Some movies are so evocative as to move even the most stoic of people. The Arrival does just that. Almost for as long as humans have made movies, they have been making them about alien invasions, and the plots usually revolve around those aliens wreaking havoc on the Earth.

The Arrival takes a refreshing approach to this genre by focusing more on issues of communication and teamwork than on sheer destruction. It was the best movie I have seen in a long time.

At the start of the movie, we see linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) with her daughter, Hannah (Abigail Pniowski), as Hannah lies dying of cancer. The next scene shows Banks going to work and learning that alien spacecrafts have landed in 12 places all over the world, each with a different piece of the same message, therein forcing the need for humanity to work together.

Banks is then brought to a landing site in Montana, along with theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner). Over a period of months, Banks and Donnelly do their best to communicate with the aliens, beings whom Donnelly nicknames “Abbott and Costello.”

While this is happening, Banks finds herself experiencing an increasing amount of flashbacks and disturbing dreams about her daughter. The audience soon learns that these flashbacks are not exactly what they seem.

The movie has some interesting social commentary in that it shows that our world works best when it works together. The Arrival also brings the nature of the concept of love into the equation in a way that doesn’t feel forced or rushed. On top of those two things, the movie also brings into light little-known scientific theories, such as the controversial Sapir-Whorf theory, which basically, states that the language a person speaks literally changes their reality. Overall, the movie refreshingly manages to introduce scientific concepts in a way that doesn’t go over viewers’ heads.

At the same time, The Arrival features some well-placed and genuinely funny comic relief. Plus, Adams does a great job of portraying Banks, who at the start of the movie is grieving and full of longing for her lost child, but is quickly forced to lay aside her grief to help the world. We watch as she becomes focused and immersed in her work, and how it changes her. Meanwhile, Renner’s part as Donnelly is a lesser role, but played well nonetheless. Although an actor better known for his action roles, I found Renner believable even with mathematical and scientific terms flying out of his mouth.

The Arrival is a movie that I would recommend to those with an appreciation for not only alien movies, but also asking deeper questions about life. Younger viewers– especially those under age 10–may not exactly understand what’s going on, and may even be scared by the aliens. Overall, I give The Arrival a 9 out of 10.