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The Arrival

Play trailer 2:02 Poster for The Arrival PG-13 1996 1h 55m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
65% Tomatometer 34 Reviews 44% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
After astronomer Zane Zaminski (Charlie Sheen) discovers a radio transmission that originated from space, he tells his boss, Phil (Ron Silver), who ignores him. Zane is promptly fired, and decides to investigate the signal himself. When he discovers a return radio transmission from Mexico, he goes to explore. There he meets climate scientist Ilana Green (Lindsay Crouse), who is studying anomalies in gases in the area. Zane soon makes a shocking finding that puts him in great danger.
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The Arrival

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Critics Consensus

Stylish and inventive, The Arrival offers a surprisingly smart spin on the alien invasion genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Geoff Andrew Time Out 02/09/2006
What it lacks in sophistication (everything), it partly makes up for in sheer gall. Go to Full Review
Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle 06/18/2002
3/4
It's a strong, lean piece of writing that moves quickly. Nothing is wasted, and nothing happens the way you'd expect. Go to Full Review
Stephen Holden New York Times 01/01/2000
A movie that shoehorns a blunt warning into its silly but entertaining story of a young radio astronomer's one-man battle against sinister extraterrestrials. Go to Full Review
Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot 02/25/2022
2.5/4
E.T. would find it false propaganda, but for fans of the genre, it's standard sci-fi with all the needed ingredients. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 09/09/2020
6/10
The film starts to fall apart at the introduction of the aliens themselves, which suffer from dated special effects and an immediate aura of disbelief. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 02/13/2017
B
The CGI alien special effects are only so-so, but the film is rich in ideas, well-executed and is pleasingly entertaining even if silly. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Daniel N Sep 23 Looked this up after hearing Charlie talk about it on Joe Rogan but was very disappointed. Awesome concept but clearly low budget and with really bad acting. See more Spike D May 24 It's like a really, really crap Contact. See more Korra N Mar 17 An odd but strangely compelling sci-fi thriller with some bold choices, fun sequences & wild character beats. See more Robert M Feb 26 I really liked it I thought it was very good See more gary s 01/23/2024 One of my favorite movies, watched it like 4 times in the last two weeks, watched it at the theaters many years ago!! See more 08/25/2023 Underrated 90s sci-fi flick. This movie definitely deserves more recognition. Dated cgi is the negative part but besides that it’s awesome. See more Read all reviews
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The Arrival

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Movie Info

Synopsis After astronomer Zane Zaminski (Charlie Sheen) discovers a radio transmission that originated from space, he tells his boss, Phil (Ron Silver), who ignores him. Zane is promptly fired, and decides to investigate the signal himself. When he discovers a return radio transmission from Mexico, he goes to explore. There he meets climate scientist Ilana Green (Lindsay Crouse), who is studying anomalies in gases in the area. Zane soon makes a shocking finding that puts him in great danger.
Director
David Twohy
Producer
Thomas G. Smith, David Twohy, Jim Steele, Melissa Cira Taylor
Screenwriter
David Twohy
Production Co
Live Entertainment, Mediaworks, Steelwork Films
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.1M
Runtime
1h 55m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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