niiiceee....
*** ARRIVAL *** (Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, dir. Denis Villeneuve)
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Last: 2 mo ago by MW03
Spoiler alert for the alien's final intentions.
I've read the short story, but not the script. Some things are recognizable, but just based on the trailer the script seems to have drastically changed the tone and theme of the short story. Should I be concerned?
I liked the short story, but that trailer seems to have a completely different tone.
ETA: It appears I am not alone in that concern.
ETA: It appears I am not alone in that concern.
Can't help you guys there. Haven't read the short story. All I can say is that the tone of the trailer is exactly like I'd want something like this to be.
quote:Gotcha, disappointing then.
Can't help you guys there. Haven't read the short story. All I can say is that the tone of the trailer is exactly like I'd want something like this to be.
quote:
I liked the short story, but that trailer seems to have a completely different tone.
ETA: It appears I am not alone in that concern.
It seems that the movie takes a bigger view of how the events impact the planet. The short story is very localized and kind of underplays the trauma of that kind of situation.
In
quote:That's my take. Heck, the short story was only 39 pages. They were gonna have to interpret and add to make a movie. The aliens, spoken language, and writing were also gonna have to be interpreted to some degree as well. I actually like what I see so far.quote:
I liked the short story, but that trailer seems to have a completely different tone.
ETA: It appears I am not alone in that concern.
It seems that the movie takes a bigger view of how the events impact the planet. The short story is very localized and kind of underplays the trauma of that kind of situation.
Just finished the script.
It seems much, much better than the previews. I hope they deliver the right tone.
It seems much, much better than the previews. I hope they deliver the right tone.
I glanced through the short story earlier today to compare it to the script. For those of you who have read the short story and are curious how it compares, I outlined some key differences below.
Minimum-spoiler differences: The script adds a reason for the aliens to visit earth, and also adds a "race-against-time" element to the story. Other than those two large changes, it's basically the same story. If you're curious about the "race-against-time" element, I'll elaborate on that in the semi-spoiler note below
Semi-spoiler differences (read Minimum-spoiler first):The "race-against-time" element added to the story is that there are only 12 ships on the planet and each nation that hosts a ship is afraid one of the other nations with a ship will be given a world-conquering weapon by the aliens, leading to a global paranoia that has everyone in the world mulling preemptive strikes against everyone else before any alien weapons can be attained and deployed. So the main character has to learn how to speak to the aliens to figure out why they are visiting earth before everyone kills each other due to paranoia. This is a huge departure from the short story where everyone seems to basically be working together. Don't worry, this isn't an "alien invasion" story now.
Bottom line, if you enjoy the short story, I don't think you'll hate this adaption.
Minimum-spoiler differences: The script adds a reason for the aliens to visit earth, and also adds a "race-against-time" element to the story. Other than those two large changes, it's basically the same story. If you're curious about the "race-against-time" element, I'll elaborate on that in the semi-spoiler note below
Semi-spoiler differences (read Minimum-spoiler first):The "race-against-time" element added to the story is that there are only 12 ships on the planet and each nation that hosts a ship is afraid one of the other nations with a ship will be given a world-conquering weapon by the aliens, leading to a global paranoia that has everyone in the world mulling preemptive strikes against everyone else before any alien weapons can be attained and deployed. So the main character has to learn how to speak to the aliens to figure out why they are visiting earth before everyone kills each other due to paranoia. This is a huge departure from the short story where everyone seems to basically be working together. Don't worry, this isn't an "alien invasion" story now.
Bottom line, if you enjoy the short story, I don't think you'll hate this adaption.
quote:
Jeremy Renner as a mathematician? This is a comedy, right?
"Hi, I'm a nuclear physicist PhD!"
Just finished the script, too. Processing...
quote:Let me guess, needs more weddings, untimely deaths, and a promise that "more are on the way" with no follow through.
Just finished the script, too. Processing...
quote:quote:Let me guess, needs more weddings, untimely deaths, and a promise that "more are on the way" with no follow through.
Just finished the script, too. Processing...
Actually, it turns out they need to build a device to communicate with the aliens. But a psycho blows it up right before they can use it. Luckily, unbeknownst to everyone, a billionaire built the exact same thing in a secluded part of the world. So Amy Adams uses the device and discovers the aliens have taken the shape of her father to help communications.
They should have sent a poet
quote:quote:Let me guess, needs more weddings, untimely deaths, and a promise that "more are on the way" with no follow through.
Just finished the script, too. Processing...
please be good, please be good, please don't be De Palma's Mission to Mars, please be good, please be good, please make me stop thinking of the Charlie Sheen movie, please be good, please be good...
quote:
Jeremy Renner as a mathematician? This is a comedy, right?
+ a billion
Here are my thoughts after reading both the short story and the script. Major spoilers ahead for both, of course.
I prefer the short story, as you've no doubt guessed. Chiang's original is a unique spin on the usual "first contact" tale, while the script is more formulaic. The movie will be good and entertaining, and I still look forward to seeing it, though.
