Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival Teaser Arrives

Arrival is a movie I had no idea was happening and now it’s my most anticipated film.

Denis Villeneuve is the fantastic director behind Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario and the upcoming Blade Runner sequel. His movies are usually marked by striking visuals, subtle-yet-deep characterization, and top notch acting talent. Arrival seems in line with that, especially with a Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker in the cast.

As for striking visuals, well, see for yourself:

Looks pretty damn cool, right?

There are definitely shades of Ridley Scott in some of those shots, which may be Villeneuve stretching those particular muscles before he takes on the much-anticipated Blade Runner sequel. This is Villeneuve’s first foray into science fiction but he’s never shied away from the off-putting or fantastical in his movies, even in otherwise grounded outings. Enemy was as close as he’s gotten to full-blown sci-fi and it was one of my favourite movies of 2013. I’m excited to see how Villeneuve’s sensibilities will play against the high concept of a first contact situation.

Arrival is shot by Bradford Young, the cinematographer for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and A Most Violent Year, so we can at least expect a visual feast.

The movie is an adaptation of the award-winning short story Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, and the screenplay is written by Eric Heisserer. It will play at TIFF and the Venice Film Festival before its premiere on November 11 this year.