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submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by reef@lemmy.ca to c/movies@lemm.ee

I was expecting a generic alien invasion movie, and I was pleasantly surprised

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[-] pauldrye@lemm.ee 180 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It's based on a short story called "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang. He's published only eighteen stories in his career (starting in 1990), nothing longer than a novella and mostly short stories. Despite that they've won him four Hugos, four Nebulas, and six Locus Awards. He's worth reading, is what I'm trying to say.

[-] Catoblepas 32 points 4 months ago

I put him up there with Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein, easily.

[-] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 16 points 4 months ago

Well that's got me interested then

[-] chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

That's exactly what I was going to say. His prose is breathtaking.

[-] lordnikon@lemmy.world 20 points 4 months ago

I will say I read the short story and it made me love the movie even more. It rare for me to say the movie was better than they book and the books was great as well.

[-] doublenut@lemm.ee 10 points 4 months ago

Ya know I have to say I feel nearly the same about Dune. I haven't gotten to the the later books but the first 2 have made me love the movies more. Not that I love the the books any less though. There is very little nuance lost in the movies and the changes that are made I can understand from a film making point of view. I guess what I mean to say is I appreciate the differences and it makes me like both more rather thank either any less.

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[-] CuddlyCassowary@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago

I couldn’t agree more. I read them quite some time ago, and still find myself having philosophical discussions about them somewhat often today. Most are really thought provoking in a non-judgmental way.

[-] Contentedness@lemmy.nz 15 points 4 months ago

If you haven't read The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate by Ted Chiang I can't recommend it enough. Here's a PDF Link

It's lesser known than his big hits like Exhalation, but I think it's phenomenal.

[-] Malgas@beehaw.org 5 points 4 months ago

It's also featured on a two-part episode of LeVar Burton Reads.

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[-] Pulptastic@midwest.social 14 points 4 months ago

The short story was OK but this is one of the few cases where the movie did it better, added flavor to it that wasn’t in the book but carries the emotional hit farther.

The short stories in that book felt very “woah dude” to me, in the end I finished it but didn’t like it all that much. I’ve been downvoted for this opinion before, but oh well.

[-] Banana@sh.itjust.works 7 points 4 months ago

I wonder if Ted Chiang was inspired by Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

[-] pauldrye@lemm.ee 11 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

He's written some "Notes" on the story when it was printed in his first short story collection and said that it has the same theme but that he wasn't inspired by it directly. The roots were Paul Linke's play "Time Flies When You’re Alive" and the principle of least time in optics -- if you treat light as a ray, it has to know its future destination in order to know the path with the shortest time it will take to get there (though not if it's a wave). Then there's a bunch of diagrams and discussions about the principle's implications for free will that will stretch your brain. It's pretty fun.

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[-] boaratio@lemmy.world 61 points 4 months ago

One of favorite movies of all time. I watch it at least once a year.

[-] toynbee@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago

What are you talking about, it only came out last year ... Uh, right?

[-] veroxii@aussie.zone 30 points 4 months ago

Well according to the movie what you're saying can make perfect sense.

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[-] DJKJuicy@sh.itjust.works 58 points 4 months ago

This movie absolutely destroyed me emotionally for like a week. I was wholly unprepared for what this movie was really about. I was expecting an alien invasion movie and got a brickload of emotions dumped on my heart.

[-] mombutt_long_and_low@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago

Same. Saw it a few months before my first child was born and it opened up something in me that I didn’t know was there. I’ve never watched a movie that made me weep until this one. Full on sobbing. Watched it again a week later, wasn’t a fluke - sobbed again.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 56 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

For anyone wondering, the music that just destroys you in the movie is by the amazing Max Richter. The song is On The Nature of Daylight.

PS: He recently released a piano arrangement of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jPkbJWAQss

[-] Beetschnapps@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

“When I first started drinking warm water for my prostate..”

Fuck YouTube so much…

Either way… His short stories are the bees knees…

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[-] Microw@lemm.ee 22 points 4 months ago

Still one of my favourite movies ever

[-] IdleSheep 20 points 4 months ago

I watched it for the first time last year without knowing anything about it and, as someone who loves to nerd out about anything linguistics related (am translator, for context), I cannot describe how gleeful I was that such subjects had center focus in a big blockbuster like that. Obviously the other aspects of the movie were amazing as well and the story got me very emotional by the end, but I will never shut up about how interesting and important that translation/communication aspect of the movie was.

[-] princessnorah 18 points 4 months ago

Yeah, genuinely one of my favourite original sci-fi movies I've watched in the last decade. I did a linguistics course in high school so just really loved that side of it. It also really felt like they did a great job building the tension and making it feel like there were high stakes to her work.

[-] keimevo@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

It's not original, though it expands on Ted Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life".

[-] freddydunningkruger@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I suppose you are going to tell everyone that Dune was based on a book the next time someone compliments the pacing and direction of that movie?

The poster art for Arrival says it's based on a story by Ted Chiang, it isn't some secret nobody knows but you.

What does being original or not have anything to do with what the original commenter wrote? MOST movies are based on previously existing stories. They were focusing on the movie. If you read the book and want to show everyone how much more you know than they do, it would be more impressive if you had said "i read the story the movie was based on, and comparatively, ". It might have even made for an interesting and productive comment.

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[-] akilou@sh.itjust.works 18 points 4 months ago

Now you have to watch it again. Seriously

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[-] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 17 points 4 months ago

The world is shocked to discover that Terry’s Chocolate Oranges are actually seed pods for intelligent extra terrestrial life.

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[-] lobut@lemmy.ca 15 points 4 months ago

Amy Adams wrecked me with two movies back-to-back. Nocturnal Animals and Arrivals really did a number on me.

[-] prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 months ago

I didn’t know how it was going to end, at any point during the movie.

That’s a good thing

[-] Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago

I had no idea what I was watching when I sat down in the theater. My friend had bought the ticket and I just showed up. I didn't know ANYTHING.

One of the best experiences of my life and it turned me into a Denis Villeneuve super fan.

[-] FormallyKnown@feddit.dk 15 points 4 months ago

Loved the movie! Such a great concept and so elegantly made. But the tagged on love story kind of took me out of it. Could almost hear the producers pushing that love story for wider audience appeal.

[-] tan00k@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

It happens in the short story too.

[-] FormallyKnown@feddit.dk 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

The producers got to the book too!?

No okay did not know that. So maybe my problem is with the general need to put love stories into stories. Or maybe it was written better in the book? Might have to read the book now

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[-] Lighttrails@sh.itjust.works 12 points 4 months ago

Alien Linguistics. Love this movie

[-] chuymatt@startrek.website 11 points 4 months ago

The best sound design team. I also love the ability of the visual design team to give a true feeling of scale and weight to things.

[-] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 8 points 4 months ago

the short story/novel its derived from is also pretty good

[-] kalpol@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

Pretty good? It destroyed me

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[-] f4f4f4f4f4f4f4f4@sopuli.xyz 8 points 4 months ago

Same. I'm skeptical of most newer movies given all the rehashes and sequels. The presentation of the aliens had me shaking a little bit!

[-] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago

Yeah its one of my favorite movies

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[-] alekwithak@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

The aliens reminded me of the Tralfamadorians from Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.

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[-] Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 months ago

Now you need to watch the 1996 classic "The Arrival"!

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[-] MintyFresh@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

This was a good one. Definitely recommend

[-] frog_brawler@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago

I know that I enjoyed this movie but I don't remember it at all. Yay, I get to watch it again like it's new.

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this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2025
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