Name : Alonso Duralde / Alias : TheWrap
A fairly chilly, cerebral bit of business, from its beautifully tamped-down cinematography (by modern master Bradford Young) to Johann Johannsson's ethereal score.

Name : David Rooney / Alias : Hollywood Reporter
Anchored by an internalized performance from Amy Adams rich in emotional depth, this is a grownup sci-fi drama that sustains fear and tension while striking affecting chords on love and loss.

Name : Brian Tallerico / Alias : RogerEbert.com
A film that forces viewers to reconsider that which makes us truly human, and the impact of grief on that timeline of existence.

Name : Stephanie Zacharek / Alias : TIME Magazine
Arrival gives us a lot to take in, and the picture is big, somber and grand, if in the end somewhat sterile.

Name : Dave Calhoun / Alias : Time Out
Plenty of smart ideas and bravura visuals.

Name : Dave Kehr / Alias : Chicago Reader
Flaherty's sticky romanticism can't obscure the power of his images, which speak with an eloquence the intertitles lack.

Name : Glenn Kenny / Alias : New York Times
The imagery, in scenes that always unfold slowly, is truly startling, particularly given that the film is almost 90 years old.

Name : Alan Scherstuhl / Alias : Village Voice
Flaherty's company are performing their lives and their ancestors' lives and Flaherty's idea of both, for him, for his camera, for the world of '26, for us today, for all time.

Name : Tom Keogh / Alias : Seattle Times
A fascinating portrait of South Seas life, albeit embellished.

Name : Mordaunt Hall / Alias : New York Times
It is a joyful and at the same time a thoroughly artistic contribution to motion pictures.