Amy Adams Greets A Dubious Alien Species In ‘Arrival’ [Video]
Arrival will soon be soaring into movie theaters to remind film-goers that the current run of comic book adaptations faces some stiff competition from the world (or worlds) of science fiction, as well as from the horror and comedy genres. Amy Adams stars in the new sci-fi thriller from director Denis Villeneuve, whose last project, Sicario, made a killing at the box office. While there are still many months before Arrival lands in theaters, new promo posters and a new trailer give sci-fi fans a glimpse at what they can expect from the Amy Adams film.
Amy Adams Gets A Call To Duty In The First Arrival Trailer
At its heart, Arrival is an alien invasion film, but early glimpses shared by Collider suggest there might be more to this tale than an out-and-out shoot ’em up action film. While there’s sure to be enough action to satisfy most audiences, there also seems to be the kind of story arc found in hits like Sphere (1998) and The Abyss (1989) in which early investigators team up to try to communicate with an alien species, before an unexpected attack can be launched. In the case of Arrival, the United States and the rest of the world seem to be pinning its hopes for survival on the talents of linguist Dr. Louise Banks, sending her into one of the alien spacecrafts to attempt communication before humanity meets its doom.
Joined by physicist Ian Donnelly, played by Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker’s Colonel Weber, Adams finds herself on the initial team to make contact, though there is indication in the Arrival trailer, which has been titled “Global War,” that someone, possibly a military force, has been in some type of contact. When Amy’s Arrival character asks what the aliens look like, a voice responds with “You’ll see soon enough,” which may suggest those in power have at least seen the invaders. Or it may indicate just the opposite, as they may not want Adams’ Dr. Banks to know just how unprepared everyone is for contact.
Amy Adams Reveals Why There Is A Very Real Feel To Arrival
Arrival is the film adaptation of the 1998 short novella The Story of Your Life from author Ted Chiang, reports USA Today, and it tells the story of how mankind responds, as alien spacecrafts, shaped like large pods, land in various locations all around the globe. As might be expected, the arrival prompts most to react with fear and violence, creating an even greater danger among most civilizations, many of whom have already been destabilized by decades of war.
“This isn’t a graphic-novel universe or creating a new universe. This happens in our world today, as it exists,” says Arrival‘s Adams. “Not having to transport myself to a universe where superheroes exist, which is also fun, really helped me ground the character and the experience.”
When Amy Adams received the script for Arrival, she says she was immediately drawn to the Dr. Louise Banks role, because the character was human and real in a three-dimensional way. Adams loved that the Arrival linguist had her own personal issues going into the story, so there was a backstory for her, which, in turn, colors Banks’ perspective in dealing with the aliens.
“She felt real, like somebody I would know and somebody I would like to have a conversation with. Emotionally, the journey she takes in this was devastating to me.”
That’s not all, says Amy. The Arrival star says her character is also affected by her past dealings with government agencies, situations which have left Adams’ character mistrusting and suspicious of the government’s motives behind sending her into this situation.
Although the Arrival trailer deliberately avoids giving us a glimpse of these new aliens, Adams hints that they may not look as foreign or dissimilar from mankind.
“Denis and the team have done a great job with the visuals and getting to something that looks familiar and not completely abstract,” Ms. Adams reveals.
Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker will make their Arrival in theaters on November 11.
[Image by Paramount Pictures]
