+1
I was extremely disappointed in the film as I loved both Sicario and Blade Runner 2049. Arrival is on Amazon now, and some of my thoughts about the film:
1. I love the premise and idea of focusing on the language aspect of alien arrivals. Maybe it's the best thing since "klaatu barada nikto."
2. Unfortunately like that referenced classic we still have the cliche' of the overly aggressive military with a timed countdown to talk and then we'll shoot thing was lazy writing. The whole, well China and Russia are doing it, so we'll join in felt silly.
3. I thought exactly what the original poster wrote about the Chinese general phone conversation being a deus ex machina. It was, and to expand on that, the reason it was done in Chinese and obscured conversation is likely so that most of the audience will be left guessing what was said. Hey, lets just make a conversation that saves the world indecipherable, so we don't actually have to write anything.
4. The music was far too leading and pretentious chiming in at the exact moment, TELLING and GUIDING the audience, how to feel, instead of complimenting and reinforcing what we felt from the storyline and writing.
5. I disagree with the premise about having a fate, seeing into the future, etc. Yeah I get it, time is nonlinear, but this whole speak to yourself in the past from the future thing isn't as blind blowingly "pat on the back" brilliant as what the people who wrote this film imply through reading between the lines. Bill and Ted did this two decades ago. I also disagree with the premise that the future is written. "Nothing is written."
6. The film was beautiful and well shot and for the most part well paced and directed, but Denis Villeneuve seemed to be channeling Chris Nolan pretentiousness with some of the closeup shots and "future memory" scenes.
7. Instead of going for sentimentality in this film, they should have gone for a tone of more cold and matter of fact pure sci-fi. Sorry, there's only one Andrei Tarkovsky and Steven Soderberg did channel him well.
This is too bad. I thought I was going to love this film, but was very disappointed; the tone just didn't jive with me and the writing and audience manipulation wore itself on its sleeve just like a Nolan film. Anyways...