Contact

"A film based off the book of the same name by Carl Sagan, the screen play was written by Carl Sagan and his wife Ann Druyan. How the world would react to a first contact from an alien race if a signal was sent back, the film is much like the book aside from the ending which was changed slightly."

"Contact is a criminally underrated Sci-fi film, with one of the greatest opening scenes to ever grace a blockbuster. Although the ending is contentious, I thoroughly enjoy this movie. "

"There were so many things that I enjoyed about this film: the insanely cool concept, Ellie and Palmer’s love story, Foster and McConaughey’s chemistry and the underlying theme of faith and truth not being mutually exclusive. The story didn’t go where I expected and I loved that. For example, as much as I couldn’t stand Drumlin, I was genuinely shocked when he was killed in the terrorist attack. There was foreshadowing leading up to it but I just didn’t see it coming! I also really enjoyed Ellie’s character arc throughout the film. Her going from a person that relies on empirical evidence for everything and then going through an unbelievable experience that others just need to believe happened was quite the journey. I also adored how her ever present feeling of loneliness underscored her every action, especially once her father died. Speaking of that, the cinematography and transition of when she got the pills for her father was incredible! The only thing I wasn’t the biggest fan of in the movie was the continual time skips at the beginning. It felt a bit unnecessary. In all, I’m a big fan!"

"A beautiful, awe-inspiring film filled with hope and wonder. Zemeckis was almost always on his A game prior to the 2000s, and his direction paired with Foster’s performance and Silvestri’s uplifting score make this an awesome, heartfelt drama that respectfully explores the concepts of both science and faith, and their subsequent implications for the future of the human race."

"3.5 Carl Sagan story about first alien contact and how it might happen. Jodi foster is good in just about everything, it’s no different here. It can be slow but worth seeing."

"Incredible! So glad I finally watched this. As @joslyn said, Contact walked so Interstellar could run. "

"I could have done without the unnecessary love story, but otherwise it’s pretty good. "

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"It's a pretty good movie"

"4½⭐/5⭐ + This is an intelligent, thoughtful, whimsical movie. The story uses the premise of alien contact as an open field to explore human nature and our need to feel connected to something bigger than ourselves. Full of curiosity and more interested in cosmic mystery than providing answers to the questions it raises. The characters feel real and archetypal at the same time, and the decision to blend real life events both historical and contemporary give a wonderful portal into the frame so that we feel like we are part of the story. The camera work in Contact is a big part of what makes this movie whimsical. There are times when it seems to lightly float in space like a dust mote, benevolently taking in the characters. Other times it tracks, pans and zooms with the gentlest of movements. The sound mix is great. From the sound of tire treads from a car to the signature alien radio signal that is almost a character in the movie, it's as if we are pulled into the story. All this is tied together with top-notch performances by Jodi Foster, William Fichtner, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Skerritt among others. - Contact came out at a time when movies were transitioning from practical effects to CGI, and at times depended too much on the latter. As a result some of the scenes have aged poorly in terms of SFX. The filmmakers could have benefited from the approach of using more practical techniques. Also, some of the musical cues from the score stick out too much instead of leaning on the quality of the performances. Finally, some of the scientific jargon can make the dialogue sound dense, and since reading radio waves isn't particularly thrilling on screen it can lean too heavily on the musical score and exposition when something exciting happens. It can be tricky to convey the science without "dumbing it down." Overall: Intelligent, engaging, whimsical, technically great most of the time, but could have relied more on practical effects and less musical cues. High 9."