Review: The Arrival

Charlie Sheen plays SETI radio astronomer Zane Zaminski, a workaholic who picks up a short signal from the outer limits. He takes it to his boss Phil Gordian (Ron Silver), who thinks he is nuts and that the signal is too short to mean a damn thing. However, soon Zane finds himself out of a job due to ‘budget cuts’ and his fellow astronomer (played by Richard Schiff) gets taken out even more permanently. He takes up a job as a cable TV repairman, and decides to investigate matters on his own, whilst neglecting his poor girlfriend (Teri Polo). Meanwhile, environmentalist/professor Lindsay Crouse has been noticing an alarming trend in the Earth’s climate, which may be in some way related to Zane’s investigation. Leon Rippy and Buddy Joe Hooker turn up as a couple of ominous-looking men, who always seem to be lurking about.

 

I like a good alien invasion movie, and I like a good B-movie, so this 1996 sleeper from writer-director David Twohy (director of “Pitch Black” and “A Perfect Getaway”, writer of the abysmal Charlie Sheen actioner “Terminal Velocity” and co-writer of “The Fugitive”) hits the spot quite nicely. It was just shitty timing that it was released the same year as “ID4”, which murdered the fuck out of everything at the box-office. To be honest, it holds up better than that blockbuster if you ask me.

 

Charlie Sheen may not look like a Zane Zaminski, but casting him as a super-intense guy who thinks he’s picked up alien radio signals might just be the most amazingly prescient piece of casting of all-time. Watching this film again in 2015, you might not buy him entirely as a radio astronomer, but I had zero problems buying him as a guy who believes in extra-terrestrials (but seems loony to everyone else). Meanwhile, the late and still underrated Ron Silver cast as his oily boss? Could there be better casting? In fact, if anything, Silver is a bit too well-cast, you know the deal with him pretty early on. It’s not a great role, but he plays it well. He was a talented guy and damn he’s missed. Lindsay Crouse and (more briefly) Richard Schiff are also really well-cast, and Leon Rippy’s seedy and intimidating presence is well-used in a small part. Poor Teri Polo gets stuck with the non-understanding romantic partner role, and an unflattering short hairdo to boot. That’s a shame, she’s normally really appealing and a solid actress.

 

It’s an interesting idea for a film, and as I said, it’s kinda up my alley, really. And to be honest, Charlie comes across more rational in this than during his whole Charlie Sheen stage show/crazy meltdown fiasco of recent years. Yes, the role probably should’ve gone to James Spader or Jeff Goldblum, but Sheen (a good actor when he wants to be) makes it work. It’s almost worth it just for the hilarious scene involving some seriously leaky Mexican hotel plumbing. Strangely enough, the scene is also quite tense too, despite the hilarity. There’s also the unnerving visual of someone’s body doing what no human body should be able to do. It’s almost as freaky as the alien dog in the 1978 “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”. I’m not sure it’s entirely credible, but it looks freaky and just plain wrong to the point of being scary. That sort of thing messes with my head late at night.

 

There’s some rather unfortunate blue-screen work here and there, otherwise, I don’t see much wrong with this one. This is classic alien conspiracy stuff. If you loved “The X-Files” but missed this on initial release, seek it out. It’s really solid and entertaining stuff, if pretty textbook alien invasion movie storytelling. A bit low-key and quietly menacing, it might remind you of the work of John Carpenter (“They Live” has a particularly similar conspiratorial vibe to it, albeit more satirical and goofy). Excellent music score by Arthur Kempel (“Ninja III: The Domination”) is a definite highlight.

 

Rating: B-