Rating: 
Summary: Better than the movie Signs
Review: Don't waste your money on a bad sci-fi movie that uses Mel Gibson as a way to atract viewers. The movie Contact has an excellent and very original story. It mixes the concept of aliens and religion in an interesting manner. If you normally buy VHS, make an exception in this case and get the dvd.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating story that plants the seeds for much debate
Review: Carl Sagan should have written more fiction, as this is one of the best written and most intelligent books in the genre. The characters are fascinating, the human element of the story truly inspiring, the conclusion radical and eye-opening and it's written on a level anyone can understand. Sagan's writing conceptualizes science without sacrificing an enjoyable story. Open minded readers will appreciate the symbolism and irony absent in the film version as skeptics becomes believers and the tables turn on the debate between science and religion. You won't be disappointed. The ending in "Contact" is the most surprising and satisfying that I've ever read. It really gets you thinking about the universe, it's origin and our place in it.
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Summary: Could have made closer Contact
Review: I like the way this movie attempted to put a realistic portrayal on the media frenzy and world wide reaction of our Setti sattlelites transmitting extra terrestial messages. The manner to which that was done was believable.
Nevertheless, "Contact's" ending felt incomplete and it didn't satisfy me. I know this movie is based on a book by Carl Sagan but, this movie would have been better served if the director took artisitc liberties by offering a concrete explanation about the aliens who sent the messages rather then leaving that as an open topic that can be loosely interepreted through science and religion.
Rating:
Summary: Dazzling axe-grinding, but well worth a viewing
Review: Hollywood grinds out yet another movie about making contact with an alien. Ho-hum, right? Hold on. This one is grounded in the real world for a change, not the la-de-da what-if world of a fantasizer (although those can often be quite entertaining; it's just that this one is refreshing because of the perspective of writer/producer Carl Sagan). We see the struggle of the modern scientist to be taken seriously, the single-mindedness that marks the great mind, the helplessness of losing control of one's "baby," all in the setting of a visually unique experience that's as dazzling as anything I've seen on film. Yet it's also Sagan's perspective that spoils the experience on one level. His evolution-based theories have always caused him to be singled out for opposition commentary by those who believe in Creation rather than his purist form of natural selection. Therefore his story includes snotty religionists (Rob Lowe in a bit of bizarre casting, thinly disguised as Jerry Falwell) and mindless fanatacism masquerading as religious fervor (stunning role by Jody Busey, son of Gary). This smacks of possibly a "strike back at them" attitude in Sagan's heart, as he seems to see ALL Christians now as wild-eyed freaks and self-righteous hypocrites. Sagan's idea of presenting a balanced perspective toward those with religious views is to include a near-priest who dropped out because he "couldn't handle celibacy" and hops into the sack with Foster right away, yet is our Godly hero. Puh-leeze. Have to have sex to sell tickets, I guess, but that's seriously left field. Likewise the government people and department heads are all one-dimensional bad guys. I continue hope in vain that the movie industry at large can one day manage to lose its prejudice against us with a deep faith in God, and thereby present Christians as real three-dimensional people rather than one-note props to play off of and treat as idiots, yet there is no doubt that the story of "Contact" is moving and exciting, visually hypnotic and inventive. Obviously it does not commit the sin of boring the viewer; it's one you can debate after seeing it. Further, major props to the makers for at least presenting the scientist herself even-handedly. She is not Ms. Perfect. That would have been unforgivable. It's a shame she's the only character in the entire story who really seems like a real person with complexities and a past. For a 2-1/2 hour film, you'd think at least one other character would have the hint of a personal history. Oh well, not everyone can create a Babylon 5 universe.....
Rating:
Summary: Out of This World, Yet In It
Review: This movie has a lot to offer. Besides the fact that the special effects are great and the acting is great, the story is entertaining and realistic (okay, to a degree). The science world is exposed as to how it really is -- more driven by money, politics and ego than most care to admit. It also shows that although science can do wonders, it is not the answer to everything (by the way, my background is in the hard sciences). Before you know it, you may be wondering about Godel's Incompleteness Theorem and really appreciating what it says.
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Summary: My favorite story. . . period.
Review: Awesome. Thought provoking fiction backed with hard, science fact. The best case scenario for communicating with intelligent extraterrestrials. . .
