User reviews

At least "The Arrival" doesn't fall into the car chases and gratuitous explosions category of sci-fi. It has some semblance of scientific reason, and some pretty original ideas. The vortex balls were an intriguing touch, and the gigantic satellite dish scenes quite effective. It is necessary to suspend disbelief on several occasions, but overall the film succeeds as entertainment. Having the kid along seemed like kind of a stretch as well. If you can look past the faults in logic, "The Arrival" is totally acceptable. If you are going to tear it apart for every little thing, then I suggest you look elsewhere. - MERK

I was a late getting to the theater to see 'The Arrival'. Then I had to go through the concession stand crowd. When I finally reached the theater -the screen was engrossed by a huge satellite disk and there was some guy talking. "Damn," I thought. "I just missed the start of the movie." It wasn't three seconds after that realization that I had another one. "This isn't the movie." It was a commercial for one of the large multi-billion dollar phone companies. Talk about false scares.

Some people have called 'The Arrival' a thinking man's science fiction movie. While the jury is still out on that, I will say it's not stupid either. It is however one more of those 'one man saves the world' flicks. Which are never terribly realistic, but on their own terms, entertain. Charlie Sheen plays Zane Zaminski. A smart, but soon-to-be paranoid astrophysicist who has the slithery Godian (Ron Silver) for a boss. One day watching the satellites some anomaly passes his screen. Suddenly the search is on. What was it? WHO was it? Not letting the subject go gets him fired from his job and deeper and deeper he journeys into the paranoia.

The Arrival is one part use your mind, two parts conspiracy theory. As Zane takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of things and find out who's involved and to what lengths they'll go to suppress everything. Soon we start to see elements straight out of the X Files. The story has it's own set of implausibilities, but things move at such a pace that there isn't much time to question them. Zane knows something is going on and the deeper he digs the more we find out. It's all about the ride. Could one man really stop such things from happening? Probably not, but that doesn't stop 'The Arrival' from being a fun time.

This is a cool film. Very solid story, good performances, catchy SFX. Better than most sci-fi out there.

It's not often you can say a Charlie Sheen release is ahead of the curve but this movie, which deals in satellite dishes pointing at space, alien invasion, and conspiracy, was a year before the likes of Contact and Men in Black. It even beat Independence Day to the theatres by about a month. It of course didn't become as successful as any of those movies but, it has some smart ideas which play out well. It has the look and feel of an X-Files episode with a huge budget and really wouldn't feel out of place within the universe of Mulder and Scully. Sure, the special effects look very 90's now, and the story perhaps could use a little work. Sheen, however, puts in a strong performance in what was one of his final big-screen outings before descending into straight to video releases. A sequel appeared a couple of years later without Sheen and his character killed off, It's a shame because this could have become a series of movies, all with Charlie onboard, had things just gone a little differently.

Charlie Sheen plays Zane, a radio astronomer who accidentally discovers an alien signal from space, that also has origins on Earth. When he tries to tell his boss(Ron Silver, very good) he downplays and denies the importance of the find. Zane then finds out he has been fired, and the tape he gave to his boss disappears, so now very suspicious, he undertakes his own investigation, which leads him to an alarming truth about aliens who are indeed very much among us...

Well written and directed by David Twohy, this science fiction film is a pleasant surprise, and Charlie Sheen is appealing and believable as the man determined to find the truth, and warn the world; sounds like a certain FBI agent from "The X-Files"...

I had the pleasure of watching this film in the theater and to be quite honest that is the way it should be seen. Its a well done movie about aliens visiting earth, overall the story is nothing original (but it does have more then a few tricks up its sleeve) and is your typical Alien invader movie.

Watching this on television years later its hard to appreciate just how well this film was shot. One scene in particular involving a large dish and someone almost falling off the side of it almost caused me to make a mess in my pants when first watching the film on the big screen.

When I saw it the theater was mostly empty (not good for the movie, but it probably allowed us to enjoy it some more) and it was its first run (did it have a second?). Its sad the film didn't do as well as it should have, at the time it was the best alien related movie in theaters (I seem to remember independence day being out at the same time).

My one gripe is a somewhat weak ending (especially considering the strength of the rest of the movie). Overall it is an entertaining and somewhat thought provoking film that you won't regret watching unless you don't like movies that emphasize suspense instead of action. And there is a LOT of suspense in this film. It doesn't skimp on action either but it saves it for the end of the movie where it belongs and makes some sense.

Some people may not like its message either but I didn't have a problem with it and it certainly didn't get overly preachy. People voice their opinions on screen just as someone would do in real life, and I don't have a problem with that. The real focus of the movie is aliens, not the environment. If you fixate on the environmental message in the movie then you probably have some issues or just don't get this type of movie. Global warming is more of a subplot that leads Mr Sheen in a certain direction and nothing more.

The special effects are fairly spartan but effective and nicely creepy when they are used.

