Make sure to check out the full watchalong to this movie and early access to our next 2 Movie Night reactions, 'Moonlight' and 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/ReelTimeYT?filters[tag]=Movie%20Night

The General’s wife’s dying words translate to “In war there are no winners, only widows”. 😢

The bird is the literal “canary in a coal mine”; there to provide the bigger humans a warning if atmospheric conditions indicate it’s not safe.

Rob being mesmerized by this masterpiece even after seeing it several times is literally me lol

I just love the way they keep calling out the condescending men in this movie, “I don’t understand why they keep questioning her. She’s the expert dude!” 😂 ❤

Seriously one of the best plot twists in recent history. I remember when the realization dawned on me what I was seeing and I immediately wanted to re-watch the film to put those scenes at the beginning in context. Great story.

My favorite part is that it’s not really “seeing the future”. It’s non linear. So it’s more like all of time happening all at once. Which is why she could already see the future in the past before she learned to see the future. It’s just all the same thing. God, that’s cool ❤️

The thing is, Louise sees all of time at once, so her having Hannah means she will always have her, long before her birth and long after her death. She will always be a mother and always be loving and grieving her child, all at once.

This movie is one of my favorites , I love the way it’s done! My favorite scene is when Louise remembers how her story will play out with Ian and says that she forgot how good it felt to be held by him when she hugged him. The tragedy / beauty with knowing that their story is just beginning and they’ll have many happy memories but also knowing it’ll be temporary like ughh my heart 😩

Amy Adams giving the most humane and grounded performance in a modern sci-fi film and then being snubbed for best actress nomination will always baffle me what a masterpiece love the reaction

"I have wings.... in the fridge, I just need to eat them." Zuff is a comedic genius.

Being a linguist myself, the rewiring of the brain Ian talked about really caught my attention. With Louise at the beginning talking about she didn't believe in endings or beginnings anymore and with the "call your father" for the "non zero sum game", it hit me like a bolt right then and there.

Nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Sound Editing.

I have said this on other reactions to this great movie. My wife died of cancer. Had I known that was gonna happen in advance, I still wouldn't change a thing. She brought so much to my life and made me who I am today.

45:45 THAT is what makes this movie so powerful! To lose a child is horrible but to know it will happen and go through with it anyway . . . You have to decide if the love and time together is worth it. I choke up every time I watch this movie or even people reacting to it ♥

Bryce leaning in waiting for the aliens to show up was honestly so cute and Zuff looking at him like 👀😂😂

I don't think there's really any question about whether you'd have the child or not because Louise experiences time differently. For Louise, it's not some theoretical possible child: it's her daughter that she gave birth to, raised, and loved. I'm sure you'd be hard-pressed to find any parent who's lost a child that wishes the child had just never been born. I think it'd be the same for Louise. Great reaction, guys! Thanks for sharing.

The depth of writing, ingenious editing, the purposeful imagery and rich dialogue have created one of the most significant revelations in a film over the last few decades. This movie still sticks with me and impacts my perspective since seeing it in the theater in 2016. I was fortunate to meet the cinematographer Bradford Young in 2022 (look him up-you’ll be impressed with his impressive career). And I was able to tell him how much this film and its intelligence and symbolism affected me.

One of my favorite like “alien invasion” movies without the action so visibly pleasing and the plot twist I couldn’t have guessed the storyline was really good ✨👏🏾

43:33 a little detail I don't think ppl pick up on is that the Chinese man also sees time the way Louise does. It's why he freaked out and declared war on the aliens. He probably had no idea what was going on, and it's why he very purposefully gives her his personal phone number and tells her what to say to him in the past, and then thanks her. He knows exactly what he's doing.

Bryce: probably after her daughters passing… Rob: yeah nothing could be worse KNOWING DAMN WELL THE KID WASNT EVEN BORN YET 😅

One my all time favorite movies. Absolutely incredible. Made me forever look at language differently. It’s also so interesting to rewatch the movie and see what assumptions you make because of the “knowledge” that you have. For instance, early in the movie when we “know” that she has recently lost her daughter we assume her behavior is a result of grief. Rewatching the movie knowing that that isn’t the case, you can see that she is actually not grieving but definitely dissatisfied and perhaps bored or depressed with her life. And seeing that she chooses to marry and have her daughter anyway knowing whats to come, really speaks to the joy and meaning that’s those 2 relationships bring to her life. What a gorgeous movie. Definitely not fast and action packed but I have never found it boring. And the main theme song “on nature of daylight” is absolutely my favorite film score. A beautiful song for a beautiful film

'I just wanna sit down with Louise and learn, I want her to teach me everything' meeeeeee the whole movie I swear like I would've signed up for her classes so quick, she was explaining all of it soooo beautifully. I'm so curious about linguistics and phonetics but after some time my brain would short-circuit from too much info I'm sure

I'm a huge fan of sci-fi and especially the whole alien genre, and I'm with you Rob, I love that they aliens in the movie aren't your typical bipedal humanoid looking creature. It's such a unique and creative film!

