Contact (Snap Case)
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Movie Reviews of Contact (Snap Case)
Movie Review: Zemeckis's best...
Summary: 5 Stars
Warning, this review contains spoilers...if you haven't yet watched it, don't continue on, but simply hear this; it is a masterpiece! Forget renting it, find yourself a copy to own.
This movie, at least as far as I am concerned, is Robert Zemeckis' best, even better than Back to the Future and Forrest Gump. Let me begin by stating that if your IQ is lower than 100 (or 120 for that matter), you probably won't enjoy it. Why? There are indeed no "aliens" or "monsters" that jump out of the shadows, nor are there big men with big guns that blow them up and cheer "go back to your home planet, you scum...America rules!!!" This isn't Star Trek, nor is it your typical cornball "sci-fi" flick. If it were, I wouldn't be reviewing it, because I wouldn't have seen it. What this movie is is an amazing rendition of one of Carl Sagan's most enthralling and intelligent novels, and it is indeed a fine example of just how good a film based on a work of fiction can be. What this piece is is a work of art; rather than stimulate our animalistic urges to see "little green men" pop out at us with "plasma rifles," like most everything else that's come out of Hollywood since its inception, the ending of the film leaves it up to our imaginations, essentially, to decipher precisely what happened to Ellie (Dr. Elanaor Arroway, the protagonist) during her journey to the galaxy in which the star Vega is contained. The beginning of this film alone, in which a three-plus minute digression from our planet through seemingly trillions of miles of the universe takes place, was enough to hook me. This film is about not only the endless debate between religion and science, of which Ellie is a firm believer in the latter, but it is about her transformation, more or less, in the end of the film to someone just a little less skeptical...what Zemeckis (and obviously Sagan) was indeed trying to portray in the ending of this film is that there is reason to have "faith" in the future, even in these desolate times, and to show us that there just might be more than meets the eye to our existence...and that there may be more than we know, and/or are capable of knowing, to ourselves, our race, and each other and what each of us believes, especially in the face of having no tangible "proof"...and finally that we are indeed never as "alone" as we all feel at one time or another. A truly unique and masterful film, consistently underrated and panned by critics, most often for its inclusion of a certain ex-president in a couple video clips...give me a break. Does that really detract from the quality and purpose of the film? I think not, and to give the film lower marks for it is ludicrous, in my opinion.
I am not a religious individual, and am in fact an agnostic. I could easily envision overtly religious people loathing Jodie's character beginning with the scene of the death of her father, as she hastily denies the support of the religious figure(s) at her father's wake. However, like I said earlier, the film is by no means out to deny the existence of God or debunk any religion, nor does it attempt to verify these concepts. It is merely contrasting the two sides of the argument and makes valid points in favor of each. So, my main point is that this film is so much more than a "sci-fi" film (to say that this film doesn't compare to Star Wars or Star Trek is quite absurd; they aren't even honestly in the same genre in the first place, and this film transcends any of that...stuff). Just give it a chance, and if you disagree, so be it...but I know that it moved me like no other film had in quite some time, and I'm a better person for having seen it, and it remains one of my all-time favorite films, even eight years after its release. Thanks for reading!
Movie Review: Versimilitude
Summary: 5 Stars
Contact is the most satisfying science fiction movie of the 1990s. It avoids the pitfalls of being a shoot 'em up like Starship Troopers, or being coldly intellectual like 2001. It is also one of those rare movies that gives the scientific aspect of the script proper respect, without being pedantic or sacrificing character development.
For me, what makes the movie work is the versimilitude with which the story is handled. Using CNN reporters, celebrities, and even President Clinton, the story comes off as very realistic. Certain details from the book would have made the ending a bit less ambiguous--e.g., the fact that sand was found in the pod seemed to indicate in the novel that Ellie really did visit another world. Apparently, the producers wanted to keep the ending more ambiguous, which is understandable, since one of the themes of the film is faith. Ellie's lack of faith in organized religion ironically comes back to haunt her when she realizes that for people to believe her journey actually took place, they must accept her statement--on faith. (Incidentally, the book makes clear that Ellie is not an Atheist, but rather an open-minded Agnostic.)
This is one of the few films in this genre to have truly first class acting. Foster does her usual excellent job, as do the supporting players, especially Tom Skeritt.
The visual effects in this film are in a class of their own, and they are placed at the service of the story, in contrast to the Star Wars movies.
