Masterpiece of Sci-Fi

Rating: 7/10 (8 September 2011)

I'm not a big fan of Carl Sagan, but the way they made this movie makes it a master piece of a drama, and a science fiction.
There's no one element that stands out in this movie (except the excellent deliveries by Jodi Foster), but everything being done at such high quality is what makes this movie a gem from the '90s. On location scenes are beautiful, as are the in studio scenes. Character development in the story is excellent with each character getting their place in the story. That's pretty much all the element you need to make a fine science fiction movie.
One other thing that stands out is that there's no conflict in this movie except human ones. It's not about war, destruction, or hysteria that drives the story. It's about new frontier, and first contact. I wish newer movies would show some originality at this level, and not rely on destruction, and conflict as their sole plot.
This movie scores high from all angles, and that's what makes it superb.