'The Arrival' at 30: Charlie Sheen’s criminally underrated alien invasion thriller feels much scarier today

The science fiction film trope of the passionate astronomer monitoring radio telescopes in search of transmissions from an extraterrestrial intelligence, then actually hearing one, seems cliché today after decades of overuse. Surprisingly, its origins actually aren’t that old. It can be traced to 1996’s "The Arrival," which happens to be marking its 30th anniversary today. "The Arrival" was quietly released by Orion Pictures on May 31, 1996, one month before the comic book-like alien invasion spectacle of "Independence Day" landed, and a year before Robert Zemeckis's "Contact" hit the screens with its adaptation of Carl Sagan's first contact novel. Directed by veteran Hollywood screenwriter David Twohy, "The Arrival" ranks as one of the most overlooked and underappreciated sci-fi movies of all time. The film's taut, intelligent script by Twohy and standout performances from Charlie Sheen, Ron Silver, and Lindsay Crouse elevate it to a bona fide classic that remains topical today with society’s fascination with UFO culture, Congress spilling UAP images , and Spielberg's " Disclosure Day " on the horizon. The Arrival (1996) Trailer #1 - YouTube Watch On Twohy loves the sci-fi genre and notoriously co-wrote Kevin Costner's epic flop, " Waterworld ," but would redeem himself admirably with "The Arrival" before writing and directing "The Riddick Trilogy," which consists of " Pitch Black " (2000), "The Chronicles of Riddick" (2004), and "Riddick" (2013). …