I watched the movie
Arrival again last night. The wiki article on the movie itself is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival_(film)
It's an odd movie. I enjoy it for its quiet pace, and interesting ideas, even if, in general, they are a little farfetched. I also like the fact that it presents a very different concept of how an advanced intelligent alien species would present itself on Earth, how it would greet us, and why.
I also like the fact that the aliens in the movie are solidly non-humanoid. I get so tired sometimes of watching sci-fi movies that have hundreds of different species of intelligent alien, almost all of whom are basically just primates with different color sprayed on and various superficial structure changes (like nose ridges).
Finally, I think it would be interesting to explore in more detail the consequences of starting with an aquatic life-form - like an octopus - and teasing out a logical speculative pathway for the evolution of intelligence, and eventual spacefaring. Part of what intrigues me in this regard is idle speculation on my part about what would happen if a present-day octopus species were able to survive for more than a few years. They have large brains - albeit with a much different structure than vertebrate species have - and have demonstrated abilities in problem-solving. Most octopuses, however, only live for a few years, and their lifespan is tied to reproduction; for the most part, they reproduce once, and then they die.
