The Arrival (1996)

63% of critics liked it
(32 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(11,450 ratings)

A shy radio telescope operator named Zane Ziminski (Charlie Sheen) picks up a series of regular signals coming from space -- and deliberately pointed toward Earth. Convinced that he has discovered alien transmissions, Ziminski is first chastised and then fired by his boss (Ron Silver). Obsessed, he… More A shy radio telescope operator named Zane Ziminski (Charlie Sheen) picks up a series of regular signals coming from space -- and deliberately pointed toward Earth. Convinced that he has discovered alien transmissions, Ziminski is first chastised and then fired by his boss (Ron Silver). Obsessed, he builds a makeshift radio telescope in his house to find out where the signals were sent. Convinced that they're intended for aliens already hidden on Earth, he tracks them to a bleak, isolated Mexican village, where he joins forces with a female scientist (Lindsay Crouse), who has suspicions of her own after witnessing an acceleration of global warming. The villagers turn out to be aliens, and the village a front for an underground alien complex. The aliens are here to "terraform" Earth and prepare it for the arrival of the rest of their race, who will die unless they leave their homeworld and colonize elsewhere. Only Ziminski can stop them. Written and directed by David N. Twohy, The Arrival is a throwback to the genre chillers of the '50s. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 49 min.
Directed By: David Twohy
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: May 31, 1996 Wide
On DVD: Jul 25, 2000
Studio: Orion Pictures Corporation

Critic Reviews

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
It's a strong, lean piece of writing that moves quickly. Nothing is wasted, and nothing happens the way you'd expect.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
A movie that shoehorns a blunt warning into its silly but entertaining story of a young radio astronomer's one-man battle against sinister extraterrestrials.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The movie is as smart as ``Mission: Impossible'' is dumb.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
This is not a dumb movie; in fact, with its heavy reliance upon real science, it's startlingly credible.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
[Sheen] spends most of the movie in a kind of sweaty apoplexy that makes one worry for his health.
Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
Less an alien invasion movie than a conspiracy film (it just hapens to turn out that the conspirators are aliens).
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
What it lacks in sophistication (everything), it partly makes up for in sheer gall.
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com
You know a movie's in trouble when it's called The Arrival and nothing arrives -- the film's aliens are already here.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
The aliens-among-us plot gets a very entertaining and inventive update.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
A good premise, hampered by a weak ending.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...The Arrival is a stylish and fast-paced thriller.
Dwayne E. Leslie, Boxoffice Magazine
Sheen is working outside of his element, but the energy he puts into his multidimensional character helps keep the story moving.

Read all 12 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

I remember very little about this film to give it a higher rating than this. I'll have to revisit it one day.
Red L

Not a bad movie. Typical science fiction - aliens are on earth, and only one guy (Charlie Sheen) does something about it - even though he gets fired, loses his girl friend, has friends die mysteriously, gets framed for murder, etc.
Jason S

Not a bad alien film.
Ross C

Charlie Sheen playing a radio astronomer who discovers an alien base on Earth... need I say more? Fantastic. ;-)
Todd S

This is one of those direct-to-video gems that every b-movie fan hopes to find. There was virtually no advertising or information about this film when it first came out. It just showed up on the shelves at blockbuster and people had to take a chance on it. I'm glad I did, because… More
This is one of those direct-to-video gems that every b-movie fan hopes to find. There was virtually no advertising or information about this film when it first came out. It just showed up on the shelves at blockbuster and people had to take a chance on it. I'm glad I did, because it is one of the best original science fiction films of the 90s. Charlie Sheen was terrific as the nerdy scientist Zane. Zane works for NASA and when he brings some strange readings to his bosses they ignore it and fire him. Unwilling to let it go, Zane travels to Mexico to uncover the truth, and you won't believe what he finds. It's a strong cast and a great story that is full of surprises. If you enjoy sci-fi, than this should be on the must see list!
Alec B

The story is mostly unrealized potential (its clear that David Twohy was hoping to start a series that would go to more places, so most of whats here is setup without a payoff), but the elements that are explored are interesting. I like that its sort of an "anti-Independence… More
The story is mostly unrealized potential (its clear that David Twohy was hoping to start a series that would go to more places, so most of whats here is setup without a payoff), but the elements that are explored are interesting. I like that its sort of an "anti-Independence Day" take on alien invasion, with an enemy that uses espionage and terraforming to make conquest easier.
The S

A refreshingly different alien invasion movie in which the Aliens are really quite weird by human standards. That's nice as most sci-fi uses aliens as metaphors for various aspects of human behaviour rather than allowing for the possibility of them being just plain not-human - or… More
A refreshingly different alien invasion movie in which the Aliens are really quite weird by human standards. That's nice as most sci-fi uses aliens as metaphors for various aspects of human behaviour rather than allowing for the possibility of them being just plain not-human - or "alien" in fact. Nice locations and performances abound in this underrated film.
Jim W

Charlie Sheen stars as Zane, an astronomer that discovers alien life. But his boss (Ron Silver) is covering up his discovery. The movie is well made, despite Sheen being a little over the top. The Arrival came out the same year as ID4 and wasn't as big of a hit of course.… More
Charlie Sheen stars as Zane, an astronomer that discovers alien life. But his boss (Ron Silver) is covering up his discovery. The movie is well made, despite Sheen being a little over the top. The Arrival came out the same year as ID4 and wasn't as big of a hit of course. It was a lot more original though. Just don't expect alien death rays or any big budget stuff. The aliens just use scorpions to kill people that uncover too much. David Twohy (Pitch Black) directing his first movie showed skill as well. The movie has some good visuals and is well shot despite a not so big budget.
Leo L

Great movie!
FanGirl B

A solid scifi offering. If you're a fan of scifi there's no reason not to see this well crafted story.
Chad R

It was OK for a B sci-flick -

Read all 11 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Charlie Sheen as Zane Ziminski

            Ron Silver as Phil Gordian

            Lindsay Crouse as Ilana Green

            Teri Polo as Char

            Richard Schiff as Calvin

            Tony T. Johnson as Kiki

            Phyllis Applegate as Mrs. Roosevelt

            Roger Cudney as JPL Official

            Leon Rippy as 1st Department of Defence Man

            David Villalpando as cabbie

            Jacqueline Voltaire as reporter

            Jorge Zepeda as detective

            Buddy Joe Hooker as 2nd Department of Defence Man

            Maria Luisa Coronel as maid

            Luisa Huertas as security woman

            José Garcia as planecorp guard

            Jorge Becerril as plancecorp guard

            Reed Johnson as maintenance man

            Mónica Dionne as reporter

            Ellen Bradley as screaming woman

            Alan Coates as Terraformer

            Javier Morga as co-worker

            Catalina Botello as N. C. A. R. Woman

            Georg Lillitsch as George Computer Technician

            Angel De La Pena as Skeleton Man

            Alejandro Usigli as reporter

            Dave Galasso as 2nd Jpl Guard

            Andrea Sisniega as weather woman

            Shane as 1st JPL guard
See full cast