Review of Contact (1997) by Andrew S — 24 Jun 2014

I always go back to this Zemeckis film for a rewatch every few years. I had the privilege to hear Carl Sagan speak in the 80's, and the first 3 minutes of Contact, reaching back into time and space, starting with Earth, and panning out, using the narrative of sound and noise as the catalyst, and reaching far, far out into space, until we eventually end up deep within the eyes of our main protagonist, Dr.

Ellie Arroway, says visually in 3 minutes, what Carl Sagan espoused for his entire career: That the universe is a pretty big place, and if we are alone...it seems like an awful waste of space. I personally thought there were some strong moments in this film, with some gripping characters, such as the S.

R. Hadden, and of course you have classic Zemeckis film-making at play, such as superimposing fictional circumstances around historical footage, techniques which we are all familiar with from Forrest Gump.

But what I love so much about Contact, is that it truly is, what I consider, to be actual science fiction. It's not so much about flashy action footage, although this film has that, but moreso, science fiction is about discussion, playing with ideas, and toying with concepts, and working through deep and impactful questions, such as are we alone, what would an alien intelligence be like, and how to does science and faith resolve themselves without totally destroying humanity in the process.

.. Finally, Jodi Foster is brilliant, and while yes, this film is about ET and the journey of contact, it is also about Ellie Arroway, and the reconciliation of her deep sense of loneliness, as a result of the loss of her parents, and her journey of realizing the illusion of that experience.

I remember when the film came out, there was mixed reviews as to the Zemeckis depiction of extraterrestrial life, and what the experience of contact would be like. But for me, I thought it was brilliant.

The 'answer', if you will, was left open for interpretation, leaving you to decide what happened, who they are, and what it means. If there is a civilization, millions of years advanced beyond humanity, it makes sense to me, that they would be unlike anything we could possibly comprehend, and if contact were possible, we would likely be presented with that experience, in a way that we could barely comprehend, if not only for a brief moment, on an island at sea.