Contact (Snap Case)

Contact (Snap Case)

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Movie Reviews of Contact (Snap Case)

Movie Review: Compellingly told, spiritually uplifting sci-fi drama!
Summary: 5 Stars

Jodie Foster plays Dr. Ellie Arroway, who, from the time she was a small child, dreamt of one day making contact with someone or something in outer space. Her favorite activity: talking on the ham radio with her father until his untimely death, which further impacts Ellie's decision to one day achieve her dream of discovering new life in outer space. In her adult years, when all looks glum for her project, her array of radio telescopes receive a mysterious signal coming from the vicinity of the star Vega, and there is no scientific explanation for it. Further tracking of the signal leads to the discovery that the "message" contains blueprints of a costly yet collosal machine, which everyone wants to be a part of. Hypothesizing that the machine has been sent to them as a transportation device, Arroway wishes to be the one to commandeer the vessel, and gets her chance after a deadly explosion caused by a religious fanatic that sabatoges the first machine. But, the Americans always have a backup plan, and once Arroway is cast out into space, she will encounter something she never thought possible. But upon return, will they believe her?

The main contrasting viewpoints that the story conveys are the difference between how religious people view the creation of the universe and the way scientists interpret the origins of life and space. Once the signal is discovered, it does not take long before religious fanatics are crowding the entrances to galas and scientific laboratories, shouting verses from the Bible and slogans like "God created man, not monekys." Then there are the scientific opinions, all embodied within the character of Ellie Arroway, who firmly believes that she is correct in wanting facts to prove that there is such an entity as God. Like all scientists, she relies on fact-based data and equations to relate certain truths to herself as well as the world, so it is no surprise that her position regarding religion will keep her from being the first chosen candidate to embark on the journey.

The scene in which the first transport machine is given a test run is the centerpiece for how far religion will take some people when they feel a need to express their opinions. Throughout the movie, Ellie comes into eye contact with a man who is always surrounded by shouters and "Bible thumpers," his eyes piercing into her in a way that forces her to look away. It is his actions that cause the catastrophe: disguising himself as a machine technician, he carries on his bodice powerful explosives that will destroy the machine and send his "message" to the world that he is only doing this "for the sake of mankind."

Perhaps the most empowering scene that will captivate those of us who have mixed feelings about the existence of God and the creation of all that surrounds us is the scene in which Ellie is transported to another world, a place she cannot put a name to with a person whom she has missed all her life. Her rendevous with this person is the embodiment of the one question that the movie leaves us with: did she really become transported to another world, or was it her imagination? Forced with the harsh facts of the second machine's operation, she is forced to look inside of herself, realizing that she, along with the religious folk, all base their ideas and beliefs on one thing alone: faith.

The entire movie is a movie about the beliefs of people who feel differently than others, while also keeping one thing very clear: faith is the basis for anyone's opinion, whether religion-based or scientific. What makes this movie so clear and understandable to me is that it is able to handle both sides of the argument without ever really taking a side. Even when we take that final trip with Ellie, because of what happens to her after returning, we as the audience do not know what to believe, and like the movie, confusion reigns. But once we hear her final arguments to the world, the realization is made clear for us, that we must look to our own beliefs in order to come to an understanding of what has happened to this woman. Did she really see her father? Was it all a delusion? You make the choice.

The story, which is based on the highly acclaimed novel by Carl Sagan, is a spectacular mirror to the novel. While the fact that the book and the movie do have a lot of differences in plot and structure (in the book, Ellie and Palmer Joss never get involved romantically), they work as two separate stories, really. The movie does a very credible job of bringing the social issues and emotion of the characters to life, keeping the important elements of the book while revamping others in order to make the script more impactful and exciting, which is not a bad thing in this case. The fact that Carl Sagan was also a producer for the movie before his death is an added plus, as he knew more about the material than others on the crew.

Acting and performance employed is superb, maintaining the highest standards of believability and emotion. Jodie Foster gives her best performance since that of Clarice Starling in "The Silence of the Lambs," and is able to keep the movie going through her character's passion and will for scientific truths and discoveries. We share this journey with her, and from the very beginning, we find ourselves totally willing to take it. Matthew McConaughey portrays Palmer Joss, the "man of the cloth, without the cloth," who has his own viewpoints and opinions about religion and science. His character is the side of society that is able to come to an understanding of both arguments and combine them together in his hypothesis. His part in intrical to this movie, as he will be the bridge between Ellie and religion, which she later turns to.

Visually stunning, emotionally captivating and relentlessly impacting, "Contact" is a movie for the ages, a film that leaves us with theories rather than facts and data. In a manner of speaking, the ending of the movie is a bit of a summary of the entire film as a whole: the search for facts and where it leads us to. Right from the beginning, we suspect the presence of alien life with the arrival of th signal, yet director Zemeckis and writer Sagan are able to dodge this avenue of storytelling and give us something that is altogether more magical, emotional and warming.

Summary of Contact (Snap Case)