Involving But A Bit Daft

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2011)

Nice Mr Sagan's plodding science-faction novel gets the full treatment by Hollywood. Starring plainest of the Janes, Jodie Foster, as a scientific muse, and Tom Skerritt as her less-than-honourable boss (a hint of 'Silence of the Lambs'); her team discover an incoming signal from outer-space. It is clearly coherent.
What follows is an interesting though rather predictable interplay between science, religion and the apparatus of security as to how the thing should be addressed. A maverick billionaire with terminal cancer issues, adds a little spice, as does some Loonytune terrorist who destroys the first machine. The trouble with the movie and indeed the book, is that nobody seems quite sure how to deal with the subject. To make 'Contact' a plausible concept is the need to think like an alien, whilst Hollywood barely knows how to think like an adult human. As a result; the ending is such a made-for-kids cheese-fest that all of the comparatively grown-up stuff which the movie moguls could actually understand from Sagan's original story is pretty-well set at nought.
There's a decent cast, which includes John Hurt, who - being the first person to have an 'Alien' burst out of him - seems to have been perennially remembered and short-listed for SF roles ever since.
There's plenty of good effects. Sound and vision are well addressed; but ain't it always the case? The moral, political and security issues presented by Sagan are dealt with adequately. Acting, directing and other technical issues are up to snuff. The first 90% is well worth a watch. It's the last 10% that vanish down a cheese-hole.
It's a shame: a perfectly decent movie meal has been spoilt by a thick slice of Wensleydale.