Contact

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking science theory, not just sci fi.
Review: The best science-fiction film of 1997 and one of the best of all time. Based on the book by the late Carl Sagan, this film examines the possibility of life on other planets and the means to make "contact" with them. There is however an even more profound question this film ponders. At the forefront of one of history's oldest battles are the two contenders of science and religion. The story begins with Eleanor Arroway (Jodie Foster in one of the greatest female roles I have ever seen on film) as a young girl. As an extraordinarily brilliant child, she shows the making of a scientist at an early age. The death of her mother and later her father (both at a very tender age) only push her to explore the limitless boundaries of the life/faith dilemma. As the film progresses, the intermingling of science and religion become more apparent. After Arroway receives what is believed to be a signal of life in outer space, she is determined to go into space (at risk of death) to explore the origin of the alien life. What follows before the flight is a plethora of red tape enough to frustrate God. The religious community, from liberal to fundamentalist, is determined to make its voice known to the world by apprehending Arroway and convincing her that it is a question of faith and not science that life exists. Enter cynic philosopher and Minister Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey). His close relations to Arroway and his visibility on the world stage create a fabulous breeding ground for conflict and make the audience think hard about the dual truths and ambiguities of both religion and science. In fact, the line between science and faith almost seems to disappear at times. In the end, we are left to our own conclusions about what is what, but not without feeling that science and religion have both been given a fair shake. If you are expecting laserbattles and intergalactic dictators on mega-spaceships, then Contact will certainly disappoint you. However, if you are expecting to dive deeply into the thought process and see a Sci-fi film, which is more on the philosophical side with, many questions left unanswered (like 2001: A Space Odyssey), then you are in for a great voyage into the unknown. The best thing about this film aside from the material it approaches is the handpicked cast. Aside from Foster, James Woods is remarkable as a starchy-shirt, bureaucrat who refuses to bend to what he cannot see, Angela Bassett is the open-minded and contemporary believer in the science community who is more willing to accept Foster's story than anybody else. John Hurt is the eccentric billionaire who is Foster's only real ticket to the spaceflight. On a less powerful note, McConaughey is unable to make his role interesting or even the least bit appealing. The only thing he can convince us of is that he cannot deliver such a powerful character as his is supposed to be.

Rating:
Summary: Hopeful and thought provoking
Review: I don't know what these one star raters are thinking. If nothing else this book and movie give you some very important things to think about. We are not alone be it an alien civilization or an omnipresent, omniscient God. I like to think that both exist together. There is also the hope that we may be reunited with our lost loved ones, be it in a tropical Pensacola paradise or the Paradise that Christ describes for us in the Bible. Either way it would be wonderful. I can't think of a better way to spend an evening or two reading this book or watching the movie. Thank you Carl for giving us this part of you.

Rating:
Summary: the sum is greater than the parts
Review: I really disliked this movie the first time i saw it. My biggest dislike was for Matthew McConaughey charachter which I thought was way overdone. After viewing it again i still have problems with McConaugheys simpistic and intrusive portrayal of a "modern man of faith" but focused more on his messages which represent genuine skepticism but eventual reconciliation between science and religion. Jodie Foster is awesome as usual - its terrific seeing her in a Sci-Fi movie and I hope she does more of this in the future. The DVD Video and Sound is very good and adds a lot to the ambience and impact of the film.

Rating:
Summary: CONTACT Is An Awesome Book!
Review: CONTACT is a great book. The main character, Ellie, is a radio astronomer looking for extraterrestrial intelligence, and the result makes all heck break loose. She makes enemies, is betrayed, is double-crossed, yet manages to make some friends along the way. CONTACT is not only about aliens and space and technology, but a book which makes us realize just how tiny we are. Wonderfully crafted by Carl Sagan, creator of COSMOS; CONTACT feeds the dreamer in all of us. Or, depending on who you are and what you believe, the person just waiting for some proof.

Rating:
Summary: Now that's entertainment !
Review: You know, it could have been worse. What if instead of being some benevolent, intergalactic boyscout race of beings way over there on Vega, they had been Annoying Saucer People or The Slime That Wouldn't Leave... What if they'd cosmically e-mailed the plans for a one-way 'star gate' through which, after we'd built it then threw the switch, millions of the (insectoid?) (globulous?)(fill in the blank)little bastards marched out and took over the world? I think it would have kept Industrial Light & Magic computer animators busy for months...oh well. The ending we got was better anyway, it actually made you think about faith.