This is one of the first DVDs I purchased, and for years it was my demo-disc. Warner has simply packed it with extras, inclusing three commentary tracks and a French translation. There are also extra materials explaining how the visual effects were achieved and how the Machine was designed. The Blu-ray has the same features.
This is a DVD everyone should have!
UPDATE, June, 2010:
Contact has since been issued on Blu-ray. I recommend that over the DVD for several reasons. In addition to the obvious visual improvements, the old-style snap-case of the DVD was rather unwieldy. The generous features on the Blu-ray are exactly the same as those on DVD, but the menu is easier to navigate.
Over the years, my opinions on the movie have changed somewhat - although I continue to rate it highly. Since my original review in 2000, I have visited Puerto Rico twice and the Arecibo Observatory once. Although the telescope itself is spectacularly presented in the film, the huts that Ellie and her co-workers live in couldn't be farther from a realistic portrayal. Buildings in Puerto Rico (which is in a hurricane zone) are invariably made of cement. The same can be said of the "lechonera" style restaurant where Ellie meets Palmer. Arecibo is essentially a suburban town, not some third-world hovel. In real life, Arecibo (like most of Puerto Rico) has been overrun by American fast-food restaurants.
The use of real-life footage of President Clinton is, in retrospect, a mistake. It serves only to date the film. In the novel, the President was an unnamed woman who was only referred to as "Madame President". I feel the film would have been more successful if it had stayed closer to the book - Angela Bassett, who played the Chief of Staff, would have been a good choice as President.
Movie Review: The search for meaning, the search for truth
Summary: 5 Stars
"Contact" is a film that can be interpreted to be a film about several things.
Ellie Arroway, our main character, is an astronomer working with SETI in New Mexico when she discovers a radio signal transmitting from a near-by star system. After decoding the message, which turns out to be blueprints for a transportation device, they "send" her off. When she returns, she discovers that it appears to everyone that she didn't actually "go" anywhere at all.
The focal point that is driven in this movie was the relationship between Ellie and her love interest, Palmer (Matthew McConaughey...).
Palmer is a spiritual man who "can't picture a world without God." Ellie is a scientist who looks at fact and logic to understand the universe. In the end, Ellie can't prove that she did "go" anywhere, but she finds that she has grown faith for it to be true. Why? Because her experience was a gift, a beautiful view of the universe and the realization that although, as earthlings, it may seem that we are all alone, we are actually not. This is the meaning of religion; that when humans feel alone or weak or afraid, they can find comfort that God is with them. Even though she cannot fully explain what happened, or the meaning of what she experienced, she will not back down from that belief, even with an angry James Woods yelling at her.
I think that in the end, after going through the whole experience, Ellie finally finds out why people would choose to "have faith", rather than look at everything in a factual, scientific manner.
A great movie overall. A very rare film that combines science with science fiction, religion with ET, and ultimately, "the pursuit of truth," which may not always mean what the facts support, but rather, what you believe inside. Definately one of my favorite movies.
My favorite quotes:
Ellie(on God): "How do you know that you're not diluting yourself? For me, I'd need proof."
Palmer: "Proof... Did you love your father?"
Ellie: "...Yes...very much."
Palmer: "Prove it."
--
Palmer: "You personally. You. By doing this, you're willing to give your life. You're willing to die for it. Why?
Ellie: "For as long as I can remember, I've been searching for...some reason why we're here. I mean why are we here, what are we doing here? Who are we? If this is a chance to find out even a little part of that answer, I don't know, I think it's worth a human life..."
--
Ellie: "Is it possible that it didn't happen? Yes...I had an experience. I can't prove it. I can't even explain it. But everything that I know as I human being, everything that I am tells me that it was real. I was given something wonderful, something that changed me forever...a vision of the universe...that tells us, undeniably, how tiny, and insignificant, and how rare and precious we all are. A vision that tells us that we belong to something that is greater than ourselves, that we are not, that none of us, are alone. I wish I could share that. I wish that everyone, if even for one moment, could feel that awe and humility and that hope...but...that continues to be my wish."
Movie Review: CONTACT - PROFOUND and Stunning Movie with Jody Foster and Matthew McConaughey
Summary: 5 Stars
Now that I'm a LITTLE wiser, have come to realize this movie is absolutely profound.
Written by Carl Sagan, the great physicist of "billions and billions" fame, it is not only intelligent, but phenomenally so.
