Rating: 
Summary: Incredible and thought provoking
Review: I'll concede up front that the fact that this is a major motion picture in the 1990's means that there is a ton of 'junk' in it.Moving past that, the storyline is epic, the plot enigmatic and while some may bash the unanswered questions, the reality is that this was not meant to resolve issues but to explore them.
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational, Ingenious
Review: Every once in a while I dream about Contact and its intriguing ideas. It's been nearly three years since I've seen it. That is how good this movie can be, if you have a ready and open mind, and you are willing to challenge the controversial debate of religion vs. science technology, and the "intelligent" concept of intelligent life outside of Earth in the universe. The legendary Carl Sagan book only "inspires" the film's ideas, not give it the whole script like Grisham and Clancy films. The ideas and concepts are hard to explain fully in words, much like the equally powerful WW2 flicks Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. Jodie Foster delivers her best and most complex performance as an extremely intelligent woman obsessed with finding e.t.intelligence, and Matt McConaughey is great as an equally intelligent religious author. One of the ignored concepts is that science and religion can be together side-by-side, although they are completely opposite. This is shown in the relationship between Foster and McConaughey's characters (scientist & preacher). The special fx are surprisingly limited but effective and used in the most useful ways since Close Encounters and 2001, and the moment when the obsessed religious leader is seen in a camera is probably the most shocking, frightening moment I have ever seen in a Science Fiction movie. My legs were shaking and my mouth were wide open with awe at the same time during the space scene at the end, and the beach scene and its dialogue is thought-provoking, extremely challenging. Robert Zemeckis should be praised greatly for using his skill with visual images (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) and simple messages (Gump) to the best of his ability. Although this film had good domestic box office (not worldwide), I still feel Contact hasn't got the attention and praise it deserved. The critics responded knowingly, but the only a small audience "gets" the film's ideas and acknowledges them.
Rating:
Summary: Superb movie by one of the best contemporary scientists
Review: "Contact" is a fantastic movie intended to ask questions, and has a lot of fun doing it. Some people seem to miss the point, in that they think they're being provided with answers. This movie doesn't give any answers. It doesn't show "the alien", though it shows -a representation- of an alien, from the main character's memory. It says so right in the dialog, but I guess that since "Contact" doesn't come pre-chewed and digested, there are a lot of people who can't understand it. This movie is aimed at people who are willing to think. Others need not apply. What the movie -does- do is ask questions, and really interesting questions at that. An example: any answer to questions like, "are we all alone in the universe" would be bogus, because we don't know. Instead, it asks, and shows an example, of how humans might react to a "first contact" situation. It asks questions relating to science vs religion. It speaks to us of "the world as it is" rather than "the world as we'd like it to be". The only thing it adds is "the message", whatever that really is. The DVD is fantastic, because not only do you get the awsome movie, but you get all the commentary which allows you to extract every iota of meaning from it. I seriously recommend this movie. I have not yet read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Compelling, Human Story that can Draw You In
Review: This is a wonderful story that I was able to connect with. I indentified with Jodie Foster's character on so many levels. This is also a very visually wonderful film. There is some very good cinematography in this film. I enjoyed the movie from that aspect alone. I'm not a fan of Matthew Mc(I can't spell his last name). I was able to get past that though. It was also a very interesting experience to realize that this was the last, pardon the pun, contact we'll ever have from Carl Sagan. I miss him and this movie helps soothe the loss a bit. If you aren't too cynical about life, you'll probably enjoy this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful science-fiction
Review: I first saw "Contact" on opening weekend in the theaters, mostly because it's what my friends wanted to see. (I was very burned out on blockbuster sci-fi at the time). But I fell in love w/ this movie from the opening scene, in space (see the Amazon review). This is a thought-provoking movie, w/ a powerful story. yes, there's the occasional corny line, and it tends to meander a bit, but it still never felt too long for me. Instead, I left the theater feeling awed, and every time I watch this movie, this weird, wonderful feeling comes back to me. I don't know of many movies that make me feel the way "Contact" does. My companions and I were still discussing this film 2 hours after first seeing it. Jodie Foster is her usual awesome self, and kudos for the casting of Jenna Malone as her younger self. Malone reminds me of Foster in most of her work, not just because of a physical resemblance, but for the rare intelligence in her performances. Anyway, if you haven't seen this movie, do. You may feel differently about it than I do, but it is one to make you think.
Rating:
Summary: Nice movie, but the book is much better.
Review: As I had read - and loved - Sagan's "Contact" by 1987, I went to the cinema with a great expectancy, that was not completely fulfilled. In my opinion Contact the Movie is not bad, but it really fades if compared to Contact the Book. The Hollywood guys have flattened the characters to a point of not even resembling the original ones; who reads the book and who sees the movie will hold very different opinions about Dr. David Drumlin, just to mention one example. Many others are around. In the American "popcorn-selling cinema" industry, heroes are heroes, villains are villains, period. Aside it, the scene in that Ellie and Palmer go to bed is a dark spot: not related to the story, absolutely unnecessary, and worse, a reason for many people to blame the film. Sagan didn't make this mistake in the book. And the final activation of the Machine brought me a "Back to the Future" dramatic sensation (Bob Zemeckis again and again), as the "time machine DeLorean" released a colossal storm as it jumped to the time trip. But apart from these flaws, the movie leads us to think about humankind, our place in the Universe, science and religion. Moreover, the movie shows that even the most determined skeptic needs, sometimes, to rely on faith. By criticizing equally the extreme attitudes from the dully skeptic science and the fervorous radical religion, Contact the Movie is fair in this matter. In a way, the movie kept at least part of the spirit of the book. Just to be short: see the movie, and READ THE BOOK.
Rating: 
Summary: Something disappointed!
Review: I was something disappointed with the movie by several reasons: It was given too much to the show... to substitute the message hidden in the infinite of the ciphers of the Pi by the idea of the plans for construction of a machine that allowed a space trip, it was at poor least; There is the attempt of reducing the contact to the encounter and it proves of the existence of God, which is anecdotic; It is full of clichés "everything is inside of us, since we believe "; This film is, for me, far away from reaching the statute of film of the year that many tried to attribute!
Rating: 
Summary: Great premise destroyed by Hollywood touch.
Review: This movie is another example of how truly good sci-fi ideas are mutilated by the hollywood feel-good pandering ending. A good premise, which I would expect from Carl Sagan, and does bring up a good issue debating the meaning of religion in a realm of science. But then it goes way overboard, bringing in the extremists and the ending is laughable when the alien turns out to be in the likeness of her father. I did like the cinematography and as an amateur astronomer I liked the images of stellar objects, but the movie ends up sucking up to the lowest common denominator. C'mon Hollywood, I dare you, put more effort into making good movies, and leave the pandering to the media blitzing campaigns.
Rating: 
Summary: Garbage, Garbage, and more Garbage
Review: This movie is garbage. The people who invested in the making of this movie wasted their money and precious time on a movie that leaves you hanging with tons of questions at the end and tons of regret as to why you actually saw this movie.
Rating:
Summary: One Lame Movie
Review: The theme of this ~~film~~ is the foolish assumption that superior intelligence will confirm the ignorant and arrogant belief that GOD does not exist. While state of the art science clearly proves the impossibility of evolution, atheists desperately cling to the Darwinian fallacy. Ironically, if there was a personal contact with ``benign aliens`` who confirmed Divine Creation, the evolutionist would probably still attempt to justify his own misguided position. While there are ``billions and billions`` of stars in the universe, this failed film gets 1.
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