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.
