Contact

Rating:
Summary: Awful - painful to watch
Review: While is it generally a thrill to watch Jodie Foster work, this film is so contrived it should offend even the average american. Matthew McConnahey is talentless - he detracts from the film - and his character's prominence is not the least bit credible. Another character lacking any credibility whatsoever is the token-black-female-in-an-intellectual-position-of-power. This is the kind of film that reminds me that I should forever give up on Hollywood, and pick up a good book instead (eg, something by the likes of Donna Tartt).

Rating:
Summary: Could be good but it's not - DVD review
Review: I was so disappointed in this movie. First of all were the stereotypes (illusion of dead father, typical currupt politician, boss who cares only for himself, truth about ETs is hidden).

Second, it's simply not developed. It is 'wanna-be' deep. It uses a lot of 'big' words to make the viewer think they are watching an intellectual movie when they are not.

Third, pacing. The whole movie builds up to a 36 minute ending. This includes the all important following of the ET's instructions. By this point, I really didn't care.

Fourth, depth. It tries to touch on many points that it never probes any of them in depth. To see politics in the Space Program I recommend The Right Stuff (even though it is cleaned up version of the space program). All the questions the aliens left Ellie with, that she never really probed them about.
The 'reunion' scene has been done better in Star Trek.

Pass this one up for a real thinker. There are a lot of good Sci-Fi movies out there.

Rating:
Summary: See the movie instead
Review: Carl Sagan made a name for himself by making science, and astronomy in particular, more accessible to the general public through a series of books and, of course, his TV show, "Cosmos". In the mid eighties he decided to try his hand at science fiction, the end result being this book. His goal was to speculate on what a possible contact (hence the title) would be like from intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and to the extent he sticks with this theme, his book makes for a highly engaging read. Unfortunately, he just couldn't resist going off on a number of different tangents, which is really too bad, since what he mostly does is reveal his own ignorance and prejudices as opposed to offering up enlightenment.

What's best about this book? Well, as to be expected, the actual core story, which is, of course, about what happens when a project designed to detect signals from alien civilizations actually makes contact with one. Sagan, who in real life was a passionate supporter of the SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) Project, brings his expertise to bear, and the result is a thoughtful and imaginative take of how just such an encounter might occur. As the story begins, we are introduced to Dr. Eleanor Arroway, an expert on radio astronomy, as she and her team intercept and start to decode what is clearly a message from outer space. In due time the signal, which has multiple layers woven together, is translated, the result is a set of plans for a complex machine, the purpose of which is impossible to determine. After much international debate, the machine is built, and Arroway and four companions, noted scientists from around the globe, enter the completed machine, start it up, and are whisked of to some unknown portion of the galaxy to commune with the beings who sent the message. Giving credit where due, Sagan serves up a nice mixture of science, speculation, and mysticism as his tale unfolds.

The problem, however, is Sagan simply can't leave well enough alone. As a science writer, Sagan excels, but as a novelist, he's got much to learn. With the exception of Arroway, most of the character development is poor and there are some rather odd plot developments, most notably a bizarre twist at the very end concerning Arroway's stepfather. But bad writing isn't the primary fault, hubris is. For some reason, people like Dr. Sagan, who are brilliant in one realm of human endeavour, begin to think themselves as experts in others in which they are actually quite clueless. This shows up in a number of spots in this book, but none more notable than his efforts to put religion in its place. Sagan himself is apparently an atheist, which is fine, but he devotes a rather large portion of the book to, for lack of a better term, shoving his views down our throat. He does this by having Arroway engage in a number of "debates" with a pair of preachers, which by itself wouldn't be bad, except that he resorts to the classic "straw man" tactic, which is to say, rigging the contest by having the opposition represented by easily refuted buffoons. In this case, the preachers are, for the most part, ignorant bible thumpers who spout clichés about Creationism and other sundry topics, the end result being, of course, that Arroway (and, by extension, Sagan) comes across as sensible, rational, and enlightened while religion is shown mainly as a tool for exploiting people's fear and stupidity. It's one thing for Sagan to use a work of fiction to expound his opinions on religion, but at the very least he should have had the intellectual honesty to give the opposition a fair hearing. There are any number of learned theologians and religious scholars, rabbis, and so forth who could have been used as the basis for an intelligent argument in favor of religion, but Sagan probably didn't want to risk having to examine his own views too deeply for fear of finding that perhaps they weren't as infallible as he thinks.

