JuicyTalk
A major film industry poll has effectively named Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival the best sci-fi movie of the 21st century. The 2016 movie about humanity’s first encounter with aliens was Villeneuve’s first foray into pure sci-fi, and received rave reviews upon its release.
Nine years later, a poll in which over 500 Hollywood names including directors and actors have voted for the best films of this century features Arrival as its highest-ranking sci-fi entry. The list resulting from the poll has been compiled and published by The New York Times, the world’s most read online newspaper.
Although other movies with sci-fi elements to them – from seventh-placed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight – are ranked higher than Arrival by the poll, it’s still the highest-ranked film that primarily falls within the sci-fi genre. The Villeneuve movie is 29th on the list entitled “100 Best Movies of the 21st Century.”
What Being The Greatest Sci-Fi Movie Of The 21st Century Means For Arrival
It’s A Serious Acknowledgment Of The Movie’s Place In Sci-Fi History
Receiving the unofficial accolade of the 21st century’s greatest sci-fi movie from hundreds of key figures in Hollywood is quite the coup for Arrival and Villeneuve. It places the movie alongside some of the best sci-fi movies of all time in the pantheon of historically great works of cinema.
Arrival’s recognition here will help cement Villeneuve’s creative legacy, as well as that of screenwriter Eric Heisserer.
Polling so highly in such a prestigious list is a particularly special achievement for a sci-fi movie with a budget of $47 million – relatively little for major releases within the genre by modern standards – from a director helming just his fourth English-language feature film. Arrival’s recognition here will help cement Villeneuve’s creative legacy, as well as that of screenwriter Eric Heisserer.
Our Take On Arrival Being Named The Greatestt Sci-Fi Movie Of The 21st Century
Arrival’s High Ranking Is A Welcome Sight For Fans Of This Underseen & Underrated Movie
Although it was acclaimed at the time of its release, Arrival has always been an underrated contender for Denis Villeneuve’s best movie, and has spent the last four years being overshadowed by the director’s Dune films. So, to see Arrival held in such high regard by Villeneuve’s peers in the movie industry is a welcome sight, especially for sci-fi purists.
Related
As Much As I Love Dune 2, This Denis Villeneuve Sci-Fi Movie That’s On Streaming Is Even Better
Dune 2 was one of 2024’s best movies, but Villeneuve already proved his sci-fi prowess with a 2016 film that is arguably even more impressive.
Arrival is an ingenious twist on the classic sci-fi story of humankind’s first meeting with an extraterrestrial species. Hopefully, its ranking in The New York Times’ 100 best movies of the 21st century will mean that it reaches a broader audience, and is viewed alongside all-time great alien-encounter movies like Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounter of the Third Kind.
