Arrival: Timestamp Commentary (Blu-Ray)

Before you scroll down and read this post. Know that the information below would contain spoilers from Arrival, Collateral Beauty and About Time

My history on doing Timestamp Commentaries date back to Season 5 of Homeland. The idea wasn't received well. I stuck with it for a couple of episodes, then moved to Tumblr (the home of 'the fan'). While on Tumblr I held off sharing my whole commentary, and just left it for readers who initially enjoyed reading my post and requested it directly. 

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(Just making sure the content is adequately hidden to give you time to close this window --- hold off before returning to view the rest of the post!)

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Prior to watching this film, I would have said that Moon and Source Code would have been among the titles that I would have mentioned if asked for a Sci-Fi recommendation. The other film that was released in the same year was 'Passengers' (which I have yet to see), and compared to 'Arrival'...I felt I got more media exposure to it. It was probably only until I was watching The Oscars did I hear more about 'Arrival'. 

Definitely not a slouch, and felt like a very well developed film. 

Now onto the commentary! :) Format is: Timestamp - Scene Details - Comments

1:41 - Banks is on the phone with her mum - Is the dynamic really different compared to if they had Banks on a hands-free device? Or is it more of the human tendency to use our shoulder to support the phone? No matter if it is a corded landline, cordless landline, or a mobile phone? 

Watching the first two minutes of the film makes me wonder when Amy Adams would end up doing something with her involved in the action. Kind of like Amy Jo Johnson landing her role in Flashpoint.

9:20 - footage showing Protesters in Venezuela throwing things at the objects - could it be this what finally unites all humanity? Ending the whole Holy Land grab and the Syrian war?

11:09 - Banks meets someone who was in involved in one of per past projects - Whoa. I didn't know Forrest Whittaker was in this! It's interesting though...we still haven't been made privy to Banks' spouse.    

19:38 - Banks arrives at base camp - 'A Physicist and a Linguist enter a spaceship' sounds like the beginnings of a joke. Or a tweet (TBA link to Tweet: If no link within 7 days, see comments)

35:36 - Banks looks at a whiteboard indicating the status of the oxygen tanks - What does that mean!? Is that just a nod to the prep that needs to happen every 18 hours before they go in again?   

36:20 - Banks holds up a little whiteboard with the word human to the Aliens - ah! So she was looking at that whiteboard with oxygen tank details because she was inspired by an idea. And it was a nice touch Ian mentioning the whiteboard (without showing it) before they returned to the alien ship.

37:20 - The Aliens walk away from Banks - Well, I was initially assuming that the Aliens understood English. But what if they are in the same situation? Doing the meet and analysing what the humans say. And basically visiting 12 distinct places simultaneously to be able to understand the humans quicker. Because they know that language evolves --- and maybe try to find a 'root' language. Is there a root language?

(I found out later that there are a number of interesting posts about our 'source' language.)

37:52 - The Alien returns and a symbol forms from wisps of black smoke - Uhhh....Their own version of a whiteboard? Though the aliens make a good point though. How could it be easy to decipher the actual words from the board? Compared to them writing their symbol...right in front of them.

39:59 - Banks tells the story of Captain Cook first landing in Australia - What!? 'Kangaroo' means 'I don't understand!?' What!? Nice parallel though.

45:59 - The Alien mimics touching the screen like Banks - haha haha....that is one scary move...even if it was intended to be non-threatening!!! Well done Louise for not flinching!!!!

1:31:50 - Louise gets a message from Costello - Just when I thought this film will disappoint me...Or maybe take a turn to what I expected. It produces a whole 'nother level. So Louise was seeing memories as flash-forward? Or was she both seeing her as a child and a parent? Or maybe her child could see the future? What was that about mommy and daddy talking to aliens? Is this the same twist as That film with letters to Love, Death, and Time? Were the Aliens communicating to Louise through her daughter?

1:40:03 - General Shang hands Banks his private number - Damn....damn!!!!! Now that is mind blowing. So it's not just Hannah travelling through time...it's Louise....And General Shang. Wow. I would like to hear about the development of this film. And....read the screenplay. Goodness. Wow. So the gift is the heptapod's language...And by understanding their language, you are able to somehow travel through time? But not? Because it's a non-linear view of time?

Now the question is: 'How do you do that?' Is it intuitive? And does that mean that Louise wrote a book in the past...Because of the language she was given in the future? Or is her past being molded as her future is? Does that mean Hannah will survive? But her marriage wouldn't?

1:48:12 - The reveal of Hannah's dad - So...if I'm going to make sense of all of it. Ian wasn't married to Louise when he asked ("You were married before?") during the future. But then as soon as events unfolded during the arrival the past slowly began to change. The odd thing though was Hannah...wouldn't she be a different person? Kind of like the time traveling rule in 'About Time'?

End Credits - Uh so where's the 'M' part of it? Oh! The riots. Yeah. That would be an 'M' rating.   

Photo by David Castenson 

(I picked this photo as an inspiration from the scene during 37:52 --- if you look at it in a specific way...it seems like it's about to form in one of the heptapod's language symbols.)

You are more than welcome to include your own commentary as a reply below or link to your post (whether or not it is on Steemit)! Feedback is welcome here. 

Search Terms: Viewer Timestamp Commentary / Jeremy Renner / Time Travel Films / Time Loop Films / Ted Chiang / Eric Heisserer / Denis Villeneuve