And that, in a nutshell, is my principal complaint. Sagan has always been an articulate advocate for science, and a passionate supporter of anything that adds to our knowledge and understanding of the universe. His experience as an astronomer and his work with SETI put him in a near perfect position to write a fictional account of a possible contact with extraterrestrial life, and that part of the book is thoroughly enjoyable. It's only when he ventures off onto other subjects, most notably, his obvious dislike of religion, that he starts to make a fool of himself. It was notable that, when a movie based on this book was made; they cut out most of the extraneous stuff and focused the central issue, the "Contact" with another civilization in the universe. This book is by no means bad, and contains quite a bit of thought provoking material, but to be perfectly blunt, if someone were to ask my recommendation, I'd suggest they see the movie instead.

Rating:
Summary: A horrible distortion of Carl Sagan's message
Review: Did Carl Sagan write this horrible movie ?! I expected something profound and spiritual... this is "junk". On a more positive note, the sense of wonder evoked by the introductory scene does persist in the rest of the movie. Too bad it is supported by "junk".

Some positive (+) and negative (-) points :

- The "we all need beliefs" argument rears its ugly head more than once. This is apparently the morale of the story.
- Also according to this movie, prosperity and technology makes people less happy and connected (guess in the Middle Ages everyone was everyone's best buddy - crime ? wars ? what's that ?).
- In this warped alternate universe, SETI is actually useful and approved by private individuals, instead of being a big government boondoggle for scientists.
+ Shows that faith can only validate itself in violence.
-+ "Useful science" and paranormal beliefs are both portrayed as negative.

Rating:
Summary: Story suffices skeptics serious salivation for information!
Review: Contact is an entangling story about Ellie, an astronomer, who stumbles upon what she had been searching for her entire life, a message from other intelligent beings. The author does a fabulous job predicting the political, scientific, and personal struggles faced with a discovery of this magnitude.

Carl Sagan is one of those authors that appeal to a select target group of readers. Born a scientific mind, writing fiction with scientific undertones was purely nature. After graduating from the University of Chicago with his Ph. D Sagan went on to participate in councils and organizations that revolved mainly around astronomy.

Although this in-depth story is a type of mental quicksand for all kinds of readers, the scientific undertones are usually only grasped by those who embrace mathematics and think like a physicist. The answers skeptics, like us, constantly search for have been laid out in front of us in a fictional book providing possibilities we can only dream of. Giving everyone the ability to expand our horizons and think like a theorist, people create their own answers rather than listen to others.

Rating:
Summary: A Movie of Faith
Review: This is an incredible movie, by far on my top 10 list of my all time favorites. I purchased this movie on DVD over a year ago, and I can't count how many times I have seen it. Jodie Foster is majestic in this film. She plays a very complex character, as per usual for Jodie, but this role suits her very well. Throughout the enitre film you will be cheering her on, as you quickly realize she is the "outcast" of the scientific world. The movie made me think of the possibilities, the "what if's" of the universe.

The overall message is faith and the power of believing in one's self, science, and the universe. Because of this movie, I had to stop and think many times, about the power of faith. The movie made me realize that we as humans are a tiny incriment of the universe. Are we the only intelligent life in the universe? Can faith and science coincide with one another?

Robert Z. is the perfect director for this. Jodie was the PERFECT Ellie. Robert pieced this enitre movie with such grace and precision, and Jodie was so realistic as Ellie. Ellie challenged the normal views of the world, she grew as a person, she saw somewhat of a "different light." I truly loved this movie, and I reccomend it to everyone, even if they're not into sci-fi, that's only a fraction of the movie. The message will strike you, the performances will amaze you, and you will think.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely amazing work
Review: Truly Carl Sagan's masterwork of fiction, <u>Contact</u> somehow introduces several infinitely complex themes-- the conflict between science and religion, the awe-inspiring magnitude and complexity of the universe, and a plethora of political, social, and religious commentary-- and a great depth of information and analysis of each, yet remains entirely readable. A reader fortunate enough to read this book untainted by the terrible film version will find it both deeply provocative and thoughtfully entertaining; one less lucky must forget all that occurs on the screen before he can properly enjoy the book. Overall, <u>Contact</u> is an amazing piece of work and one which I will happily read many times over.

Rating:
Summary: No wonder they waited till Carl Sagan was dead.
Review: That sounds harsh. If anything it's generous.

