Plausible science fiction, not to be missed

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 1999)

(CONTAINS SOME MINOR SPOILERS)
Since I have been interested in the subject of "Contact" for a fairly long time (with the necessary scepticism) , it did not really open up new vistas to me like it seemed to open up to many of the reviewers here. However I thoroughly enjoyed "Contact" because of its plausibility. While most of the "action" might seem rather un-exciting when compared to beasts like "Independance Day" or "Men in Black", it happens to be infinitely more powerful! Much like a piece of classical music often contains more intensity than some heavy-metal song that entirely depends on loud guitars. Apart from a few small details (only noticed by a select public of rocket scientists), the search for and discovery of the extraterrestrial signals happens just like it would in end-of-20th-century reality.
That's what nailed me to my seat: I felt it extremely easy to identify with Jodie Foster. In fact I was completely absorbed. It's difficult to describe the excitement that I felt when the first signal is detected, or during the scary 2001-ish spacetime trip. When she ended up on that beautiful beach with the super-viscose atmosphere (what a GREAT alien-ating effect!!), I had completely Left The Building. Almost saw Elvis at that point :-)
I agree that the actual meeting with the Aliens is susceptible to criticism, just like the ending. But I challenge anyone to come up with better alternatives! At least the "lack of proof" bit was thought-provoking. Which is proven by the fact that both religious and atheistic people interprete it as an argument in favour of their personal conviction. Can we seriously expect a movie to change people's outlook on life? I think we can be thankful if, after viewing "Contact", a few people raised their eyes to the nightly skies and wondered...