Great movie...and the DVD is great too!

Rating: 9/10 (25 July 2003)

Not sure what the previous user was talking about concerning the DVD has no director's commentary. Not only DOES the DVD have a director's commentary, it actually has 3. One by the director and the producer, one by the special FX team, and one by Jodie Foster. I should know...I've listened to them all.
As far as the movie itself goes, it's an excellent journey with a minimal amount of Hollywood tripe. It's a combination of a bunch of quests. Ellie's quest for her father, the quest for science, the question of AI, etc.
The acting is very well done. Jodie Foster pulls off a very convincing performance. Also notable is James Woods, who pulls off the skeptical gov't personality perfectly; Tom Skerrit as Ellie's boss who consistently overshadows her makes you want to hate him; and in a small but memorable role, John Hurt acts like he's halfway in outer space already.
I especially enjoyed the ending, which I won't give away here, but it's a bit emotional and does bring everything full circle.
A great movie and a great DVD.