The Denis Villeneuve-directed 2016 sci-fi film Arrival is a wild ride starring Amy Adams as Louise Banks, a woman whose job it is to communicate with aliens who have come to Earth. Although Adams wasn't nominated for Best Actress at the 2017 Academy Awards, many felt that her performance warranted that recognition. Arrival did win the Oscar for Best Sound, and the movie tells a fascinating story of how people would react if extra-terrestrials really did appear one day.
As linguist professor Louise Banks, Adams is a relatable and intelligent character who carries the entire movie, which has a surprising, great twist at the end. The Arrival ending is one that audiences will be thinking about long after the end credits are finished.
What Happens At The End Of Arrival?
The Arrival ending is sweet, melancholy, and devastating. Unlike other 2010s sci-fi films that are cheesy but endearing, Arrival is a smart look at humanity, communication, facing fears, and thinking about the future. The final scenes wrap up the love story that has formed between Louise and Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), but before that happens, Louise realizes that humans and aliens can have a calm co-existence, and she is instrumental in figuring that out.
Louise and Ian share that they love each other and Louise realizes that in the future, they will be together, have a daughter named Hannah, and Hannah will pass away when she is 12 because she has a sickness that can't be healed. Ian will break up with Louise, and even though she can tell exactly what is going to happen, she agrees to be in a relationship with Ian and start a family.
While Adams plays Giselle in the Enchanted movie and sequel and is known for some comedies, her turn in Arrival shows her talent in any possible genre as she does a great job with the sci-fi story. Arrival uses the alien invasion trope in sci-fi in a fresh way, as Louise approaches this species as something that can be understood. It's also important that instead of seeing the aliens as a threat, she views them compassionately from the very beginning.
How Does The Ending Change The Entire Movie?
The Arrival ending changes the movie, as when the film opens, Louise is grieving the death of her daughter. It turns out that this happens in the future, not in the past, and this isn't actually a memory. This makes Arrival much more compelling and emotional than if it was told in a more linear manner.
Arrival is a movie that has peaceful aliens, and Louise approaches the aliens the same way that she does her visions of Ian and Hannah. She isn't afraid of this other species, even though others definitely are, and she forges ahead with confidence and the belief that she can figure this out. While some might shy away from such a sad future and might not want it to become reality, she's resigned to the fact that she needs to love Ian and have a daughter. This says a lot about Louise's character, as she's an intelligent, mature, and perceptive person who knows that life includes loss and hardship.
There are many great sci-fi stories without aliens, and if Arrival didn't include extra-terrestrials but still had this time travel twist, it would work as a powerful drama. The love story is at the core of the movie, as Louise learns about her capacity to care about other people. But the sci-fi element of Louise trying to talk to another species is what ultimately makes the ending work so well. She is brave, certain of her path, and ready for the future, even though she knows that it will bring her pain.
The Arrival time travel ending is a smart and creative way to look at what time means. It also suggests that it's fate that the aliens come to Earth and Louise finds out how to understand them and have her understand her. While the ending raises questions of free will and choices, as Louise could decide not to be with Ian and not to have a child, she feels that she needs to risk it.
Arrival is a sci-fi movie that gets time travel right as it takes a deep look at one woman's realization that she can't stop the passage of time and she can't stop herself from ever feeling pain. Louise knows that she has to move forward and start a family, and while her time with Ian and Hannah will be brief, she doesn't see any other way, just like she knows there must be a way to talk to the aliens. Arrival is an intelligent movie that leaves audiences guessing the entire time and the ending is just as smart as Louise is.