Some of the characters are kind of annoying but are necessary, and don't detract from the film overall.

A worthwhile rental, especially if you have a large TV to watch it on.

Thrilling film about mysterious events spread across the planet , being compellingly directed by nice filmmaker David Twohy . This is a mix of thrills , action , adventure , intrigue and extraterrestrial invasion of world doom and gloom ; add to that a really magnificent cast . The greatest danger facing our world has been the planet's best kept secret...until now . Zane (Charlie Sheen), an astronomer discovers intelligent alien life , as he picks up strange signals from outer space . Eerily soon after his discovery , Zane is fired by his boss (Ron Silver) . As strange sudden incidents altering life of an astronomer , leaving them stranded with no line of communication on a location in Mexico . But the aliens are keeping a deadly secret , and will do anything to stop Zane and his fiancée (Teri Polo) from learning it . Zane gathers evidence to support this theory but there are several enemies go after him .

This is a science fiction thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat . Exciting film packs intrigue , intense scenes , noisy action and astonishing suspense . The picture follows the wake of the 8os and 90s in ¨X file¨ style and invasion mania . Passable acting by Charlie Sheen as a radio astronomer who receives signal from a far planet , and gorgeous Teri Polo as his girlfriend . Enjoyable support cast , such as Richard Schiff as his best friend and assistant , Ron Silver as a nasty chief , Lindsay Crouse as a curious scientific , Leon Rippy as a hoodlum , among others . Appropriate and suspenseful musical score by Arthur Kempel . Atmospheric and colorful cinematography by Hiro Narita .

The motion picture was well written and directed by David Twohy . David is an expert writer and director of splendid Sci-Fi movies . As his first picture was the acceptable ¨Timescape¨ . He also wrote ¨Warlock¨, ¨Waterworld ¨, a script for ¨Alien 3¨ in 1988, but it was rejected . Back in May of 2000, Fox Studios once inquired for his availability to write and direct "AVP: Alien vs. Predator" , but turned down the offer due to scheduling conflicts . David subsequently directed ¨Below¨, the successful ¨Pich Black¨ and its sequel ¨ The chronicles of Riddick¨ .

Somehow, this is the worst alien invasion film from 1996. Though both Independence Day and Mars Attacks! have their fair share of flaws, this film is nothing but flaws. To start off, it's got some of the worst acting by an entire cast in a major motion picture. Some of this is due to the wretched dialogue, but most of it is due to what seem like first-take scenes. Charlie Sheen is overacting incredibly, and everyone else is just plain wooden. The story would be interesting if it were not botched completely with unbelievable situations and silly action sequences. The direction is entirely unremarkable, and the special effects are wholly un-amazing. Plus, it's got a kid in it - a sure flaw in any film for adults. Truly terrible.

It is not as bad as some writes in their reviews. Charlie Sheen is not a super great actor, and never has been, but he pulls it off good enough. The other actors are not bad either. Sometimes the script feels weak, but most of the time it's OK. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad that I went against the reviews and gave it a chance although I hesitated at first.

It's not as good as Contact, but not that far away. Give it a chance if you like Contact and other sci-fi flicks of that kind. I've seen a lot of worse movies with higher score than this one, that's for sure. It's not Alien, but it's not species-bad either.

Charlie Sheen. How can I say this? I'm not sure acting is his strong point.

In this truly terrible X-Files rip-off, Charlie's eyebrows are permanently hiked up around his hairline, and running around Mexico bare-chested (it's hot, you see) is not enough to keep us interested for nearly two hours.

How David Twohy managed to get finance for any movie after this is beyond me, and he should definitely get someone else to read over his scripts; I didn't know whether to groan or guffaw most of the time. Dear oh dear oh dear...

This aliens vs. earth film succeeded because it added humor to the suspense story and Charlie Sheen did a great job adding to that with an expression-filled face that made he and this film fun to watch.

Story-wise, most of it made no sense as Sheen got out of one impossible scrap after another but good sci-fi special effects and suspense helped make the story interesting and fast-moving. You get caught up in the story and don't care if their are plenty of holes in it. It's also pretty tame, language-wise. Lindsay Crouse provides the female interest and Ron Silver the villain, a familiar role for him.

The film was popular enough to make a sequel, but that horrible. Don't waste your time on that one.

After reading some of the negative reviews here I almost didn't watch it. Glad I watched. As one reviewer said, it's a bit like an extended X-files episode. That's not a bad thing, especially today when most of what passes for sci-fi is little more than cowboys in space with both sides shooting at each other with "advanced" weapons that cannot hit the side of a barn.

The Premise here is aliens are on earth and using Climate change as cover for their plot to warm up the earth quickly (they like it hot) so they can displace us.

No need to detail all that happens, suffice it to say there are a few minor twists but no real surprises. Yet it flows along well, characters get just the amount of development they need and no more. No huge plot holes once you accept the premises that underlay the aliens being here in the first place.

