Denis Villeneuve has made his mark on modern sci-fi with films like Dune and Arrival. Ten years ago, he directed Arrival, a movie that has since become a classic. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2016, and hit U.S. theaters on November 11. The film starred Amy Adams, known for her role as Lois Lane, and Jeremy Renner, the MCU’s Hawkeye. Together, they led a story about alien visitors and the race to understand them.
Arrival is currently available to stream for free on Tubi, but it’s on the “Leaving Soon” list. The platform hasn’t confirmed an exact date, but it’s likely the film will be gone by late January or early February. Fans who haven’t watched it recently should stream it now before it disappears.
The movie was both a commercial and critical success. It holds a 94% critics score and 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a 7.9/10 on IMDb. Villeneuve’s direction, combined with Eric Heisserer’s screenplay adaptation of Ted Chiang’s novella Story of Your Life, brought a thoughtful, emotional dimension to the sci-fi story. The film earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
The plot centers on linguistics professor Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams. She and physicist Ian Donnelly, played by Jeremy Renner, are recruited by the U.S. military when enormous alien ships appear in 12 locations around the world. Louise and Ian must communicate with the alien Heptapods, who experience time non-linearly, to prevent potential disaster. The film also features Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O’Brien, and Tzi Ma in key roles.
Arrival earned $203 million worldwide on a $47 million budget, proving that smart sci-fi with strong emotional stakes can succeed both critically and commercially. For fans of thoughtful, well-crafted science fiction, this is a must-watch before it leaves Tubi.
