"Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."

Rating: 7/10 (23 December 2012)

The quote in my title comes from Albert Einstein, and I get the feeling that Sagan agrees.
Carl Sagan's story "Contact" approaches the age-old cosmic debate of science vs. religion. That is the strength of this film, and it presents some very lucid points. Without ruining anything, I'll say that the film illustrates an interesting grey area where both overlap. Namely: the realm of doubt.
It shows that both sides can fall prey to fanaticism, and both sides are often guilty of close-mindedness. While Sagan definitely chooses his own side and hammers it home at the end, the film still remains objective enough that you can see the validity of both teams. I really enjoyed that side of the film.
But the weakness of this film is that it falls back to a standard crowd-pleaser with a superficial romance, a predictable government villain (I suspect Sagan was venting his own personal frustrations at political intervention), and a sentimental family story which detract from the cosmic experience this film promises.
If you're familiar with the films "E.T." and "2001: A Space Odyssey" you probably know how different they are. Both are good films, but "E.T." is mostly entertainment while "2001" is a philosophical puzzle. Here in "Contact" it feels like they set out to give us "2001" but they ended up with "E.T." In the director's commentary, the filmmakers admit to making some rather non-scientific compromises in order to keep the audience dazzled.
For example, there's sound in space. Ugh! Why do they always do that? Kubrick showed us in 1969 that he could respect physics (no sound in space) and still keep us on the edge of our seats with suspense; in fact the silence of space made it even more chilling. Audiences aren't as dumb as Hollywood thinks we are. Or are we?
I'd say this film is above average in terms of science fiction but below average in terms of science. Its main flaw is that it falls in the empty space between the two. It probably isn't action-packed enough for straightforward entertainment, and it's not quite heady enough to be philosophy. But it makes you think, and that's the mark of a successful film.
If you enjoy "Contact" and find yourself craving something deeper, I highly recommend "2001" (the grandfather of all thinking films), "THX-1138" (before Lucas turned sappy), "Solaris" (either version, I actually prefer the remake) and "2010" (the sequel to 2001, not nearly as good but a worthy effort).