"The universe is a pretty big place."

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2018)

I don't doubt that someday, probably not during my lifetime, but someday, we will eventually make contact with beings from a planet or universe beyond our own. I do subscribe to the belief that out of all the infinite and limitless yada, yada, yada, that there's some kind of intelligence out there. However I don't think it will occur via a captured video transmission of Hitler opening the 1936 Olympics. Just a little of my own input on that.
I didn't expect this movie to take the tack that it did with such a strong religion versus science undercurrent. It was prevalent throughout and was the basis on which Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) was disqualified from taking part in the original 'Machine' mission; she didn't believe in God. A couple decades down the road from when this picture was made, her position probably would have made her a most likely candidate. I don't know if there's a place for faith to work hand in hand with science, but if one believes in a God as a Supreme Being, there's probably some leeway to acknowledge both disciplines.
The film had sort of a Twilight Zone type ending when one of the NASA administrators stated that Ellie's video recording on her ride through the wormholes had eighteen hours of static. Though the point is made with the viewer for a bit of an ironic twist, apparently Dr. Arroway wasn't told about it, at least not the way the film implied. That seemed to be a gross deception, but oddly supports the fact that she received even more additional funding to carry on her SETI research, even while most of her scientific testimony seemed to be disregarded. The dichotomy there bothered me.
I was curious about the use of Bill Clinton's image in the story, commenting on the Vega discovery. Shortly after the movie's release, the Clinton White House complained about the use of a taped news conference from 1996 where he was talking about a rock that was believed to have come from Mars. Though the footage was obviously used apart from it's original context, the matter went no further and the film was not re-edited to remove the questionable scene. Knowing now what we do about the Clinton's obsessive regard for money, it's possible that the reason the President was so upset was because he wasn't paid to appear in the movie.