Contact (Snap Case)
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.99 You Save: $10.99 (73%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.27 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Contact (Snap Case)
Movie Review: THE EVER MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE
Summary: 5 Stars
Whenever I have a chance to look at the open clear skies at night, I always have a tingling sensation and wonder what do we have out there in this vastness, are there intelligent living things like us or even much superior than us out there. It would be rather preposterous to presume that we're the only living thing existed in the whole universe. As it is so well put in the movie that 'It would be such a waste, wouldn't it?' This is why I am so fond of Jodie Foster's character in the movie; from a very young age, she is fascinated with the idea of receiving messages from intelligent living thing from outer space. She has the support from her father but; unfortunately, he died when she is still very young. However, her interest remains unchanged and goes on to pursue her ambition and graduated with a doctorate in her desired field. She has to go through adverse situations before she got her financial support from a prominent industrialist played by John Hurt. She finally succeeded in receiving messages from a faraway place. The messages she received is to build a machine but it is in code that no one can decipher. Just as the hope of deciphering the blueprint is in vain, the industrialist summons her to his private plane and conveys the decoded chart to her.
You can imagine the discovery of this magnitude when made known to the world, what kind of commotion it would create. From this climatic moment on there is no dull moment. You see the ambitious contest and opportunistic seizure by some scientist to gain recognition and the right to ride in the spacecraft, the wacky religious cultist and his bent on destruction, and all kinds of outlandish demonstrations of human irrational reactions. In the end Jodie Foster gets to ride the spacecraft.
I don't want to spoil the fun of watching the movie yourselves, therefore, I'll leave it right here. I guess I'm not the only one who got a kick out of the line 'Wanna take a ride' spoken by John Hurt in the movie. There is one reviewer who put it as his title.
Contrary to the famous critic of a worldwide fame weekly magazine who ridiculed the movie as being shallow, I think instead, it is very imaginative and has a profound sense of the unknown.
Movie Review: Contact
Summary: 5 Stars
He became so famous as an astronomer that it's easy to forget he was one heck of a fine wordsmith as well. Yes he was. You've watched six shows, at most, on PBS. Sesame Street, Are You Being Served, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, Red Dwarf, and Cosmos with Carl Sagan. If you're brighter than me, throw in The McNeil-Lehrer Report or its sequel. But that's it.
Why COSMOS? Well, if I type "billions and billions" in quotes, you hear his voice in your head. Yes you do. The man made astronomy interesting because he was a wordsmith.
CONTACT is a novel by Carl Sagan. Copyright 1985, which works for me. I read it when it was new. Back in my security guard days, down in Tampa Florida. (Yo Bob!) I later saw the film, very well done, with Jodie Foster, but I can't remember it. One of the advantages of getting old.
How does the book stand the test of time? So well that I'm gonna recommend you get it right now. Of course the science is spot on, since this is Carl Sagan. If we ever do hear from somebody not of this earth, this is how it'll happen. But that's a given. What's easy to forget is that Sagan gave us some very well-drawn characters from his world in an eminently readable style. And, as always, accessible science that makes you marvel at the possibilities. Keep in mind that I've probably never used the word "marvel" in a book or movie review before. I'm too old and jaded to marvel. But heck, I marveled.
As if that weren't enough, he had so much fun predicting the future. This far down the road, we can see where he misfired, which was almost never. We can enjoy how accurate he often was. This is where he let his subtle humor roam free, and we can love him for his wit. These are the traits I didn't catch 20 years ago, because I was looking for aliens. Which he also delivers, somewhat, but I don't even care at this point. I just know I love this book.
And yes, the DVD as well, which is good since that's what I'm supposed to be reviewing here. The DVD is true to the book, so of course it's excellent. A whole lot of fine actors here too.