I am not going to give this pretension of a movie a total zero just because it did kept me somehow entertained, I think for a split second or so, and I think some parts made me half-smile or something.

Charlie Sheen is horrendous. Maybe because I've watched too much "Two and a half men" (and he is brilliant playing himself), maybe because of the glasses, or the goatee, or the whole script, I simply don't believe him as a scientist of any kind. And if you start by not believing the main character, things can only go downhill from there.

Maybe this movie was intended for kids and I didn't get the memo? Surely not, because it doesn't have that sort of action. Definitely is not a movie to take seriously, as if this was something that was really going to happen in the future. So, where shall I place this movie? The rubbish bin looks right about now...

If you want to make a funny alien movie, do something like "Mars Attacks" or "Men in Black". Do something obvious so we know we are suppose to have a laugh. If you want to make a serious movie about alien attacks, you need to get another kind of actor, and other sets, and something more realistic, something different than seen someone escaping from prison just because a window was open.

I like Charlie Sheen when he was young or right now when he does what he does best: play himself. But this movie is a no-no. You can have a better time somewhere else.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Writer/director David Twohy accomplished the near-impossible in the summer of 1996; he delivered a fun, fast-paced AND intelligent sci-fi thriller with The Arrival, an intriguing, thought-provoking film that was unfairly ignored in theaters at the time of its release (most viewers chose to see Twister, M:I, Independence Day). The movie has a classic premise about a radio astronomer (Charlie Sheen) who receives a signal from outer space that may or may not have come from extraterrestrial life.

To say anymore would be unforgivable, as Twohy packs in believable twists and turns throughout the plot, which is fun without insulting the brain, and complex without ever bogging down in mind-numbing confusion. The script does have a few head-scratchers here and there (I was particularly miffed that Lindsay Crouse's character, an environmentalist, wasn't familiar with the concept of terraforming) and some contrivances, but they're hardly bothersome and aren't noticeable until a second viewing.

As good a screenwriter as Twohy is, he's even more adept as a director (further proven by Pitch Black, a superbly crafted deep-space thriller with a script not even half as smart as The Arrival's). With great pacing and precise editing, Twohy builds momentum with each discovery Sheen unfolds, until it culminates to an edge-of-the-seat climax that's quite satisfying (unlike...cough...cough..."V: the Final Battle", Independence Day).

The cast is all-around effective, with Sheen delivering a surprisingly terrific performance as the paranoid astronomer. It's great to see an intelligent protagonist who thinks his way out of tight jams, rather than shooting and blowing up everything in sight. No one else gets half of Sheen's screentime, but Ron Silver is nicely ambiguous as his boss, and Teri Polo, however underused, is fine as Sheen's girlfriend. Lindsay Crouse also makes a good impression as an environmentalist studying some strange activity.

On a technical level, some sci-fi fans might be a little disappointed. Those weaned on "V" and ID4 will notice the lack of large-scale special effects. Sorry, no disc-shaped motherships here. Still, the visuals present are mostly decent, certainly passable enough that they don't become a distraction to the plot. Despite the use of CGI in its more primitive stages (this was '96, after all) the effects are still occasionally excellent and imaginative, such as the spherical object those tight-lipped men wield. Composer Arthur Kempel's score adds a bit more tension to the already excruciating suspense, and evokes a creepy atmosphere during the film's quieter moments.

Remember, folks, The Arrival is a rarity, a once in a while example of how pure movie magic can be created when we've got dedicated filmmakers who want to intrigue the audience rather than catering to demographics just for the sake of box office returns. Forget Independence Day, The War of the Worlds, or V and its sequel, The Arrival is the most satisfying cinematic depiction of alien invasion to date.

While the monumental and most expensive alien invasion picture of 1996 was declaring our independence, a small budget sci-fi thriller overachieves with an intriguing storyline and a well-written script. David Twohy, a screenwriter ("Waterworld," "The Fugitive") makes his feature debut as both a writer and director with "The Arrival." It's a lean piece of writing that moves quickly, and has some unexpected twists along the way. Those who crave conspiracy theories and cover ups, your time will not go to waste.

Radio astronomer Zane Ziminsky (Charlie Sheen) believes he's picked up a cosmic noise that signals extraterrestrial intelligence. But after turning over the tape to his boss, Zane loses his job, his girlfriend gets transferred, and his once partner is found dead. Zane's desperate search for answers leads him to a mysterious power plant in Mexico generating much more than just electricity, and run by people who are not what they appear to be.

The film's main strength arises from Twohy's writing, which manages to maintain decent dialogue, even when the plot mechanics take over. The movie never sinks into the realm of straight-to-video disaster. Sheen isn't ideally cast in the role of a scientist, but he is respectable and maintains a high level of intensity. The responsibility for the movie lies fully on Sheen's shoulders, and he carries the burden admirably. A overachieving low-budget sci-fi film with an interesting premise that is hampered by only a weak ending.