In one, Will Smith punches an alien in the face and screams, “Welcome to Earth.”
In the other, Amy Adams diagrams sentences and argues the true definition of the term “weapon,” while the armies of the world brace for possible conflict.
Arrival is Independence Day, with a brain.
Yes, I realize that’s a reductive assessment, but it’s tough to overlook how both movies approach the shared concept of “first contact by an alien race” from totally different roads.