Rating:
Summary: Contact
Review: I read the book before seeing the film, always a mistake, as the one genre is not like the other. There are many constraints, primarily budgetary and temporal, to making a film from a book. By reading it after seeing the film one is not disappointed by the lacunae left from editing out "extraneous" material in the interest of brevity, and the written version allows the reader to enlarge on relationships and side plots. This instance was no exception. Although I enjoyed the characters, and certainly the actors chosen for the parts were perfect for them, I felt they were a little "flatter" than in the book despite being real people. I also preferred the resolution of the father-daughter situation in the book to that in the film. The best feature of the film was the opportunity to actually see some of the technology and locations of astronomical research.

Rating:
Summary: Sagan does it agan.
Review: Like most of his work, Sagan puts across the sciences and professions of astronomy and astrophysics across for the lay reader with great ability and an obvious feeling for his subject and his readers. I enjoyed the humanness of his characters, the realities of their work world, and the science in which they were involved. I read the book before watching the video and felt, as I usually do, that the book was better. One can always create more side plots and develop to a greater extent the individual characters in a volume of so many pages, which the reader can set aside at will and return to as needed. The director must stick to a central theme and be constantly mindful of budgetary constraints. I also thought the relationship of the heroine with her father was more intense and surprising in the book than in the movie.

Rating:
Summary: KEPT ME READING
Review: I read the book Contact by Carl Sagan. It would probably be considered a science fiction book because it has a lot to do with space and "other forms of life". I gave it four stars because it was very interesting and it made me want to keep reading further and further. The main plot of Contact is about a doctor that works at a satellite monitoring station. She is always listening for sounds form outer space and comes up empty handed every time. Finally she gets her big break; she hears a loud heart-beat type sound coming from a distant star. Soon they start to receive sound and video waves. I will not go into anymore detail because it would make the book a lot less exciting to read and give away the ending if you knew anything more about the book. Overall, thought it was a great book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who finds space and science interesting or who has a little bit of an imagination and curiosity about space.

Rating:
Summary: Contact is a kind goodbye for Carl Sagan
Review: I continually find myself watching this dvd over and over... certainly Sagan's tale is a good yarn with excellent movement of the plot.... and Foster again acts with wonderful depth... and the effects integrate well... but most of all it leaves us asking questions about ourselves, who we are, how we define ourselves, we take askance at our failings and our shortcomings... the movie will move you while engaging your thoughts well after it is done.

Rating:
Summary: THE MESSAGE FROM INNER SPACE
Review: Despite being hailed as one of the greatest scientists (astrophysicist) who had dedicated his entire life to popularize science and humanitarian values Dr.Carl Sagan proved himself to be one of the most insightful story tellers as well in his one and only fiction work "CONTACT"! It was during my early teens I started reading Dr.Sagan;I started off with "COSMOS" followed by most of his available works. He has that uncanny knack of putting forth some of the most difficult concepts in the simplest language possible, such was his erudition and simplicity! Reading "COSMOS" after more than a decade was a totally different experience altogether because it is only then I happened to read the "Dedication" part. It read: "In the immensity of time and the vastness of space it is my joy to dedicate a planet and an epoch with you". These words had a magical effect on me for, these simple words revealed the innermost recesses of a passionate man with a cosmic vision and Compassion unbound. Ever since that day I had always wondered what would it be like if he wrote fiction. He answered this question with "CONTACT"! Though it appears much like a science fiction novel, I consider it to be one of the most philosophical novels ever written exploring some of the vital facts of our existence with lot of autobiographical elements intertwined. While depicting the life of the Astrophysicist protagonist Dr.Elle who sacrificed a lot to pursue that which she thought to be of utmost scientific import and public concern, Dr.Sagan also speaks out with effortless ease the fierce inner conflicts at the emotional level of even the most undettered. Being the main scientist who initiated SETI, Dr.Sagan gives a clear account of the latest research in the field of Radio Astronomy and Planetary Studies around the world. Every chapter has a few header quotations, which helps the reader resonate with what follows. While looking for a message from outer space Dr.Sagan ferrets out that message from our inner space which all of us bypass in our mad race to survive..This echoes these words of T.S.Eliot:" Where is the Life we have lost in living..?".Yes, all through her life Dr.Ellie was looking for a message from outer space, all through her life she was busy debunking the creation myths of others while remaining oblivious to the simplest message that "FOR LITTLE BEINGS SUCH AS WE HUMANS ,THIS VASTNESS IS BERABLE ONLY THROUGH LOVE" .It is here we find the perfect blend, a rare combination, of intellectual vibrancy and emotional sensitivity which brings forth the enlightening awareness of being Intellectually Sensitive!