contact is the 1997 movie i 've seen the most - five times to be exact .
four of those times were on the big screen , but even on a tv ,
it 's a very impressive film .
the same ca n't be said for films like independance day , but that 's because contact is a rare example in sci - fi filmmaking where the story is treated more importantly than the special effects , and all of us know looking back that id4 did n't offer much outside of some one - time delightful eye candy .
contact 's wonderfully presented story deals with ellie arroway ( jodie foster ) , a radio astronomer whose preference of study involves the outdated technique of " merely listening " to sounds out in space .
her interest in the field of astronomy developed at a very young age , encouraged by her loving father , ted ( david morse ) , who let ellie use a small ham radio to pick up on frequencies and communicate with people as far away as pensacola , fl ( that was , of course , before the days of internet chat rooms ) .
while everyone else uses modern technologies to aid them in the search for extra - terrestrial intelligence ( of which the program seti is an acronym for ) , ellie prefers to pop on a pair of headphones and see what she can pick up on , keeping the youthful magic and intrigue strongly alive .
ellie 's strong scientific basis essentially makes her an atheist , a belief likely influenced by the death of her father while she was still quite young .
in puerto rico , she meets palmer joss ( matthew mcconaughey ) , a writer examining the effects of technology on the world 's overall happiness ; a one- time seminary student who describes himself as " a man of the cloth , without the cloth " .
despite the vast differences in opinion regarding a " supreme being " , ellie and palmer hit it off , and even take the time to sleep together .
it 's a weak and hurried relationship , but director zemeckis needs it to add to the plot later on .
meanwhile , dr .
david drumlin ( tom skerritt ) , who has authority over seti but finds the program a frivolous waste of time and money , is ready to pull the plug on any and all seti funding .
this leaves the passionate ellie searching for new sponsors , eventually finding a setup in new mexico and leaving palmer with no explanation , and only a one night stand to remember .
it is in this nm city where , several months later , ellie finally picks up on a strong signal from outer space , perhaps the most profound discovery in the history of science .
when the signal is closely examined , many new developments spring up , and before long , drumlin is stepping in to take over the operation he once scoffed at .
eventually , it is concluded that information in the signal may be blueprints for a transportation device used to teleport an earthling to vega ( where the signal seems to have originated ) .
the media swarms , fanatics go further off the deep end , scientists clamor for new information , politicians huddle in discussion of appropriate actions to take , and presidents are morphed into a celluloid reality ( remember when zemeckis could n't get enough of this in forrest gump ? ) .
as if that were n't enough , ellie 's discovery leads her to the nation 's capital where she again runs into palmer .
contact is based on the novel by carl sagan and deals heavily with the subject of science vs . religion .
the impressive thing is how well both aspects are presented , with no signs of bias .
arguments for both sides are intelligent , solid , and thought - provoking .
when palmer joins a selection committee to choose an ambassador to vega ( of which ellie is a leading candidate ) , personal convictions play a more important role than love interests .
the question is , can a person who does n't believe in god truly be the best representative of earth when 90 % of the planet * does * believe in a higher power ?
even when the film wraps up , it 's uncertain whether it 's meant to play as an advocate for religion , science , both , or even neither , and in our modern day society where " right and wrong " is only opinion ( at least speaking " politically correctly " )
, the ambiguity is an incentive .
do n't get me wrong .
as much as it sounds like it , contact is n't merely a theology class rolled into a reel of film .
it 's a * highly * enjoyable two and a half hours .
despite its seemingly heavy issues , it 's not a tedious undertaking to watch this film .
the special effects are outstanding , though ( warning ! )
highly depreciated on the small screen .
even so , some of the subtle visual effects ( that will likely go unnoticed by many ) are even more impressive than ones more recognizable as " sci - fi " .
the storytelling is rich and complete , and although there are moments in the film that feel quite pretentious ( and at times , even hokey ) , it 's
easily one of the best 1997 films , and one of the best sci - fi films i 've ever seen
.
this is zemeckis ' best since back to the future , and for those of us who actually know that forrest gump was astronomically overrated , zemeckis now has real reason to boast .
has real reason to boast the special effects are outstanding it 's a very impressive film it 's a * highly * enjoyable one of the best sci - fi films i 've ever seen are even more impressive easily one of the best rich and complete