The science fiction film trope of the passionate astronomer monitoring radio telescopes in search of transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence, then actually hearing one, seems cliché today after decades of overuse. Surprisingly, its origins actually aren’t that old. It can be traced to 1996’s “The Arrival,” which happens to be marking its 30th anniversary today.
“The Arrival” was quietly released by Orion Pictures on May 31, 1996, one month before the comic book-like alien invasion spectacle of “Independence Day” landed, and a year before Robert Zemeckis’s “Contact” hit the screens with its adaptation of Carl Sagan’s first contact novel.
Directed by veteran Hollywood screenwriter David Twohy, “The Arrival” ranks as one of the most overlooked and underappreciated sci-fi movies of all time. The film’s taut, intelligent script by Twohy and standout performances from Charlie Sheen, Ron Silver, and Lindsay Crouse elevate it to a bona fide classic that remains topical today with society’s fascination with UFO culture, Congress spilling UAP images, and Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” on the horizon.
Twohy loves the sci-fi genre and notoriously co-wrote Kevin Costner’s epic flop, “Waterworld,” but would redeem himself admirably with “The Arrival” before writing and directing “The Riddick Trilogy,” which consists of “Pitch Black” (2000), “The Chronicles of Riddick” (2004), and “Riddick” (2013).
“The Arrival” begins as pretty standard sci-fi fare with a devout radio astronomer for SETI named Zane Zaminsky (Charlie Sheen) intercepting what might be an extraterrestrial radio signal from Wolf 336, some 14 light-years off. After recording the transmission, Zaminsky takes the evidence to Phil Gordian (Ron Silver), his smarmy boss at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, where his remarkable findings are rejected as a misinterpretation and the smoking gun tape is eventually destroyed.
When he’s dismissed from his SETI job, a huge cover-up ensues. Hit men are dispatched, homicide takes hold, and a smear campaign is hatched to discredit Zaminsky as faking signals to keep his SETI gig. Realizing he’s stumbled onto a global conspiracy, Zaminsky goes on the run after linking neighborhood satellite dishes to create an array relocating the alien signal.
This leads him to a radio station in Central Mexico, where the cosmic transmission is being masked by its own signal. Here, he connects with a climatologist named Ilana Green (Lindsay Crouse). She’s traced one potential source of Earth’s rising temperature to a newly built power plant in the same area that turns out to be the secret base of shape-shifting E.T.s attempting to heat things up to a steamy climate more to their toasty taste.
Cinematography on “The Arrival” was done by Hiro Narita, who five years earlier had been the Director of Photography on 1991’s “The Rocketeer” and “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”
Narita brings a no-nonsense visual style to “The Arrival” that keeps it well grounded, even when we first see the otherworldly beings in their true form. He uses tight paranoid close-ups and vivid splashes of local color that take full advantage of the location shoot and its jungle landscapes once the plot switches from Southern California to South of the Border.
Those weird reptilian alien creatures were digitally created by Pacific Data Images PDI, an early visual effects and digital animation studio bought by DreamWorks SKG in 2000 and merged into DreamWorks Animation. Along with Pixar, they were pioneers of computer animation and contributed visual effects to more than 70 feature films, including “Antz” and “Shrek.”
Sadly, “The Arrival” didn’t exactly catch box office fire and only collected a total of $14 million upon its domestic release, off a $25 million production budget. With bigger tentpole releases like “Independence Day” looming and its bombastic marketing flooding the airwaves, “The Arrival” never attracted mass audiences, but it is being rediscovered for its many merits.
Sheen pulls off a fantastic, convincing performance, displaying an unhinged intensity while rockin’ a sweet goatee and close-cropped hair. Fans have noted the likeness of “Half-Life‘s” hero, Dr. Gordon Freeman, being similar to Zaminsky, with the sci-fi horror protagonist sporting identical horn-rimmed eyeglasses and black ‘90s-style facial hair!
With its “The X-Files”-like mystery, captivating alien creature effects, invasion conspiracy theories, climate crisis warnings, and sincere pitch-perfect performances, David Twohy’s ambitious film is a must-watch for both sci-fi diehards and pulse-pounding thriller enthusiasts that won’t disappoint.
Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” is nearly upon us, but this is a vintage gem also reminding us we’re not alone.
Prepare yourself by checking out “The Arrival” on its 30th anniversary with our highest recommendation! You can catch it on Amazon Prime Video if you’re subscribed, but you can also buy or rent it on Amazon.