This is my all time favorite movie, it's insane how everytime I rewatch it I get something new from it. It's just marvelous. I just wish I could erase it from my mind so I could see it from the first time again.

"I have wings......in the fridge. I just need to heat them up." That made me laugh.

I rewatch this movie every once in a while. Absolutely adore the message of this story.

I just finished rewatching this literally minutes ago! Arrival's up there in my list of most favorite sci-fi movies. It's so intelligently and beautifully made. This is also where I came to admire Amy Adams for the very first time. Glad you've watched it.

So, a couple of fun facts: Universal language is absolutely a real thing. However, in reality it doesn't refer to any alien language. Rather, it's the idea that there was, at one time, there may have been a language that was understood by all or most people. Universal grammar is a very key linguistics term that refers to the rules that govern all known languages. Basically, all known languages on Earth fall within the boundaries of certain types of orthography, syntax, phonology, etc. Also, the movie mentions the idea that speaking different languages may result in a "rewiring of your brain". This actually probably has some basis in real science, although the movie takes it a lot further than is probably viable. The example I always give is that people's ability to perceive colors can change depending on their native language. For example, some languages, such as English, distinguish between red and pink as separate colors. While other languages consider pink to be just a light shade of red. It has been found that the distinction between red and pink, linguistically, can actually affect how much attention a person will pay to noticing pink. This idea is called the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Studies have actually been done about this hypothesis in regard to time. In the study they compared English speakers, who tend to measure times in units of length, to Swedish speakers, who measure time in units of volume. What the test subjects said about how much time had passed changed depending on whether they were watching something increase in volume or in length. This suggests there may be a kernel of truth to the whole "your language changes your perception of time" idea shown in the video. Pretty interesting, right?

I love that the title is 'The Arrival', NOT referring to the aliens necessarily. It's the story of the arrival of her child. The beginning (end?) of her story. AMAZING film.

Watching 3 stoners seemingly blazed out of their gourds, attempting to process and understand one of the most thought provoking and intricate 'alien first contact' science fiction films of our time, was one of the funniest and most enjoyable react experiences I've ever had. The sheer look of awe and confusion at times, even from the guy who had seen it, was great.

Probably my favorite movie of all time. What a fucking twist, absolutely blew my mind. And I think the message of the movie is really beautiful too. So good

Omg this is one of my favorite movies!! So good and not what you’d typically think of an alien movie. The soundtrack is also beautiful

Glad he got his blood back 😂. Already laughing and excited to see the reaction of the two who haven’t seen it!

Definitely one of the best movies I’ve ever seen - I don’t think the choice to have her daughter was as simple as choosing not to. Once she had seen her, seen Hannah, she came to know and love her as she was. I think it’s less a choice not to, but a choice to undo who her daughter was. I don’t think there’s any parent, even if their child died of incurable disease well before their time, who would choose to stop the child they knew and loved from having been. It’s such a deep and complex story, it’s hard to not pause and think on it

43:13 the genius comment by Bryce instantly sums up the thesis of the climax, so cool

6:59 that shot is so unreal. Jaw on the floor every damn time I watch this movie

What I love about this movie is that everytime you watch it. You notice something new and understand it better.

I love all the movies that have come out in recent years that are inspiring people to think about time in new ways. It's a lot weirder and more flexible than we usually believe.

This movie is amazing but hits different now that I have kids. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking simultaneously

General Shang's wife's dying words were "There are no winners in war, only widows" which explains why he decided to stand down

I'm so happy y'all watched this movie, it's one of my absolute favorites! Bryce saying "after the loss of her daughter" twice had me cracking up just waiting for the twist. I'm glad y'all enjoyed it!

one of my all time favorite movies!! super stoked to see your reaction :') amy adams is incredible in this as always

villeneuve is the perfect director for dune where paul atreides remembers the future as easily as the past.

Loved your reaction, was looking forward to this one; and one of my favourite films of all time. The General's wife’s last words are “In war there are no winners, only widows.”

This was mind-blowing. Their language really is a gift. I’m so impressed by this movie.

I really wonder what we helped them with in 3,000 years!