Reason? He addresses questions and issues within the movie that we don't realize are so important until we've been around a while and analyze our world's technological evolution.
ESPECIALLY our technological capacity and the implications and repurcussions.
Of course I could rave on about Jody Foster and Matthew McConaughey (never spell that right - sorry!)
Jody is totally lovable, likable, sympathetic and compelling. She is 100% convincing as a brilliant, uni-linearly focussed and isolated scientist. Her determination in the movie serves as model inspiration on how to succeed in the business world. She just won't give up.
Matthew is at his most magnetic. As he and Jody meet in a tropical cabana, you can feel the heat of his charm pop right through the screen. There's probably not a woman in the world who could have resisted in responding to him... except the wonderful character portrayed by Jody Foster.
It adds the perfect romantic tension.
Coupled with the extraordinary scenery, the absolutely soaring and magnificent musical score, CONTACT is one of the best movies ever made.
But, folks may not notice at first. So many thought-inspiring little things slip by, unnoticed. So, it's one of those movies that's gets better and better as we get older and wiser. The more we watch, the better it gets.
As a kid, we may have enjoyed it immensely. As an adult, it becomes a movie of great import and impact if you give yourself a chance to examine the science and forethought that went into the writing and making of this movie.
I wasn't quite sure about Carl Sagan, didn't know of him very well. But, now I can see he was one of those special geniuses who know so much more than one might have surmised. One of the world's truly great thinkers.
He wrote popular novels - perhaps that may have diminished his reputation as a world's great thinker type of scientist and pushed him into seeming just another populistic author. He was also a television star with his own documentary.
Now I would like to see them... and have an opportunity to read his books.
In a separate review, I hope to address the final question posed within the latter parts of this movie. But here, I don't want to insert any spoilers.
The best way to watch this movie is from a clean start, and then watch again and again to get the full purported meanings.
6 out of 5 stars
Other recommended EXTRAORDINARY movies:
Bladerunner - Pinnacle of SCIFI movies
Saving Private Ryan - Great, great war Movie
A.I. - classic WORK OF ART for all time
Contact - SCIFI at it's very best
Phantom of the Opera - Haunting Perfection
Movie Review: Thought provoking science theory, not just sci fi.
Summary: 5 Stars
The best science-fiction film of 1997 and one of the best of all time. Based on the book by the late Carl Sagan, this film examines the possibility of life on other planets and the means to make "contact" with them. There is however an even more profound question this film ponders. At the forefront of one of history's oldest battles are the two contenders of science and religion. The story begins with Eleanor Arroway (Jodie Foster in one of the greatest female roles I have ever seen on film) as a young girl. As an extraordinarily brilliant child, she shows the making of a scientist at an early age. The death of her mother and later her father (both at a very tender age) only push her to explore the limitless boundaries of the life/faith dilemma. As the film progresses, the intermingling of science and religion become more apparent. After Arroway receives what is believed to be a signal of life in outer space, she is determined to go into space (at risk of death) to explore the origin of the alien life. What follows before the flight is a plethora of red tape enough to frustrate God. The religious community, from liberal to fundamentalist, is determined to make its voice known to the world by apprehending Arroway and convincing her that it is a question of faith and not science that life exists. Enter cynic philosopher and Minister Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey). His close relations to Arroway and his visibility on the world stage create a fabulous breeding ground for conflict and make the audience think hard about the dual truths and ambiguities of both religion and science. In fact, the line between science and faith almost seems to disappear at times. In the end, we are left to our own conclusions about what is what, but not without feeling that science and religion have both been given a fair shake. If you are expecting laserbattles and intergalactic dictators on mega-spaceships, then Contact will certainly disappoint you. However, if you are expecting to dive deeply into the thought process and see a Sci-fi film, which is more on the philosophical side with, many questions left unanswered (like 2001: A Space Odyssey), then you are in for a great voyage into the unknown. The best thing about this film aside from the material it approaches is the handpicked cast. Aside from Foster, James Woods is remarkable as a starchy-shirt, bureaucrat who refuses to bend to what he cannot see, Angela Bassett is the open-minded and contemporary believer in the science community who is more willing to accept Foster's story than anybody else. John Hurt is the eccentric billionaire who is Foster's only real ticket to the spaceflight. On a less powerful note, McConaughey is unable to make his role interesting or even the least bit appealing. The only thing he can convince us of is that he cannot deliver such a powerful character as his is supposed to be.