At least "The Arrival" doesn't fall into the car chases and gratuitous explosions category of sci-fi. It has some semblance of scientific reason, and some pretty original ideas. The vortex balls were an intriguing touch, and the gigantic satellite dish scenes quite effective. It is necessary to suspend disbelief on several occasions, but overall the film succeeds as entertainment. Having the kid along seemed like kind of a stretch as well. If you can look past the faults in logic, "The Arrival" is totally acceptable. If you are going to tear it apart for every little thing, then I suggest you look elsewhere. - MERK

Ilana Green (Lindsay Crouse) examines a green field in the middle of the frozen Arctic. Her research is being blocked but she discovers a rapid climate change underway. Zane Zaminsky (Charlie Sheen) and Calvin (Richard Schiff) working a radio telescope discover a signal from 14.6 light years away. It goes away before confirmation. Their NASA JPL boss Phil Gordian (Ron Silver) cuts the program claiming budget cuts. Then he destroys the data and blackballs Zane. The only job he can get is installing TV satellites. His marriage to Char (Teri Polo) is under stress. Using satellite dishes, he creates a personal radio telescope to search for the signal with the help of nosy neighbor kid Kiki. Both Green and Zaminsky zero in on a Mexican location.

This is a nice paranoid conspiracy alien invasion movie. I like Sheen's side of the story. I doubt that both investigations would lead to the exact same place. Climate science isn't that precise. As for assassination attempts, crushed by a bathtub is one of the most unusual and laughable. It seems so much easier and more common to simply shoot them. However, I do really like the black hole metallic spheres.

After a really good first half, the movie starts to run into problems. It's still pretty good. David Twohy is most notable for the Riddick franchise. He needs to simplify the second half and ramp up the action. It tries to be too cute with the story. The movie needs to end in Mexico or else there is an obvious simpler way for Zane to expose the conspiracy.

THE ARRIVAL is one of the earliest Hollywood films made to cash in on the success of THE X-FILES on TV, telling of astronomer Charlie Sheen who becomes convinced that he and he alone has detected an alien signal from deepest space. After a slightly slow introduction, the film picks up pace in its depiction of a large-scale conspiracy, an alien invasion done in a different style to most.

I remember seeing and enjoying this film soon after release, even though it's only mid budget and features early CGI effects work which hasn't really stood the test of time. Something about it is endearing despite the faults; Sheen's heartfelt performance, perhaps, or the film's sense of paranoia which in some ways rivals the best this genre has to offer. The backwards legs effects still look great two decades on, and the reliable character actor Ron Silver gets to deliver a wonderfully sinister villainous performance. Don't bother with THE SECOND ARRIVAL, though, it just isn't of the same calibre.