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Category:    Home > Reviews > Science Fiction > Thriller > Aliens > The Arrival (1997/Lionsgate Blu-ray)

The Arrival (1997/Lionsgate Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B+     Extras: D     Film: B-

 

 

I have enjoyed David Twohy's films over the years, so it was nice to go back and watch his second feature The Arrival.  Twohy obviously loves the Sci-Fi genre and while The Arrival plays more like an expensive made for TV movie, that does not make it any less entertaining.  Charlie Sheen, before hitting a major slump in his career, is cast as Zane, a dish operator searching for signals in the stars.  When he stumbles across a rather strong signal, he immediately takes it to his NASA boss Phil Gordian played by the late Ron Silver.  Zane is subsequently fired and told to ignore it.  Unable to ignore it and with the help of his young pesky neighbor Zane makes a home setup and finds the signal again.

 

Without spoiling the movie, this sets off a chain of events that involves aliens and global warming conspiracies, with an ultimate question of who is an alien and who is not?  This is an entertaining movie with an interesting twist on the typical alien taking over the planet theme and is well acted and directed.  It has its flaws and is by no means Twohy's best, but if you are looking for a decent Sci-Fi movie then you should try this one out.

The Blu-Ray transfer is good.  There were few poor shots and overall the 1080p 1.85X 1 digital High Definition picture is clear.  The sound is done very well with the 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) Lossless mix (upgraded from the 5.1 SDDS and Dolby theatrical master) that explodes out of the speakers with great clarity.  I think this is one of the better sounding movies on Blu-Ray to date.

 

There is not a single extra on this disc.  This is starting to become a very annoying trend with recent Blu-Ray releases.  Put a trailer or some exclusive feature on these discs to make them more appealing for an upgrade or purchase.  If you enjoy this film, I also highly recommend Twohy's little seen movie Below staring Bruce Greenwood, which Miramax should issue on Blu-ray ASAP.


-   Nate Rutkus


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