You've got to have faith...

Rating: 10/10 (27 August 2005)

I'm one of those people who finds it terribly difficult to compile a list of my Top Ten movies - it changes from week to week, depending upon my mood. I have had more success in compiling a list of Desert Island Movies, however: those films that I could bear to watch over-and-over if they were the only ones I had. 2 Bob Zemeckis films make that list (Back to the Future is the other one, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? comes close.) Every time I rewatch it, I find new things to appreciate without losing any of the magic it contains. The opening sequence in particular is still one of the finest ever committed to film - I'm glad I saw it in the cinema but even on the small screen it loses little of its power.
As other reviewers have noted, "intelligent" SF is a rarity in films. And this is clearly very much a "science" fiction movie. What makes Contact so extraordinary is that it also respects religion without trivialising either component, and challenges the viewer all the way through to stay one step ahead whilst still surprising you at every turn; the false-ending after the first machine explodes has to be up there with the very best.
There are some holes to pick - ultimately, the big reveal at the end is less of a kicker than it should be (there would be other things to explain beyond just the static tape, and the whole hoax concept is just far too easy to rip to pieces), but that's not the point. What you get are a collection of marvellous performances, including Matthew McConaughy, who I usually can't abide, and a brilliantly creepy turn by Tom Skerritt, combined with silky smooth direction and a screenplay that expects you to follow what is going on - taking the ideas in Carl Sagan's original novel and extending them in ways that could only be done on screen. The biggest coup for me was making the climax of the film nothing to do with her "close encounter" at all, but the big showdown in Congress - a remarkable achievement but one that succeeds in bringing closure to the story in a way that Sagan's book never quite managed.
Literally the only thing that dates this film is the (somewhat clumsy) inclusion of stock footage of President Bill Clinton. Otherwise, I could see this film being released today without any trouble - and probably receiving much the same reception from many critics: too smart, too understated, too preachy. And, just like last time, they'd be wrong again.