The new preview highlights the challenge of communicating with the strange species. Amy Adams plays Dr. Louise Banks, an expert linguist who is enlisted to help the government. Banks is tasked with finding out two vital pieces of information: what the aliens want, and where they came from.
To get answers, Banks is sent up into one of the UFOs with a team of soldiers and fellow experts. The group includes Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner) and Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker). Together, they enter a creepy and cavernous craft where they attempt to communicate with the mysterious aliens.
As one would expect, the stakes are high for the characters and the world. The trailer teases the possibility of global war as countries respond differently to the presence (and perceived threat) of the UFOs. Adams is determined to understand the aliens’ intentions to see if disaster can be averted, but an ominous sequence at the end of the trailer hints that trouble lies ahead.
Arrival is directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay penned by Eric Heisserer. The film is based on Story of Your Life, an award-winning short story by Ted Chiang. In addition to Adams, Renner, and Whitaker, the cast also includes Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O’Brien, and Tzi Ma.
We never do find out in the trailer what the aliens want or where they come from, so we’ll have to wait and see when Arrival hits theaters on November 11.