGI. The acting is generally convincing : if you past the initial skepticism about his choice, Charlie Sheen is actually pretty good as the nerdish Zemlinsky, but even better are Lindsay Crouse as the ill-fated researcher and Ron Silver as Sheen's duplicitous boss. The action/special effects scenes work so well, despite the not quite stellar budget, for two reasons: 1) they're full of little neat ideas, like the "vacuum" sphere or the unusual anatomy of the aliens. 2) they're used when actually needed, not just when the director feels it's time to wake up the short attention span teenagers. Also, I think David Twohy was very good as a director, too : the pacing of the story never drags and some visual choices are very interesting, for example the way he shoots the destruction of the observatory is thrilling and original ( e.g. when the girl falls on the huge "shield" and you see only white metal, then suddenly the abyss). What, in my opinion, connects this movie with the glorious tradiiton of the 1950's invasion movies is the presence of a genuine "sense of wonder", here especially apparent in in parts like the arctic prologue or awe-inspiring the descent in the aliens' underground base. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Where did this movie come from? A real surprise!
Review: I stumbled across The Arrival by pure accident and was prepared for a hokey stupid movie. What I found instead was a fairly good movie. Charlie Sheen pulled off his role very well. I think one of the best scenes has to be when Zane is sitting in a bathtub listening to his phone messages when all of a sudden the tub from upstairs comes crashing thru the ceiling. I enjoyed this film so much I went back and watched it again. I rated this movie **** stars. END
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Sci-Fi
Review: I would consider this movie one of the best science fiction movies in the past decade.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: I'd like to thank those who took time to write
reviews for this flick; they were so positive
that I took the chance and was well rewarded.
This movie is just a 'sleeper', pure and simple.
The same thing happened with that other David Twohy
classic, Pitch Black. Twohy knows his stuff, knows
how to make a really really solid sci-fi movie.
There are great special effects here (mostly towards
the end), but this little gem has such good character development,
fine acting, pace etc., that
special effects (which I love when well done) aren't
important to the success of this film. I'll put it this
way: there is a sea of Sci-Fi out there- I'll take
more of this!
At the very least rent this and see for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best alien movies out there
Review: I've been reading a bunch of lists of the best 10 sci-fi movies of all time and not one poll mentioned this movie. This is a shame because this movie is a believable look at one man's "conspiracy theory" of aliens taking over, and creating havoc to the GreenHouse effect. I think that just goes to show how little exposure this movie got both at the movie theatre and in rentals. (This came out at about the same time as that joke Independence Day). This is by far Charlie Sheen's best acting performance, as he plays a semi-paranoid satellite watcher who believes that we aren't alone. This movie has enough realism to give it integrity and enough mystery to make it a fun science fiction. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in seeing a believable alien invasion movie.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite sci-fi thrillers.
Review: Released around the same time as the moronic Independence Day, it's too bad The Arrival was killed at the box office. It's truly the vastly superior film, with an intelligent plot, strong performances, adroit direction, and a lightning pace. Independence Day needed souped-up action scenes to keep the audience awake, but writer/director David Twohy holds the audience's attention with an engaging story, filled with little surprises that unfold brilliantly. I actually saw this movie before Twohy become hot property with the equally great Pitch Black, so I can tell this man is going to be one of the most sought after writer/directors in Hollywood. The performances are stellar, with Charlie Sheen superb as the paranoid protagonist. Many felt he was miscast for some strange reason. I felt he fit the role perfectly. Teri Polo is good as the girlfriend who may be more than she seems. She's not in the movie nearly as much as Sheen, but she makes an impression with her beauty and solid performance. Ron Silver is utterly chilling as Sheen's boss, who knows more than he's saying. His underplaying of the role is a wise choice; an over-the-top performance would have been out of place. Twohy is also impressive in creating action scenes. The chases in The Arrival are true heart-pounders, but they work so well because of the intriguing story and the vested interest we have in Sheen, who creates a truly likeable character to root for. Those who want only mindless action sequences might as well go for Independence Day, but for those looking for sharper suspense, thrills and a plot, The Arrival is the obvious choice.
