Director Denis Villeneuve casts aside almost every “Independence Day,” “E.T.” and “Contact” cliche and makes a science fiction epic that breaks free of genre shoe boxing. Amy Adams is a linguistics professor who races against the clock to make conversation with aliens. Far from the usual teen coming-of-age film, this is an interesting comedy-drama with an arresting protagonist — a teenage girl (Hailee Steinfeld) who is outgoing and loquacious but also troubled and spiraling downward. Written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, who shows a rich capacity for working with actors in this, her first feature film.