Amy Adams And Jeremy Renner's Must-Watch Sci-Fi Movie Is Streaming For Free

Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-winning sci-fi drama "Arrival" — now streaming for free on Pluto TV — will be turning 10 at the end of 2026. It's almost surreal to think this movie came out a decade ago since its memory is still so potent and vivid in the public's consciousness. Great films tend to have that kind of power. Starring Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, "Arrival" was somewhat of an outlier from the French-Canadian filmmaker, following such gritty suspense thrillers as "Prisoners," "Enemy," and "Sicario," which Taylor Sheridan wrote. His first time in science fiction territory, Villeneuve channeled his inner Spielberg, delivering a deeply meditative and affecting tale on grief, precognition, and the power of language.

Based on Ted Chiang's 1998 short story, "Story of Your Life," "Arrival" follows Louise Banks (Adams), a linguist and mother, after the loss of her teen daughter to terminal illness. One day, when the news announces the arrival of 12 alien spacecraft across the world, the U.S. Army recruits Louise, as she's deemed one of the top language experts in the country, to help establish contact with a craft in Montana.

Theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Renner), who's just as antsy and intrigued by the task at hand as she is, assists Louise. Soon, the two take a trip inside the spacecraft and encounter two amiable-seeming and cephalopod-looking aliens, and begin establishing contact through their own unknown language. The objective is to find out what they are, why they're here, and if they mean any harm to humanity at all. But what Louise and Ian discover through studying and monitoring these two is far more mind-boggling than they'd ever anticipated.

"Arrival" was made on a mere $47 million budget, but you virtually never notice or feel that during its most impressive scenes. Denis Villeneuve and his cinematographer Bradford Young create an immersive and enchanting milieu that easily beats out blockbusters made from hundreds of millions. Atmosphere is practically everything here, and you feel its thickness, pulsating mystery, and inherent poignancy from the very first frame. Of course, that wouldn't be half as effective without composer Johann Johannsson's ambient score lingering in the background (unsurprisingly, the movie bagged the Oscar for Best Sound Editing), painting the mood like a true artist.

Needless to say, all that is amplified by the stellar performances of Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, and most importantly, Amy Adams, whose gentle and soulful portrayal of Louise is unequivocally the core of the film. Conveying nuance of pain, wonder, and affection, she shines brighter than a diamond, and it's a shame the Academy couldn't even give her a nod, at the very least, for her brilliant effort.

"Arrival" was also somewhat of a turning point in Villeneuve's career, exceeding the success of both "Prisoners" and "Sicario" commercially — making $213 million and change at the box office worldwide – putting him on the path of the epic sci-fi ever since. His follow-up to it was the long-awaited sequel to Ridley Scott's genre-defining classic "Blade Runner" — which Harrison Ford hated – and in the past five years the director has been immersed in the "Dune" universe, currently working on the trilogy-closer, "Dune: Part Three." Still, as far as I'm concerned, his best and most affecting sci-fi remains his quietest one to this day — and now, you have the chance to experience it for free. Quite the bargain.