Contacto

Although Jodie Foster has won two Oscars in her career I think her best work was done in Contact, a film where the only recognition it received was a nomination for Best Sound. She also never did a more serious film about a more serious topic. Are we in fact the only life there is in this vast universe and how do we find out.

As a scientist, something she wanted to be all her life, Foster is determined to get answers in the best way she knows, build the biggest radio telescope there is and throw out a few signals. Someone out in the great beyond will answer. Foster gets an answer.

What I love about Contact is that the gamut of human reactions to the possibility of life is dealt with in this film. It ranges from the multi-billionaire who wants his own life extended John Hurt, the geopolitician who is interested in power James Woods, the sincerely religious men of faith who want to see how God fits into the scheme of things Matthew McConaughey, and even the religious terrorist who fears that a mountain of man made dogma that he's based his life on will be washed away Jake Busey. Busey's part is extremely relevant, we have way too many of those in the world and strategically placed they can cause catastrophe.

Foster gets a blueprint for a space time travel machine, warp drive the likes of which James T. Kirk only wished he had. It goes horribly wrong the first time, Foster takes it herself for a second try.

Mention should also go to David Morse who plays Foster's father, first in scenes with young Jena Malone who was a science prodigy as a kid and later Foster during her 'journey' gets to talk to Morse again. Was it real or a hallucination. His scenes are the highlight of the film for me.

Contact takes no sides in the end, it simply takes the position that in terms of the universe humankind is taking baby steps. If we are really the only life in the universe it seems like an awful waste of space.

The special effects are fine, the sound was considered Academy worthy. So much more of Contact is, most especially the performances of Jodie Foster and her supporting cast.

This remains true for this very good adaptation of the classic book by Carl Sagan. Sagans' idea was to make science and the elite commandeering of information available to the majority, he wrote his books for a wide audience and I think the film shows this as was intended by its author.

The Film is roughly about Dr Arroway, Ellie, and how she handles being alone in a world without family or close friends. It is metaphorically able to make us all think about how isolated we as a race, and as people can feel.

Ellie, a brilliant young scientist working on the mistrusted SETI program discovers a message sent to earth from distant star system Vega. On its discovery Ellie must battle with the Military, Pentagon, and Male Dominated scientific world to keep her cards on the table and her discovery that of her team. Ellie is constantly kept in the game by he benefactor, a rich technological industrialist mogul who has a vested interest in her participation of the programme to reach this alien culture.

I don't wish to go on any further and spoil this movie as I rate it as a fantastic exploration of Science Vs Religion and the entire subsequent human spectrum in between. As a film there were several alterations from the book that I felt could have been included, for example not just one traveler but a range of them, philosophers, theologists, scientists, poets and Dr Arroway.

I have watched this film a number of times and still find it a joy to watch the fifth, eighth and tenth time. Jody foster playing a not so dissimilar to her role in Silence of the lambs (attractive, clever, young, successful woman battling in a male world) is exceptional and delivers feeling and intellect alongside an impressive script.

I would give this film an 8.5 and recommend it to anybody, but if you are a sci-fi fan and haven't seen this film then you're in for a treat.

In my 61 years, I have seen many science fiction films. Few have exceeded my expectations as this film did. I remember seeing it in a theater (something I rarely trouble myself with these days), and finding myself at times gripping the armrests in excitement. This film builds like great stories should. However, even the best stories can collapse under the weight of a bad script, poor acting, or shoddy editing. I'm happy to say that none of these issues plagued this film. Ms. Foster delivers an extremely powerful performance and is a wonderful role model for women in science. All of the other actors also deliver memorable performances, but make no mistake, it is Ms. Foster's polished performance you will be thinking about when this film ends.

Much has been made of the last 1/4 of this film, with many viewers feeling a let down. I get that. The amazing build up and tension in the third quarter of the film is quite unexpected, but if you approach the final quarter thoughtfully, you'll see that it makes perfect scientific sense. That's rare in any science fiction film pitched to mass audiences. As such, this film makes an amazing contribution to the entire genera.

So many movies out there are pure drivel. They use sex, or shock, or sex to sell two hours of something that in no way contributes to our existence; be it inspiration, knowledge or spiritual awakening.

Contact is an exceptional example of a movie that DESERVES to exist. From the spectactular beginning shot that shows us just how small we are in a world that once thought the universe was made for, and around, mankind; to its realistic conclusion that any X-Phile would expect to happen: this movie appeals to our humanity, intelligence and sense of adventure.

One of the greatest realisations that the movie will guide you to is that what we search for in outer space is actually in our own backyards. We are cut off from each other and sci-fi tries to quell our loneliness with ideas that we'll meet E.T. and wont feel so lonely in our existence. But were AREN'T alone... we have each other.

I never get tired of watching this movie, though I wish they brought out a packed special edition DVD full of behind the scene effects and the like.

I had the luck of watching contact at the cinema when it came out . Being young meant that watching a movie of this grandure in a grand movie theatre with massive screen (something that was dying out at the time) means that this movie has been engraved in my mind . But it is not due to nostalgia or corrupt memory . Contact is a thought provoking mind bending movie ahead of its time . In fact it is the Interstellar of the 90s .

Stunning gorgeous visuals , and a storyline and plot asking some hard questions and providing answers that many might not want to accept as the movie battles between science fitction , science fact and religion in a way that in the end no one is left wanting .

This is not just a movie , this is an event !