This film really is a vibe. The score is so gorgeous, Amy Adams is wonderful, I don’t hate Renner, lol. It’s based on a short story, and the movie makes some changes than pander to a wider audience, but there’s a lot of good here. Note the daughters name, Hannah, is a palindrome, a nod to the structure of the film and the Heptapod language structure 😉

I’m glad you reacted to this.. this is one of my fave films of Amy Adams 🩷

53:11 well I loved it! It's a quality film and this was definitely one of my more favorite movie reactions from you guys. I wasn't necessarily expecting to laugh during this reaction, but you guys manage to bring the funny just by being yourselves and the dynamic you share. It was fun to see you piecing the story together. I for sure am all for more sci-fi on this channel! In fact, if you enjoyed Arrival, Gravity is a sci-film that came out 2013, just a few years before it, starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The film takes place in outer space. It's beautiful and terrifying; one of the best films. Leaves you with an appreciation for life and our planet.

I love this film. I hate most alien movies but I LOVE this movie. The next closest is probably “Contact.” ❤️

this movie has become some source of therapy to me whenever I feel sad. This one and a bucket os chips is everything I need to feel better

I saw this a few days ago. For the second time. First time was back when it released. But I remember being confused and not Liking it. This time I sobbed at the end. I don’t know why. This mothers story moved me so much. The way this story is told is so cool. It’s unlike any other movie.

I love how you start thinking it's an alien movie and at the end you realize it's really about family and humans and the choices we make. This is based on a short story called The Story of Your Life. The author was my daughter's writing mentor in college.

One of my favorit sci-fi movie along side Interstellar. I think most of people don't get the movie from the first watch but im already like this movie from first time watch.

39:02 She’s having memories that haven’t happened yet!

I watched this for the first time in my creative writing class, we would watch it in parts and write down what we thought would happen based on the information in each part. I dont remember what I wrote on mine(It was like 5 years ago) but I really enjoyed that class. But I do remember I guessed that the stuff with the daughter were in the future, I remember the teacher had us all talk about it one day and I said that aloud and everyone was debating it and I remember I felt really smart when it was revealed. XD She also named her kid Hannah because its a Palindrome, it's spelt the same way forward and backwards. Also I 100% stand by the fact that I think Squid, Octopus, and Jellyfish are aliens who landed on the planet billions of years ago.

Everyone who decides to have a kid at all is pretty much making the same choice as Louise. I understand the, “No parent should have to bury their child” notion, but hey, whoever you bring into the world is going to suffer and die.

“Futurebacks” is the best word I’ve ever heard lol. Just found this channel and definitely will be watching more in the future!

The scene with the clouds falling from the mountain is real and was shot in the Bas-St-Laurent region in Quebec, Canada...these are lands near the St-Laurent river and it is very foggy sometimes

Ah I can’t wait for this, one of my all time faves - hope you enjoyed it 👀

Read the short story this is based on, you won't regret it. Last line of the story is absolutely killer.

Would you have a child if you knew that child would die in the future? Doesn't that apply to every child? How long is long enough for a life to be worthwhile?

Another detail is the reason Abbott is always late is because he knew he would die, so he was hesitating every time I also think this time she won't tell Ian about what happens with Hannah

There language rewired her brain to think like them. She see’s the whole thing at once, like how the alien writes.

One of the most beautiful, original sci-fi stories I have ever come across. The sound design is so insanely good (I was reminded of humpback whalesong fairly often), and I love the design of the aliens. Thanks for your reaction! And Rob, there are *totally* aliens in the ocean...octopuses. (The similarities with the aliens in this movie can't be random.) Seriously, check them out. Their DNA is weird, their eyesight is weird, their intelligence is weird, etc. They are so incredible. Also, if you liked this movie, I think you would love the book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, which I'm positive was an inspiration for the author.

"Give them a gun" LMAO hahahahah

I find it funny that the sleepy guy was able to piece it together, before the other 2...

Yes, the bird is for checking oxygen - we used to do the same in mines - have birds "detect"(by dying)poisonous gas

I think she didn't have much of a choice, she already felt the love for her "future" daughter, she already misses her, like she said to Ian when they hug she forgot how good it is to be hugged by him. That's sad, but well said "despite knowing the journey and where it leads I embrace and accept every moment of it."

Zuff: "Is she going to be like one of those frikkin very good people about aliens ?" killed me

46:16 'Would you still have the baby knowing it was going to die...?' I think this is a common misunderstanding with this movie, and it's one that Ian makes as well (one of a handful of things I find slightly implausible). The analogy is something like finding an unborn child has a genetic disorder in the womb and deciding whether to go through with the pregnancy or not, but it isn't really like that. Louise isn't seeing a Swatchbook of possible futures. Humans learning the heptapod language doesn't change reality, it changes how time is perceived. It's reminiscent of The Oracle's line in The Matrix Reloaded, 'Because you didn't come here to make the choice, you've already made it.' Louise has to have the baby because it happens.

