Arka Evren

FILM · 1996 · MEXICO

The Arrival

12 archived facts 1 topic 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

All facts (12)

  1. #001

    The detected signal resembles the "Wow!" signal, a strong narrow-band radio signal received by Ohio State University's Big Ear radio telescope on August 15, 1977, but in the film the signal lasts 72 seconds instead of 42.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  2. #002

    The Skeleton Man (Ángel de la Peña) places emperor scorpions in Ilana's (Lindsay Crouse) room, but they are fairly harmless (except to people with allergies) and are commonly kept as pets.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  3. #003

    The sound effect for the screaming aliens is the same one created for the velociraptors in Jurassic Park (1993), released three years earlier.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  4. #004

    Only humans sweat in this film; the aliens do not sweat in the rising heat. Kiki (Tony T. Johnson), Gordy (Ron Silver), the landscapers and even the taxi driver do not sweat in the rising heat. This raises the question of whether Char (Teri Polo) is an alien, since Char (Teri Polo) is never seen sweating throughout the film.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  5. #005

    The film's original title was "Shockwave," and director David Twohy wrote the lead role specifically for Charlie Sheen, with whom he had worked on Terminal Velocity (1994).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  6. #006

    Although the film failed at the domestic box office (partly because the heavily promoted Independence Day (1996) came out a month later), it was far more successful abroad, where Charlie Sheen was still quite popular. A direct-to-video sequel titled Arrival II (1998) premiered in 1998, directed by Kevin Tenney, with Patrick Muldoon playing the brother of Sheen's character. David Twohy, director and writer of the first Arrival, received no credit for the sequel.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  7. #007

    The car Zane (Charlie Sheen) drives is a 1968 SAAB V4 Station Wagon.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  8. #008

    A scene set in Mexico shows a classic green-and-white Volkswagen Beetle, painted to resemble the common Mexican taxis of the period.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  9. #009

    This film and Independence Day (1996) both deal with hostile aliens from another world, and both were released in theaters in 1996. Twenty years later, Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) and Arrival (2016) were released, but the latter has no connection to The Arrival (1996) beyond a similar title and dealing with extraterrestrial beings.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  10. #010

    The music playing in the trailer is "Locker Room Chase" from John Debney's Sudden Death (1995).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  11. #011

    Teri Polo, Richard Schiff and Ron Silver all appeared with Charlie Sheen's father, Martin Sheen, on The West Wing (1999).

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

  12. #012

    Filming took place primarily in Mexico, with additional scenes shot at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory. All of the alien creatures were created digitally for the film by Pacific Data Images.

    INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Continue through the archive

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb Cast, crew and release details

Sources for the entries on this page

  1. IMDb IMDb kaydıDatabase

Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work