The Arrival on DVD (1996)

Good film, Bad disc

Ra from Abydos , 25/01/2004

This is a cracking little Sci-Fi from the Director who went onto make the excellent Pitch Black, David Twohy.

The film gives Charlie Sheen one of his better roles, and the script is tight and the story entertaining. Ron Silver is excellent as the devious Manager attempting to subvert Sheen's discovery of alien life, and Teri Polo provides welcome eye candy as his long suffering girlfriend - nice ass girl!

However it's a real shame that this Region 2 disc is such crap. It's only Dolby 2.0, and the film has been recropped to 4:3 so you're not seeing what the Director intended.

If you can put up with that it's a great film that is a definite cut above the average sci-fi fare made for this sort of budget.

Recommended.

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A surprisingly thoughtful and intersting film.

Akator from Wiltshire , 08/11/2003

This film was a total surprise being centred around a clever and intriguing plot, rather than the usual blur of mind-numbing special effects.

Charlie Sheen plays one of his best ever roles as the scientist at the centre of a monumental conspiracy. The film left me with the feeling of having read a good novel that had been transfered completely to the large screen. Indeed this was a film, that like all the best films, was made better for the qustions it left unanswered and left you thinking at the end.

A sequel in this particular instance just might be worth watching.

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John#53 from TELFORD , 16/02/2004

The question of whether we are alone is a very old one. The Arrival reminds us that it is possible to make a film about invading aliens seem fresh. Charlie Sheen stars as Zane Zaminsky, an astronomer who discovers an unusual signal one day at work. He goes to his boss (Ron Silver) and tells him it's an alien signal. He is quickly sacked. He soon discovers that aliens did send that signal, and (dramatic pause) they're already among us!

With this genre, it's easy to get wrapped up in cliches. But thanks to the intelligent script by Twohy, the movie never sinks into the realm of most straight-to-video fare on this very subject.

And as the villian, Ron Silver delivers once again. It's too bad that he's gotten typecast as the bad guy, but he's so good at it it's hard to imagine him as anything else. Although, it is a little hard to believe that someone as smarmy as this guy would become the head of a huge corporation. . .but nevertheless, in a movie like this, if something like that is the most unbelievable part, you're in good shape.

Another potential problem that could have plagued the film is the way the aliens look. These days, aliens are either cute and cuddly (ET) or mean and deadly (Aliens). But The Arrival finds a good middle-ground, with the aliens appearing humanoid, but distinctly alien as well. The special effects are surprisingly good, too, considering the modest budget.

This is a great movie to satisfy the buffs of this genre. However, I cannot help thinking of the OUTER LIMITS (1990's) that has a series of episodes that ran along the same line - that aliens are among us and are changing the Earth's atmosphere to suit themselves.

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Nice one

A customer from Stoke-on-Trent , 16/01/2005

Good sci fi flick.Well though out,good sound and vision.4:3 format not a problem,not everbody has wide screen.

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Good film, Bad disc

Ra from Abydos , 25/01/2004

This is a cracking little Sci-Fi from the Director who went onto make the excellent Pitch Black, David Twohy.

The film gives Charlie Sheen one of his better roles, and the script is tight and the story entertaining. Ron Silver is excellent as the devious Manager attempting to subvert Sheen's discovery of alien life, and Teri Polo provides welcome eye candy as his long suffering girlfriend - nice ass girl!

However it's a real shame that this Region 2 disc is such crap. It's only Dolby 2.0, and the film has been recropped to 4:3 so you're not seeing what the Director intended.

If you can put up with that it's a great film that is a definite cut above the average sci-fi fare made for this sort of budget.

Recommended.

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Good start, awful end

Clanhaigh from Cheshire , 29/03/2004

What a disappointment this film was, I thought the first half was great, a rare intelligent science fiction film. Unfortunately the scriptwriter must have been fired half way through leaving their dog to finish the job as the ending was preposterous nonsense.

I gave this three stars but I would like to have been able to award the first half five and the second half one.

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