Rating:
Summary: Abridged audio version - great story, but too abridged
Review: Jodie Foster does a very nice job reading Carl Sagan's wonderful book, and for those of us who have seen the film, it's easy to imagine her as Dr. Arroway as she leads us through the story. This audio book version, however, is only four cassettes long, and leaves out large chunks of the book, sadly. Still, it's an enjoyable and exciting journey as scientists receive the signal from outer space and rush to decode it. They find multiple layers to the signal, and over time, layers within layers. As the scientists learn that the signal is actually a series of instructions, they must fight many battles, overcoming paranoia and international politics to build The Machine. Finally, the quest for knowledge overcomes even military leaders, and Earth sends five scientists to find out what lies beyond our own small solar system. Their journey, and the answers they find, leads mostly to more questions, and they realize that this is only the first step of a very, very long journey, but that we are not alone in our quest, and that there are many things in the universe humankind never imagined. Fans of the movie will find some elements much different than that adaptation of Sagan's story, though both the film and the book have much to recommend them, and I feel that most people who enjoyed one version will likely enjoy the other - as long as they allow for the inevitable differences that occur between books and movies. I saw the movie first, and read the book second, but still enjoyed both very much.
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Summary: Wanna Take a Ride?
Review: Wanna Take a ride? This is a really great movie, for those who like to question what really is out there. While Jodi Foster is not my ideal image as an ambassador of our planet I have to say that she does a great job here. Overall-Yes Armagedon was more fun, but this one has better science
Rating: 
Summary: How Could They Go So Horribly Wrong?
Review: Author Carl Sagan? Big name. Director Robert Zemeckis? Big name. Academy Award winning actress Jodie Foster? Big name. Not three strikes, but still an out ... out cold as in a sleepfest came CONTACT onto the silver screen. Based on the book by Carl Sagan, the premise is fascinating: an alien intelligence finally makes contact with SETI, providing mankind with instructions to build ... well ... er ... something that'll make advanced contact possible. Even with stellar supporting performances by James Woods, Matthew Connaughey (sp?), Tom Skerritt, and Angela Bassett, somehow CONTACT still feels sadly like 'the little engine that couldn't,' a conglomeration of talent surrounding some big ideas that only delivers a 'Twilight Zone' type ending. However, major kudos and hats off to cast & crew for keeping the film -- as does the book -- on track with the stellar theme that, before we start understanding the cosmos, we should begin with understanding ourselves. Once more and perhaps its only notable achievement is the fact that CONTACT underscores the final frontier may not lie in a galaxy far, far away but very well be inside each and every one of us as the truest human condition.
Rating:
Summary: My first DVD!
Review: Having owned and seen many DVD's since getting my player in '98, I can now come back and say that this is one of the best. CONTACT is based on a book by Carl Sagan, and I approached it with caution but interest. It was a wonderful film to see on the big screen and of course lost some of that power in the transfer to your TV set. That aside, the transfer is GREAT and the sound-especially if you have DD 5.1 (I believe there is a DTS version as well) -is fantastic. The extras are actually interesting here; I really loved the explanation of the computer animated sequence for the opening of the picture. The other menu items are also interesting. Knowing Sagan's proclivities, I figured there would be a strong 'bash on religious thought' undercurrent to the film. I was pleased to see that that was not the case. The monumental issues of faith and science were *generally* dealt with respectfully. I did find Matthew M's character (former man of the cloth Palmer Joss) to be an interesting foil for Jodie Foster, SETI scientist, answering her pointed questions with even more thought-provoking statements like "Prove it." I appreciated that because, in fact, the naturalist/rationalist is at the same pains to support their ideologies. But I digress... Perhaps the most interesting point to the entire film is the way in which Foster's doubting character is forced to defend herself in the face of evidence that she imagined the entire experience. This alone leads me to believe that the entire purpose of the film is to tell the story of one person's transformation from skeptic to surprised and berated believer. How interesting... On the other hand, the preacher has no problem sleeping with Jodie Foster which was more than a bit strange, and the film's consistant portrayal of religious followers/leaders as morons and lunatics (Busey) grated on me after a while. Ugh. How tiring. How a number of reviewers can claim that this film was some sort of religious propaganda is *beyond* me. Outside of 'Palmer Joss' the 'religious' characters are anything but likeable. In the end, the film was still very good and well worth seeing despite these issues. It remains a powerful film with amazing originality. The effects are wonderful, the displays of CNN crew and President Clinton effective at first, then a bit annoying. Finally, to answer the question 'What was the point of having Jodie Foster travel all that way to meet her father?' Uh, I think the reasons for that are obvious: 1) To prove to some of the numbskull film audience out there that perhaps not everything in life is not tied up with a ribbon as nicely as we want it to be. 2) The fact that perhaps this alien culture tailors these trips to the individual making them-and they knew that Foster's character had unfinished business with her father. 3) Plus, rather than overloading Foster's character, they presented themselves in a pleasing form. Makes sense to me.
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