When alien crafts land around the world, a linguistics expert is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. As she learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks that become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the true purpose of their visit.

The logline is too wordy as it stands. And I would suggest that the aliens should not be landing anywhere. Instead, I would suggest having them hovering in the sky or in high orbit. As cliche as hovering high might be, it at least emphasises their aloofness, mystery, and the uncertainty of their intentions. If they land, they are too easy to approach, observe, and analyse.

More fundamentally, there’s no deadline pressure nor “ticking clock” against the linguist. As long as the aliens do not do much, there is no urgency. Which makes for an uncommercial film.

In order for the aliens to remain mysterious and a source of ambivalence, it would make sense for the pressure to come from the human side. The most obvious source being a war-mongering general who has given the linguist a deadline before he will take charge and try to force the aliens away.

Alternatively, the flashbacks that the linguist experiences may be of impending global disaster and the urgent question then becomes if these visitors are here to instigate or warn us of what is impending.

Keeping the aliens unscrutable is the best way for this story. Suspense can be gradually built up as it continues to be unclear what their end goal actually is. Such a pathway would elevate the movie well above the usual “alien invader” flick.

So here’s a logline proposal: “Giant, sky-darkening, ships arrive and hold themselves over the earth. For days they mutely hover. The military recruits a linguist to discover their intentions. But as he attempts to decipher them, he receives horrific visions of global disaster.”

Steven Fernandez (Judge)