Contact is that rare big-budget motion picture that places ideas, characters, and plot above everything else. The film takes the richness of astronomer Carl Sagan's bestselling 1985 novel and re-invents it for the screen, retaining all the power and fascination of the book while adding a visual aspect that will not disappoint devoted fans.
Contact is as close as recent Hollywood productions have come to a perfect example of cinema.
All the elements are not only in place, but effectively realized. This is the kind of motion picture that restores one's faith in what can be produced when a large budget is used wisely. The participation of a superlative cast and crew doesn't always guarantee success, but, in this case, the high expectations have been met. On the acting side, Contact stars two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster alongside rising star Matthew McConaughey and veterans James Woods and Tom Skerritt. The film is directed and co-produced by Robert Zemeckis, whose last effort was 1994's box office smash, Forrest Gump .