One of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st century is on TV tonight

Stephen Porzio

The Oscar-winner holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Our TV movie pick for tonight (Wednesday, 15 May) is Arrival, the Oscar-winning sci-fi film from 2016.

Helmed by Blade Runner 2049 and Dune director Denis Villeneuve, it stars Amy Adams as a linguist who is enlisted by the US Army to attempt to communicate with extraterrestrials who have arrived on Earth.

Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg flesh out the supporting cast of the sci-fi flick, which, for a movie about aliens, manages to be deeply personal and emotional.

This is as it focuses more on the existential and practical issues of communicating with the extraterrestrials, as well as how humanity would react to such a world-changing event.

Garnering eight Oscar nominations upon release – winning in the Best Sound Editing category – Arrival holds an impressive 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been compared to a Steven Spielberg movie in how it approaches the sci-fi genre.

Singled out for particular praise were the film’s beautiful visuals, its important messages around communication and its off-kilter score from Jóhann Jóhannsson, one of his last before his untimely passing in 2018.

Arrival is airing on TV tonight on Sky Sci-Fi at 9pm. It is also available to stream on Netflix and Sky Cinema.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight:

The A-Team – ITV4 – 8pm

A fun reboot of the classic TV series starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and a scene-stealing Sharlto Copley.

Deadpool 2 – Film4 – 9pm

Ryan Reynolds’ ‘merc with a mouth’ returns in this superhero sequel.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes – ITV4 – 10.25pm

The very good 2011 reboot of the Planet of the Apes series, which has just been re-launched.

The Butterfly Effect – Legend – 10.55pm

In this well-liked sci-fi, a troubled college student (Ashton Kutcher) discovers he has the ability to time travel and tries to change his life for the better.

This, however, has unintended consequences.

Await Further Instructions – Legend Xtra – 11.10pm

In this creepy British horror, a family wakes up on Christmas Day to find a mysterious black substance surrounding their house while their TV screen broadcasts a single message: “Stay indoors and await further instructions.”

Filth – Film4 – 11.20pm

James McAvoy is a crooked cop in this darkly fun if disturbing adaptation of the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting).