This film has 11 minutes of disappointment...

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 2000)

... otherwise it's great.
This film is a great sci-fi film, and I look at it as probably the most realistic sci-fi film ever made. Something like this actually could happen! Although not likely, and it would be highly coincidental...
The film is perfect all the way, except for the 11 minute travel/encounter sequence. That sequence actually destroys everything, it doesn't fit in and the encounter wears very thin and is more sickening than interesting! The film would be much more interesting, and mysterious if we, the audience, saw the same thing as everyone around Ellie saw, and not what Ellie saw. Then it would be her word against our (and all the other characters in the film) faith. That way we would actually have to think, and to make up our own mind about what happened; Did nothing happen, as the characters around Ellie thinks, or did she actually encounter with the aliens?
What they really should do is to make sort of a Mystery Edition of the film, completely eliminating the 11 minute travel sequence. Such an edition would make the perfect sci-fi film, one causing you to actually think...