Reviews: Contact (1997) Movie Review
Subgenres:
Horror fans will enjoy our review of Contact (1997), where we cover its story, scares, and how it ranks among modern horror classics.
Contact (1997) is a 2h 30-min American sci-fi drama mystery film that is an adaptation of Carl Sagan‘s 1985 novel, Contact. The movie had an estimated budget of $90 million and grossed over $171 million at the box office. Director Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Cast Away (2000)) did a fabulous job executing this film that needs viewers to pay attention to, or they will get lost. The movie resulted in a lot of legal action and lawsuits involving director George Miller, NASA, Bill Clinton, and CNN.
Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster - The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Panic Room (2002), Elysium (2013), Inside Man (2006)) works in Puerto Rico at the Arecibo Observatory. She works for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program because she was intrigued by science from childhood. Ellie became an orphan after her father, Ted Arroway (David Morse - The Green Mile (1999), The Hurt Locker (2008), The Rock (1996)) passed away when Ellie was nine years old. Ellie is paying homage to her father by working in a field that allows her to monitor for extraterrestrial life.
The funding was pulled from SETI because it was believed that the endeavor was futile, so Ellie sought funds elsewhere. She and a view rogue scientist decides to continue their work and gained the help/funds from industrialist S. R. Hadden (John Hurt - V for Vendetta Alien (1979), Hellboy (2004), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)) who is a secret billionaire. Ellie and her group started working at the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico. Ellie discovers a signal from the star system Vega about 26 light-years away. Drumlin and the National Security Council tries to take control of Ellie’s facility. The movie strengthens and keeps viewers intrigued as Ellie finds a message and fights to keep others from taking control of her discovery.
Contact did not use s**ual content, bad language or extreme violence to sell this film but they instead use a story that opens ours eyes of how small we are compared to the rest of the universe. It contains spectacular shots, a realistic conclusion, events that appeal to our humanity, intelligence, sense of adventure, science vs. religion theme, and an irony that is arguable. Contact is a movie that should be seen when you can give it your utmost attention. All of the actors gave us brilliant performances and all of the departments including editing and sound did a fantastic job. Do you think aliens exist? Leave your comments below.
Sources Used to Shape This Review
Insights in this review are drawn from director interviews, fan commentary, production notes, and long-form breakdowns across genre-specific platforms. Content is written uniquely and reviewed for accuracy.
- Contact Rating Scores
- Our Score: 7/10
- Overall Score: 6.89/10
- IMDB: 7.5/10
- MetaCritic: 6.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 6.8/10
Look here for more movies starting with C and here you can find 1997 movies to watch on your favorite streaming service.