Contact

Rating:
Summary: Excelent ! Superb ! Numinous !
Review: First of all let me tell you that I read this book in 1986, very much before the movie. In fact, I've read this book four times since then and it's sincerely the best science fiction I've ever read. I realize that religious and narrow-minded people may not wellcome Mr. Sagan's thoughts. This is quite understandable, since these fellows will hardly be capable of following the book till the end. There's lots of science and little fiction in "Contact" and even the most talented layman will eventualy be led astray. Well, that's life. Sometimes things get complicated. I've been expecting the movie version since I read this book but it was a bit disapointing. On the one hand, Jodie Foster, altough an excelent actress, is not Eleanor Arroway. On the other hand, the story is too complex to fit the big screen and what we saw was a mutilation. Other point is that even Mr. Sagan couldn't predict the fall of the comunism and Contact's soviets are here no more. Except for this and some other minor points the future depicted in "Contact" remains a viable one. The only thing that bother me is the Fermi Paradox: "If life in galaxy is so widespread, where are they ? Why are they so shy ?"

Rating:
Summary: Contact is a masterful work of literary art.
Review:

Carl Sagan's Contact is truly the most masterful work of literary art published in the twentieth century. The novel, originally published in 1985, and the posthumously released film that followed in 1997 are among the most fascinating and moving stories of all time. Human words can hardly describe the emotions, sensations, and fascinations triggered by reading this gripping book. Even the most skeptic and cynical reader will be forever touched by this enchanting novel. It mesmerizes a reader like no other novel can.

Contact is the only novel written by the late astronomer Carl Sagan. He should have written more. He was the only man in all the years of his study of science to boost anyone's interest in this fascinating field to the extent that he did. I also strongly recommend his many other books, including Cosmos, Comet, Broca's Brain, and Pale Blue Dot, just to name a few.

Contact flawlessly debates and explains many prepossessing topics at once, all while telling a spellbinding story of the seemingly endless quest for truth. It is about the search for meaning and fidelity in our troubled lives. It gives us an answer to our questions about the constant battles between scientific proof and faith. Sagan predicts the future of the universe through this spectacular narrative. I'm happy with his answer.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book and Great Movie!
Review: Sagan had the knack of getting his humanistic point of view out without being offensive to the general populace. He was also a great explainer of scientific ideas in a simple way, to make it easy to understand and interesting. I wish he would have lived longer so he could've written more novels. I think novel writing could have been his best skill. He died too young.

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown Eyed Boy"

Rating:
Summary: Great book, pathetic film
Review: I saw the movie first. Having been a Sagan admirer since before adolescence, I knew there would be ideas of enormous complexity and scope presented in a language that was accessible to almost any reasonably intelligent person. It took less than a half hour of the movie for me to know without hesitation that it had been drastically dumbed down from a book I hadn't even read. I bought the book the next day and will never bother with another film adaptation of Sagan ever again (and will be hard pressed to justify seeing anything made by those who defiled Sagan in this movie).
There are three profound strengths to this book, and the movie only got close to approximating one of them:
1) The translation of elaborate concepts and hypotheses of physics and astronomy into lay terms. This is the only area where the film even made a notable attempt. But they still didn't even pretend at nailing it the way the book did.
2) The discourse between science and religion. Sagan explored this enduring quandry with a fairness, maturity and intellectual honesty that few authors (and probably no filmmakers) have ever achieved. He also explored the debates with a sense of drama and nuance, while the filmmakers focused more on the fact that the debates were occuring between pretty people with sexual chemistry/tension. Shame.
3) The Arroway character was one of the most complete and believable characters I have ever read and, to be frank, the first female lead character I have ever connected with in any way. She was strong and brilliant and confident and hungry while remaining distinctly female and even vulnerable at times. This could only have been achieved by an author with an innate shared passion and sympathy for his character's purpose - in this case science and the search for the answers to some of the ultimate questions about life. The movie made her a sanctimonious whiner. Most of the rest of the characters were tragically dumbed down too.
I recommend you read this book. Two or three times. And don't bother with the movie.

