Among the best realistic science fiction films....

Rating: 9/10 (13 August 1999)

In '97, I read the book, Contact (Sagan, 1985) and then saw the movie. I was not disappointed, although the movie was so much different from the book, and I wished they could have put more elements from the book into the movie. The acting is great, especially with Jodie Foster. The special effects are not really that wowing and they are not meant to be, it is supposed to be realistic, and they achieved their goal. As a fan of Carl Sagan, I think this movie did justice for him, although he did not live to see it.
The acting is very strong, especially with Jodie Foster. She did a good job of bringing Ellie's character to life. Another important actor in the movie, Matthew McConaughey, also did a good job of bringing Palmer Joss to life. The rest of the characters were rather shuffled to the background, except for two annoying ones (James Woods character and Tom Skerrit's). You have to keep rewinding the parts with the Christian Fundie character. He's funny.
The story of the film is great, even if different from the book, and is a little slow at first, but then its not a sci-fi action flick. Some people groaned at the ending, but this is not a movie that lets you see anything. It's most important messages are that all humans have are themselves, and I think more people need to realize that.
I highly recommend this film, and again, try to get it on DVD. ****1/2 stars (out of *****).