15 Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies Of All Time
11. Arrival
A clever take on the aliens landing on earth theme that Sci-Fi has had so much success with, Denis Villanueve's Arrival focuses on the language barrier that our protagonists must overcome. The film sets itself as a kind of code breaking thriller and does so very well.
The film is a slow-burner, there is no doubt about it, and there is no great amount of action within it but it is extremely clever, brilliantly put together and features two great performances from Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. There is nothing in the genre like Arrival and, although it probably hurt it in terms of garnering a wide audience, that is the greatest strength of this film. It is a truly original piece of a well mined genre.
In classic Villanueve style the film looks fantastic, every shot looks like it would be at home on the poster, and the writing by Eric Heisserer is exceptional. It is a film that given time, and a proper chance, will grow on you more and more as each minute passes. A fantastic and often overlooked piece of truly original science fiction.