- The script keeps most of the plot points from the short story, but adds unnecessary crises. The script repeatedly shifts the focus of the audience's attention away from Louise and the heptapod's beautiful written language (Heptapod B) towards a predictable race to save the Earth from standard Hollywood crises like overpopulation, warmongering paranoia, and nuclear destruction. The short story doesn't contain any of that, and I think it stands better on its own as a result.
- Minor, unnecessary character change. Not sure why the script changes "Gary the physicist" to "Ian the mathematician". Seems like a completely unnecessary change. He's the same character regardless.
- The central theme of the short story was changed completely. The short story uses the physics of a light beam traveling from air into water and Heptapod B as wonderful metaphors to explore the central theme of the story -- that having free will excludes knowledge of the future. Louise comes to understand this on her own in the short story, and the heptapods are apparently oblivious to it. In the script, the aliens have sought out humans to prove that free will is still possible even when you know your exact future. In other words, the screenwriter didn't just miss the point of the story, he changed it to mean the exact opposite!
- The script changes the aliens' motives. The aliens in the short story arrive and leave without any explanation. Their purpose in visiting Earth is a complete mystery. Louise says "We never did learn why the heptapods left, any more than we learned what brought them here, or why they acted the way they did." This works well in the short story. The heptapods are alien, after all. I suppose this was felt to be unsatisfactory for the movie, so the script instead employs another overused sci-fi cliche -- the aliens came to save humanity from itself. Did we need another version of "The Day the Earth Stood Still"?
- The story of Louise's life works better in the script. Both the short story and the script use Louise's memories of her daughter to advance and explain the plot. But I think the script does this better than the short story. The emotional impact will certainly be much stronger in the movie because the daughter's fate occurs at an earlier age, for different reasons.
- Almost all of the linguistic theory was chopped out of the script. This was a big part of the "sci" in this sci-fi short story. I understand that "dumbing it down" for a movie audience was necessary, but I think the script went too far. Louise's credibility as an expert linguist suffers as a result.
I prefer the short story, as you've no doubt guessed. Chiang's original is a unique spin on the usual "first contact" tale, while the script is more formulaic. The movie will be good and entertaining, and I still look forward to seeing it, though.
Mother of God
Dennis V is 2/2 for me ( I haven't seen Enemy ) and I never expected him to deviate so far from Prisoners and Sicario. I remember when you posted about Prisoners a few years ago as your favorite from the blacklist. This guy is an amazing director and this looks like the cerebral sci-fi film we have been waiting for. I am all in and hyped and I don't normally do that.
Dennis V is 2/2 for me ( I haven't seen Enemy ) and I never expected him to deviate so far from Prisoners and Sicario. I remember when you posted about Prisoners a few years ago as your favorite from the blacklist. This guy is an amazing director and this looks like the cerebral sci-fi film we have been waiting for. I am all in and hyped and I don't normally do that.
quote:
Jeremy Renner as a mathematician? This is a comedy, right?
If Samuel L. MFing Jackson can pull it off, why not Jeremy?
The short story is incredibly well done, but the science aspect of it is a thought experiment on the nature of linguistics and how it impacts perception. I can see why they wanted to make the basic story a movie, but 2 hours trying to explain linguistic theory that's complicated enough on the page is going to be difficult. I'm hoping for a different perspective on the basic plot.
Read the short story last night. I'm ashamed to admit I didn't grasp it entirely at first. When I finally did 'get it,' it was awesome.
The wikipedia page does a pretty good job of summing it up:
The wikipedia page does a pretty good job of summing it up:
Spoiler tag that paragraph
I tried to and it didn't work. I'm a functioning idiot if I can't get
[sp]
[sp]
I really enjoyed the short story, but I'm pretty curious how as to how they will be able to convey it in a movie narrative. I also have liked Villeneuve's work enough to both be excited for this, and know that I don't want to spoil it any more by reading the script. Definitely looking forward to this one.
quote:You have to be careful with punctuation in the block that you're trying to tag. Colons prevent the tag from working, for example.
I tried to and it didn't work. I'm a functioning idiot if I can't get
[sp]
quote:Made me want to go into nuclear engineering program at A&M. But then at orientation, no one looked like Denise Richards, so I changed my major.quote:
Jeremy Renner as a mathematician? This is a comedy, right?
"Hi, I'm a nuclear physicist PhD!"
Please tell me that's a true story.
Oddly enough, there were a few people there that looked like Bond characters. Saw the spitting image of this guy:
Another trailer! This one reveals different dialogue and new scenes. May want to consider skipping this one if you haven't read the script.
So in that trailer, it says China is threatening to destroy their shell. In the short story, was the shell just a communication portal to the ship or where the aliens actually in the shell? I was thinking it was just a portal/advanced TV screen thing...am I remembering incorrectly? I guess the shell could also be seen as a weapon even if the aliens aren't actually in it.
Also, was her daughter even born yet in the story when the aliens were here? I thought the physicist was the father, and they didn't meet until the arrival. Trailer makes it look like she is already born.
Also, was her daughter even born yet in the story when the aliens were here? I thought the physicist was the father, and they didn't meet until the arrival. Trailer makes it look like she is already born.
"Trailer makes it look..." I think answers your own question. That's the twist.
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