How 'Arrival' compares to films about aliens from previous decades

Hollywood has been obsessed with something being out there for decades. ‘Arrival’ is the latest example, writes Declan Burke

The most intriguing aspect of the sci-fi movie Arrival, which is released today and sees an alien species invite themselves to visit Earth without so much as a text message to say they’re on their way, is its tone of intellectual curiosity. The movie stars Amy Adams as Dr Louise Banks, a specialist in linguistics, who is commissioned by the powers-that-be to find a way to communicate with the invaders in order to find out why they’re here and what they want.