Director Dennis Villeneuve proves to be a master of suspenseful storytelling, as he is able to create a tense atmosphere and explore several thought-provoking themes without getting too heavy-handed, all while subverting nearly every trope of alien cinema. Instead, when extraterrestrial spaceships appear in different locations around the planet with no explanation, linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is the unexpected hero who is charged with the task of figuring out how to understand and communicate with the otherworldly visitors. When you think of alien invasion movies, your mind likely goes to massive explosions and gigantic battle sequences with the fate of the Earth on the line.