Undoubtedly the worst part of this awful remake of an excellent, thought proving book is at the end, where in big letters it comes up with the words "For Carl".

At that point I nearly threw something at the screen.

Carl Sagan was an atheist. Contact, the book, contains some intelligent, thought provoking, discussions between two of the main characters ; the atheist Arroway, and the Christian Joss. The "extremist" views on both sides are represented by Drumlin and Rankin. Rankin, as far as I can see, has been removed altogether. Most of the discussions between the two main characters have been rewritten so that the balance becomes blatantly pro-religion. For example, at one point, the Joss character asks Arroway "Did you love your father - prove it" which is the asinine kind of thing an asinine religious person would ask ; and absolutely not the kind of thing the Palmer Joss character in the book would ask.

Worse still is the end of the film. In the book, Arroway is basically paid off and hushed up. In the film, there is a big set piece investigation in which Arroway is asked "questions" - this is an unsubtle piece of propoganda in favour of religious faith.

Back to "For Carl". Carl Sagan ; the author I've read in Contact and various other books would have disowned this movie, and probably stopped it. Hence the title.

Does it matter ? If you like dumb movies, probably not, it then just becomes are rather pointless low level action flick. But then again, you might as well by a Schwarzenegger film for that.

Rating:
Summary: Contact...Mr. Rogers in ImaginationLand
Review: ...

Jodie Foster has succeeded admirably in taking a nose dive off the 1000 foot tower that was her outstanding performance in "Silence of the Lambs", and belly-flopping into a satellite dish full of rusty razor blades that is the horrid abomination we call "Contact". Her departure from the Clarice Starling we all knew and rooted for has landed her in a sour mix of sockless hippie/lone scientist/Ice Queen that simply does not work for a loveable hero...nor will be forgotten by millions of moviegoing victims. Her chemistry with Matthew McNasty works about as well as vinegar and water.

This movie also reflects a completely prejudiced, one-sided promotion of science over religion, specifically Christianity. This movie depicts all too well the desperate lengths that faith-bashers will go to promote ANY philosophy defining our existence, so long as it's not anything religious. But now that modern technology has disintegrated the Darwinist theories we were force fed in high school science classes, these New Age neo-Saganists will attempt to "prove", despite lacking any evidence whatsoever, that a reverse theory is true...that instead of humans being the PRODUCT of evolution beginning with monkeys, we are in fact the STARTING point, with far-off aliens being the product that evolved from us. For some reason, these astral relatives of ours break communication with us for millions of years, and only now try to re-establish relations.

Yes, this [weak film] does much to insult REAL sci-fi films, like Star Wars and Deep Impact, simply by existing in the same genre. This movie singlehandedly gives credence to critics that believe we should abandon the NASA program, just as it slaps in the face real life astronauts who risk life and limb exploring the cosmos to do actual scientific research, not embark in silly adventures to find little green men.

And forget that an uncleared maniac with explosives strapped to his chest would NEVER penetrate the tight security that would engulf such a massive space launch...the fact that this film portrays Christians as [crazy] goes against every norm and law that Christianity espouses. Ironically, the few pounds of explosives that (unbelievably) brought down the entire launch pad were invented and mass produced by the very science the movie glorifies.

Save your money and watch an episode or two of Mr. Rogers. It's [less expensive], more worth your attention, and even educational. The puppets that come alive in Rogers' lonely house at the dead end of a one-way street are far more entertaining than the filth-ridden "Contact".

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother with the movie
Review: There is more imagination and intriguing conflict in the book than in anything Hollywood could produce. Sagan was a gift to readers who value thought above hyperbole and substance over style (though the book lacks for nothing in the style department). The best aspect of the book was the author's ability to take broad and complex ideas and theories from the realms of science and religion and make them completely understandable to the layperson. It was extraordinarily easy to read yet at the same time so packed with great characters and dialogue and thought-provoking material that I felt compelled to pause to digest and appreciate and reread quite a bit.
The movie was utterly mediocre. It glossed over virtually every conflict and resolution and made the Arroway character (one of the strongest and most dynamic female characters I've ever read) into a sniveling sympathy magnet. If not for a few amusing political subplots and some entertaining effects, the movie would qualify as the worst adaptation of a novel that I have ever seen. It was a waste of some serious acting talent and an insult to a modern fiction masterpiece.
If you've already seen the movie, do whatever you have to do to forget it, then read the book.