Rating:
Summary: Make "Contact", Despite Newsbreaks
Review: Based on the late Carl Sagan's best selling novel of the same name, the movie version of CONTACT, is in the end, a mixed effort... Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), an astronomer, who is convinced that an alien life form is trying to communicate a message to earth. After hearing from the United States goverment, her beliefs as a scientist are questioned by a lot of people, includig her friend and (sometime) lover, Palmer Joss ( Matthew McConaughey). Palmer is a man of spritual faith and that puts them at odds. As a project to "see what's out there" takes shape, the entire nation wonders, are we alone?

For the most part, the film stays true to the book, wth its themes and central characters. However, director Robert Zemeckis, chose to use, a few gimmicks to tell his version, that got to be a bit much. In order to make the film more realistic, a slew of reporters and anchors from CNN show up, to impart information to the audience. I have no problem with using one or two folks from the network, but (it seemed like everyone got into the act) after a while it got to be a bit of a distraction, and in my opinion, that hurts the film. The novelty wears thin. He also incorporates then President Clinton into the film--a la FORREST GUMP-so that charaters can interact with him. The only problem with this is that dates the film and again that kind of gnawed at me. Still, Foster is so good as Ellie, that she makes the movie worth a look. Sagan wrote a wonderful book that looked at all sides of the extra-terrestrial debate and made the reader think--the film does too-when it's not driving home the fact that the studio that made the film, and CNN, are media partners

The DVD features 3 audio commentaries. (A) has Jodie Foster (the best track), (B) has Zemeckis and Co-producer Steve Starsky, and (C) has the special effects team of Ken Ralson and Stephen Rosenbaum. There's also a bunch of extras on the F/X of the film. Most of it is well produced and informative

In the end, I think the book is better, but I still think the film deserves a look, if you have never seen it. Recommended with ***and a half stars

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular
Review: Carl Sagan's Contact is a very well-written, enjoyable books that manages to get a point across and be educational at the same time. Many books have approached the problems of first contact, but few have examined it as thoroughly as Sagan does here. Also, he approaches it in a different way from most. Rather than have the aliens visit the earth, the human race instead picks up artificial radio signals, and... well, I won't spoil it for you. Suffice it to say that Sagan's deep involvement with Project SETA carries over into this book and gives it a highly realistic feel, that along with the well-drawn cast of characters and pseudo-documentary narrative style. Another thing that makes this book worthy is that Sagan weaves his views on such issues as religion (on which he raises some very valid flags), science, government, nationalism, sexism, and aliens. You might not agree with everything he says, but you have to at least allow that he raises some truly tangible points. This is a fine book: well-thought out, info-packed, believable, and readable. My highest reccommendation (and a lot better than the movie, by the way.)

Rating:
Summary: Intelligent And Interesting.
Review: Let's say that proof of alien life was found with the radar, satellite stuff we have poking around space, then the events that would take place would probably be very much like those in "Contact," and that is the beauty of the film. Robert Zemeckis' movie cleverly takes a look at what would happen if we discovered evidence that we are not alone. It sets itself apart from blockbuster science fiction like "Independence Day" because of how realistic it is, how convincing and plausible. The screenplay by James V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg, based on the novel by Carl Sagan, is filled with interesting characters, but more with interesting ideas. We also appreciate how they add philosophical arguments into the mix. Most science fiction films don't really explore the debates about God and science, this movie does, by letting the two main characters debate about the issues. The movie is also entertaining on the dramatic angle and the special effects are wonderful to look at. The movie has style and realism mixed with science and deep philosophical issues. I have nothing against the "cool" stuff like "ID4" or "Mars Attacks!" but "Contact" is a breather for people looking for something smart and thoughtful. It has detail, great performances and nice photography. A very good movie.

