in one word: awesome.

Rating: 10/10 (4 September 1999)

Note: this comment discusses the plot briefly. I wouldn't go as far as to call it a spoiler though.
Before I saw the movie, I had a general idea of its subject; I tried to imagine what its ending would be like. I could only think of two possibilities: 1. a Star Trek-like ending, where she would end up interacting with the aliens in various ways, and 2. the movie ending when she leaves Earth, focusing on the importance of the first contact and its political and social implications, rather than on the actual contact with the aliens. But it seems Carl Sagan had a much wilder imagination than myself, and put together one of the best SciFi movies I've seen. The movie showed that you don't need a great deal of special effects to make a good SF movie; you need to touch the human soul, and concentrate on the questions that we ourselves ask.
I had a scientific education and asked myself many times the question of where the boundary between science and religion lies; this movie did a great job at making me *think* some more.
I totally enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who wants more from a SF movie than space battles; that is, to anyone who was impressed by 2001.