Review of Contact (1997) by Adam S — 25 Nov 2013

"Contact" is a decent film, although it is far from the best work by Robert Zemeckis, and, while I haven't read it, I believe it would be a story better suited to the novel format that author Carl Sagan originally released it in. It tries to be too much - a sci-fi thriller, a religious allegory, a political thriller and an underdog style - and it ends up doing too much not well enough to sustain it's lengthy running time.

Jodie Foster is able to hold her own quite well in the lead role, and an A-list of names supports her including John Hurt and Tom Skerritt, but the disappointment acting wise comes from Matthew McConaughey. As he rakes in the recent accolades, it's easy to forget the days when his acting could make Shia LeBeouf look good.

This movie may have been improved if it ended a mere 5 or 10 minutes earlier than it did - when Ellie (Foster) leaves a skeptical inquiry to a crowd of adoring fans, allowing viewers to decided whether what they saw was Ellie's dream, or reality (ala Life of Pi). Unfortunately, the reality is revealed in the next scene, spoiling that chance.

It just feels like the film bit off a bit more than it could chew.