What kind of superior alien intelligence lands several super-sized vessels worldwide with benign intentions? A single vessel suggests a non-aggressive attitude — a small armada obviously indicates otherwise. Not to mention a starfish life form glomming onto a murky glass wall…creepy, primordial. Amy Adams is the sensitive communicator, Jeremy Renner is her ally, Forest Whitaker is concerned from a military-strategic standpoint and Michael Stuhlbarg, as always, is conveying the grim, downish, paranoid side of things.

At the very end of this new Arrival trailer, which significantly expands upon the teaser while adding a certain degree of “da fuck?” confusion, Whitaker reacts to a presumably threatening development by saying “run a shish-fail warsh.” I’ve listened to him ten times with earphones, and while I’m sure he’s saying something sensible and specific to the plot, it nonetheless comes out as “run a shish-fail warsh.” It does. Listen to him.

There’s nothing wrong with my hearing. Whitaker has always muttered and slurred a bit. There are parts of The Last King of Scotland that I still can’t understand. He has his own patois.