Last Friday, I had the opportunity to watch the film Arrival. The film centers around 12 alien spacecrafts that land on earth with no apparent motive. Soon after, we learn that the aliens have arrived to give mankind a weapon.

This weapon happens to be language and those who wield it can see the power of language and how it binds us. Only when the countries come together and reach a peaceful agreement, do the aliens bestow upon them the ultimate gift of language and it’s power.

One interesting aspect of this movie is how language gives the power of seeing into the future. The movie plays with this as it shows how the main character knows their child will die and her husband will leave him but she continues to engage in the relationship. This presents an important dilemma that leaves many viewers like me asking what we would have done in that situation. However, what’s more interesting to think about is that if the main character tried to avoid the situation, would the events in the future still have happened? A similar case is present in Oedipus and I wonder if the same thing would have repeated here.

All in all, this movie is fairly interesting and a good viewing for any Sci-if fans.