Movie Review: Equal time for reason--quite refreshing
Summary: 5 Stars
In these times when Hollywood gives us so much ill-inspired pseudo-scientific and -technical bunk to wade our way through in the interest of entertainment, we also get this wonderful story by the late Dr. Sagan brought to decent special-effects life. Though much of what we hear coming from the mouth of Dr. Arroway (Jodie Foster), as directed at Palmer Joss (McConaughey), is presented with such an attempt at persuasion as you'd find in the characters of an Ayn Rand novel, the basic story is that life is a precious possession, to be cherished for all it is at the present moment. The relationship of Ellie to her father is one of profound loss, but she will not accept God's will as explanation: "I should have kept the medicine in the downstairs bathroom--then I could have gotten to him faster". We are really left wondering about just what the actual "phenomenon" is that we have witnessed, since evidence proves finally lacking for the rigorously-grounded scientist to follow. Sagan's awareness of the kind of fringe groups that "are out there" is illustrated by the mass-celebration and -demonstration held outside the Very Large Array, even to include a chapter of the Chevy Vega collectors' association, in honor of the star that has finally heard our stray RF from the 1930's and sent back its reply. The response of the Clinton administration (though I understand the clip of him giving a press conference was lifted from another context) in militarizing the project might even find support among the UFO conspiracy-types. But Dr. Arroway does not care; she has taken up the banner of scientific inquiry and integrity, so she needs to tell "everyone". The "machine" is exceptionally well-modeled for the screen, though we have to wonder about some of what is purported to go on when the capsule finally reaches the core. We are given imagery to remind us of the transport in "2001: A Space Odyssey", or as later seen in Neo's initiation via the Rabbit Hole in "The Matrix". This is a highly-developed story about a variety of developments in its human characters. We are left wondering, though...what COULD have taken place for those 18 hours?Movie Review: Sappy but good
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, an overall great movie that I've watched several times. Great direction by Zemeckis, and Jodie Foster is brilliant as usual, and Sagan's ideas are well worth bringing to the screen.
Now for the nitpicking...
--SPOILER WARNING--
I haven't read Sagan's book, but I'm guessing the story was altered to give it a wonderful sappy ending in which religion and science are "both right". Maybe they are both right, but this movie sure didn't show it. Because the ending has a monstrous gaping hole.
In their effort to teach Ellie (and us) a lesson about faith, the writers contrive an ending where Ellie is left with nothing but a memory to verify her wonderful experience. An angry congressional inquiry, led by the James Woods character, investigates, and comes up with an alternative explanation for everything that has happened -- that it's all been an elaborate hoax perpetrated by the eccentric genius Haddon. But this is ridiculous, for many reasons. For one thing, how did Haddon come up with radically new technology capable of generating lightning and tidal waves yet inside of which "the weather's fine"? He's smart, but not that smart (he has self-sealing door metal technology that he never thought to sell?).
But more importantly, a signal from deep space could not be faked by a satellite, especially one that's been verified in Australia. And even if it could, THE SIGNAL WAS STILL THERE during the entire building of the machine. The aliens could not have known it was received at least until Ellie made her journey, so they would not have stopped transmitting. There was all the time in the world to verify that the signal was in fact coming from Vega. So there was clearly a message sent by aliens, and the public anger over wasted money makes no sense. So, the entire ending of the movie seemed stupid and manipulative to me. The message of this movie should have been "science trumps human stupidity", but that message wouldn't have been commercial.
Oh yeah, and don't anyone ever put Matthew McConaughey in a sci fi movie again. Please.
Movie Review: An incredible, if not overlooked, film.
Summary: 5 Stars
`Contact' has evolved into one of those movies that people either seem to love or hate. This reviewer loves it.
`Contact' is a fresh story, and is particularly great for those who enjoy their sci-fi light : science fiction movies that don't require laser guns and spaceships, etc. Its subject is thought provoking, its characters are memorable and well portrayed, and its overall presentation is top-notch.
The events following the signal's detection are spot on, as director Robert Zemeckis captures brilliantly the reaction and events that would most likely follow an event of this magnitude. I view what he presents not as a swipe at humanity, but as a snapshot of its current state. Religious zealots to scam artists to a media feeding frenzy are presented here, not to mention rather accurately and believably. The political, religious, social, and moral fallout of such an event are also presented here extremely well.
The movie's climax (Ellie's final destination) is not only satisfying, but also intentionally ambiguous, forcing the viewer to think about what they have just seen, and where she might actually have been. For the sake of anyone who hasn't seen it, I'm being as vague as possible, so as not to ruin anything.
It's probably redundant to say that Jodie Foster was fantastic, but I'll say it anyway. She is in a category by herself, in terms of acting talent, and she is supported by a great cast featuring Tom Skerritt, Matthew McConaughey, David Morse (a terrific actor in his own right), Angela Bassett, John Hurt, and James Woods, among others. Also featured are many well-known media figures who had cameos in the movie, adding a level of authenticity to the film.
`Contact' definitely deserved more attention at Oscar time the year it was released, and why it didn't receive more, I can't say. Suffice it to say that this is a movie that, no matter what you believe spiritually, has the ability to either force you to question that belief, or it will re-enforce your beliefs stronger than ever.