Contact (1997)

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers (WGA):

Carl Sagan (novel)
Carl Sagan (story) ...

Release Date:

11 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Get ready to take a chance on something that just might end up being the most profoundly impactful moment for humanity, for the history... of history.

Plot:

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens, who send plans for a mysterious machine.

Plot Keywords:

Airwaves | Occam's Razor | Construction | Interstellar Communication | Space Capsule

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Jena Malone	...	Young Ellie
David Morse	...	Ted Arroway
Jodie Foster	...	Eleanor Arroway
Geoffrey Blake	...	Fisher
William Fichtner	...	Kent
Sami Chester	...	Vernon
Timothy McNeil	...	Davio
Laura Elena Surillo	...	Cantina Woman
Matthew McConaughey	...	Palmer Joss
Tom Skerritt	...	David Drumlin
Henry Strozier	...	Minister
Michael Chaban	...	Hadden Suit
Max Martini	...	Willie (as Maximilian Martini)
Larry King	...	Himself
Thomas Garner	...	Ian Broderick

MPAA:

Rated PG for some intense action, mild language and a scene of sensuality.

Runtime:

153 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #35448) | South Korea:12 | Iceland:12 | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12/9 | Germany:12 (bw) | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Through the entire filming of the scenes at the Very Large Array, the array was actually collecting data.

Goofs:

Factual errors: It is impossible for Dr. Arroway to have graduated from MIT Magna Cum Laude, as MIT gives no such distinctions.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Young Ellie: CQ, this is W9GFO. CQ, this is W9GFO here. Come back?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Twilight Zone

WOW!!!! There is Intelligence in Hollywood!

My only regret about CONTACT is that I didn't see it in a theater.

This movie works on so many levels. It is a fabulously balanced concoction of thrills, suspense, action, politics, acting & characterization, awe, and...(ahem)...INTELLIGENCE! (And not just the alien kind!)

Some have compared this movie to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY...with, perhaps, some justification. There certainly are more than just passing similarities. However, whereas 2001 relied on hardware to (almost) the exclusion of all else and placed a greater emphasis on "spectacle", CONTACT strives for more substance on the human and sociological level. It touches one's emotions in a way that most movies never attempt to, much less succeed. In this, CONTACT could just as well be compared to Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, E.T. But whereas E.T. was meant to wake up the "child" in us, CONTACT succeeds in waking us to the next level! This most definitely is THE movie for BRAINIACS!

I rate CONTACT a STRONG 8 out of 10.