Rating:
Summary: one of the smartest sci-fi films ever made
Review: while i'm not generally a fan of adaptions, this film is one of the few that manages to stand alone while keeping the message and spirit of the original work intact. one of the smartest and most spiritual films of the genre, this is a movie that even those who aren't necessarily fans of sci-fi can enjoy. jodie foster is absolutely luminous in the central role of dr. ellie arroway - a woman driven to find intelligent life in outer space. as the movie unfolds, we learn where that goal and that drive come from. matthew mc conaughey is suprisingly strong as reverend palmer joss, a man intent on helping others findfaith in a society that worships technology. the supporting players are also exceptional -- particularly william fichtner as a blind colleague of dr. arroway's, and the constantly underrated david morse as her father, the man who fostered her quest. even tom skerritt stops chewing scenery long enough to turn in a good performance. contact is moving, thought-provoking, and entertaining, as well as visually stunning from first frame to last, and stays with the viewer long after the credits have rolled.

Rating:
Summary: One of My All-Time Favorite Sci-Fi Books
Review: I would never have guessed that Sagan, a hardheaded, agnostic, scientific type would have in him a book with such a fine sense of character development and emotional pitch. Having read many of his nonfiction books, I was not surprised by the social and religious commentary, which I found to be both perceptive and very even-handed.

The science was interesting -- particularly the mode of travel described -- and I found the use of messages buried in irrational numbers to be an imaginative concept that I've never seen before. As a sci-fi story, I would compare this favorably with some of Arthur C. Clarke's best work, including "2001" and "Rendezvous With Rama," in terms of the scope and majesty of the universe he creates.

My only problem with the story, in fact, is that it is a little bit too derivative of Clarke; the space/dimensional traveling sequence seems to be imitative of "2001," and there are other similarities to Clarke novels, such as "Childhood's End," that were a little distracting (that's why, on a scale of 1-10, Contact would get a 9, rather than the full 10 rating). Nonetheless, I found this a very moving story that has more genuine feeling in it than almost any S-F story I've read.

This is a novel that is visionary and almost religious in its awe of the universe -- the movie was also enjoyable, but as is almost always the case, it can't capture the numinous feeling that the book has, despite a great performance from Jodie Foster.

Don't let some of the religious nuts' reactions scare you away from this book -- it has more genuine spirituality in it than a whole room full of Baptists and 700 Club members.

Rating:
Summary: versions, history
Review: Let me start with a few key points about the book, the movie, and the original screen treatment which precedes both.

"Contact" (the film) is NOT an adaptation. Carl Sagan died in the midst of production, but up until that point, he was on the set working with actors, directors, and prior to that with writer James V. Hart every single day. Sagan and Druyan initially planned Contact as a film, but the idea was EXPANDED in the book. The book spans many, many years and has multiple perspectives. Although it would be possible to do the same with the medium of film (and in a select few instances, Zemeckis chooses this approach), it's a much riskier approach and, if you know your Contact history, not what Sagan and Druyan originally intended.

The main theme (as evidenced by its placement in the book's resolution) in the book is Ellie's isolation. As for science and religion, it's less about conflict and more about faith: Sagan notes (as others have, though less eloquently) that faith is no less necessary for science than for religion.

As for Ellie...brilliant! What's unique about Sagan's characterization of a woman in science is the exploration of her faults: her stubbornness, her self-absorption, her inability to truly connect, her own xenophobia...the list goes on. So few authors can present a character in a balanced manner without suggesting that she will somehow be punished for her humanity. In the end, the only judgment that comes to Ellie is her own--despite her self-absorption, Ellie has little sense of her SELF. All her confidence--all her strength--has roots that Ellie herself has been unwilling to recognize. The film does not, in my estimation, present Ellie as a "sanctimonious whiner," but there are certain limitations of the medium, especially considering that the book is written with Ellie's THOUGHTS in mind while maintaining the distance of a 3rd person narrative. How do you bring what is on the inside out?

To the reader who said he or she "bought the book the next day and will never bother with another film adaptation of Sagan ever again (and will be hard pressed to justify seeing anything made by those who defiled Sagan in this movie)," I remind you that Sagan was among those filmmakers. See the film. Read the book. Make up your own mind as to how you will treat them. That, after all, is the point.