This has got to be one of my favorite sci-fi movies ever, next to the Fifth Element.

Omg I loveeeee Arrival!!! It is incredibly made and it is an amazing story If you have the time I highly recommend reading the short story it was based on, “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, it blew my mind when I first read it

I LOVE scific concepts like this. Another underrated gem I think you guys should watch is Annihilation. Arrival, Annihilation, and Aliens are probably my top 3 favorite scifi movies featuring an alien force of some kind, though all three address this very differently.

one of my top 4 on letterboxd, it's SO SO SO SO GOOD!

Ian and Louise go though a long told hypothetical. For Louise, the life and happiness her daughter experiences is worth her ending, for Ian, that ending isn’t worth the pain. It’s a question that is hard to answer.

The book version was much sadder for her daughter. Hannah originally dies falling off a mountain while rock climbing with her friends. In this version, it's at least a little easier to swallow. Having a child still knowing she gets a disease could be argued that she still valued her life; Hannah's friends and family and life influencing others could still hold value to her. Like, "She may get a disease but her being able to experience life and influence the world is important too". Rather than the book, it felt especially cruel to have to be fine with letting your daughter die vs knowing there isn't anything you can do about it. If she has a rare disease; she still gets to live happy. If she dies falling from a mountain; her mother allowed her to go to that trip and ultimately die. There doesn't seem to show any repercussions with changing things in the past or future since it's not time travel. So she could've made her daughter not go, not befriend those people, or not be interested in sports at all. The disease death seems way nicer.

As a parent and foster parent, its not an easy choice. SO MUCH LOVE you experience, who I become as a person, the happiest job ive ever had being a daddy, so much happiness paid for by a lifetime of mourning... Its not an easy choice.

I remember being so confused by the intertwining timelines lol the second time around i got it and cried like a baby.

There is something very unique about this movie, I would recommend it to anyone but not all of them will understand it

Ya’ll I had just become a new mother when this film came out and I saw it in theaters too. I was in a puddle of tears at the end and still whenever I watch it bc it’s such a tough choice. I am sure she feels all the emotions she feels in the future as a mother. No matter how fleeting I honestly feel there is no greater joy. Please watch Riding in Cars with Boys because Brittany Murphy’s character said it best: “Sometimes we love people so much that we have to be numb to it. Because if we actually felt how much we love them, it would kill us.”

Imagine the gift of their language is the ability to perceived time as non linear but as something is has occurred, will occur and is occurring all at the same time. Her "flash backs" was her already experiencing time travelling through their language. What a wild concept and I'm a polyglot😅. They needed humanity's help in 3000 years so imagine all those who learn the language bruh.

I realized while watching your reaction even though I’ve seen this movie a couple times is a theme of this move is that it’s better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all. She chose to have her daughter and love her and then lose her than to not have her at all.

A fine story, timeless and important

the pronunciation of denis villeneuve was crazyyyyy hahaha

Just think- Abbott came to Earth knowing full well that he'd get killed.

I appreciate the Colonel's character. He's a soldier, not a linguist or a scientist. He has to juggle with the superiors wanting answers fast and his team of scientists, and when he doesn't understand why things are done a certain way, he simply asks to be explained and learns. He doesn't speak over Louise, and follows her lead when it's about her field, but obviously has to take matters into his own hand when it's a military issue.

Haven't seen this commented yet but my favorite unintended joke from this video was 38:55, where your brains thought of futurebacks as the opposite of flashbacks rather than flashforwards

YESSSSS MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME

I’m always clicking so fast on your videos

This movie is one of the best movies and very well made. Emotional roller coaster as well as great twists and thought processes.

Canaries were used in mines to detect gas.

So glad u watched this, one of my all time favorites

She said this to the chinese general: In war there are no winners, only widows.

They said that in 3,000 years they would need the humans' help. So they wanted to make sure that as many humans as possible knew their language by that time. She was chosen as the one to start nurturing that seed and that future on earth by introducing their language into human culture on earth. Very deep movie.

In the helicopter near the beginning he reads the forward of her book where she states that language can be a weapon

I think because Louise learned their language time flows differently.. so it's like she can see her daughter when she wants, its not linear

I watched this opening night. I was trying to cheer myself up cause it was the anniversary of my daughters birth and death. Of all the movies I could’ve walked into 🥲 It’s a beautiful movie and beautiful story. One of my favorite sci-fi movies for sure

I’ve seen this movie a dozen times and I always tear up when the alien saves them from the explosion.