Rating:
Summary: The most underrated sci-fi/thriller of the 90's
Review: The Arrival is a little known science fiction thriller thatarrived in the early summer of 1996 a year that is much more wellknown for a little film called Independence Day. Both movies are about alien invasions, but are different in execution and style. As to where Independence Day is an action film about visuals and explosions, The Arrival focuses on paranoia, plausibility, and drawing the audience in with an intriguing and credible plot. Zane Ziminski (Charlie Sheen) and his partner Calvin (Richard Schiff) are radio astronomers who have picked up a signal from outer space, just around a star called Wolf 336, which is 14.6 light years away from Earth. Arrival is writer David Twohy's directorial debut (his other work is Pitch Black, another great sci-fi thriller) and he does a very good job. He makes the plot quite intelligent and keeps the pace moving quickly with a riveting finale. The underlying paranoia is one of the aspects that fuels this movie along. X-Files fans should definitely enjoy this film and get a kick out of it. Many critics seemed to think Charlie Sheen was miscast, though I find no credibility in that statement. He is superb in his role as a normal guy who gets caught up in a dangerous conspiracy. His entire performance is very believable and it's easy to feel sympathetic and root for him at the same time. The supporting performances are decent, with Teri Polo and Lindsay Cruise doing fine jobs as the women in Zane's life. Ron Silver is particularly menacing as a CEO executive of SETI and he plays his part with a lot of subtlety. There's a lot of scientific talk in this film with many ideas thrown around and developed but it's doubtful viewers will get lost in this film's plot. It may seem confusing at first but it starts to become clear by the middle and the end.
Rating:
Summary: Alien Invasion Thriller...
Review: THE ARRIVAL is solid sci-fi. It is an Alien Invasion thriller combining good plot with believable acting, suspense and very respectable special effects. Charlie Sheen plays Zane, an obsessed SETI Radio Astonomer whose New Mexico site detects a DEEP SPACE wave that may signal the presence of Extra-Terrestrial life. Ron Silver plays "Gordi", a NASA bureaucrat who is soon revealed as sinister leader of an alien invasion force which plans to conquer earth by radically altering the planet's weather. The startling opening sequence presents Lindsay Crouse walking through a flowery meadow which is shown to be an impossibly verdant oasis in the middle of arctic tundra. Terra-Farming by non-terrans "engineering" an Apocalyptic Green House Effect ...rendering earth uninhabitable..is THE HOSTLE TAKE-OVER scheme. Director Twohy has done a commendable job orchestrating Sheen's increasing fear...friends regard him as paranoid; foes exploit the incredulity. Pacing is excellent. Fine FX are strategically employed...the budget was said to be limited...to create both surprise and danger. THE ARRIVAL is about not-so-little Green House Effect-wielding aliens who look like us...in the traditon of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS...and are ready to claim the planet they claim...in an unsubtle aside by the Alien CEO...we have abused and will destroy anyhow. But it's not an ecology sermon; it's an underrated sci-fi thriller that won't disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Original, Rank Sequel
Review: THE ARRIVAL is the small science fiction film with visionary ideas you happen across every now and then. Its limited theatrical run didn't generate the kind of buzz other flicks generate, and that fact alone gets conspiratologists up in arms against the 'establishment' ... whatever or whoever they are. Charlie Sheen is passable as radio astronomer Zane Zaminsky (since HOT SHOTS, I've had difficulty picturing Charlie in serious let alone academic roles) who detects cosmic noises that signal contact with extraterrestrial life. The only problem is that the conversation is originating from the Earth! From there, Zane (Charlie) embarks on a jobless adventure that leads him to Mexico, where he's accused of murdering a prominent scientist (played by Lindsay Crouse) puts him in hot water with both the law and the aliens! What he uncovers is a cover-up on a grand scale, stretching to the very foundations of media and governmental control! A great DVD with excellent Dolby Surround but lacking any serious commitment to producing extras. The film did spawn a wretched follow-up, and it thankfully didn't involve any of the principals in this intelligent little film. FYI: I was one of the three people in the audience who saw the film during its theatrical run.
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