Talk:Nice Peter vs EpicLLOYD 2/@comment-24328089-20170310001621/@comment-5356835-20170310014817

I would say spoiler alert if Nikki didn't just spoil the whole thing

I don't understand this "plot hole" that everyone is complaining.

To my knowledge, there's two types of time travel in this world of sci fi. The first type is the changeable timeline, ie BTTF, Terminator. This is where a character from the future can go to the past and change the future. This is the more common type of time travel in movies. The second type is the nonchangeable timeline, ie Harry Potter 3, Doraemon. This is where the timeline is fixed, and the characters have no way of changing the future, or future becomes that because of the character(s) traveled back to the past.

Arrival falls in the nonchangeable timeline category of time travel. The timeline is fixed. They will learn the language no matter what. Adam will call the Chinese guy. The film ask the question of will you choose a path that you will know ends in heartbreak just for the happiness in the middle.

Also, the time travel is not out of nowhere. They mentioned people will start thinking like the language that they are learning (I don't remember the exact wording. It's in a dream sequence). And they mentioned that the aliens in a way know how the future will be when they are talking about alien language in the middle. When Adam starts to understand the language, she started to see the future more. I think this part is very well established