Contact
1 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
What critics thought
Contact lands somewhere between prestige drama and sci-fi spectacle, and critics were genuinely split on whether that hybrid works. The film's philosophical ambitions — probing science, faith, and first contact — drew real admiration, but several reviewers felt Zemeckis let visual effects crowd out coherent storytelling, particularly in the climax. Audiences warmed to it more readily than many critics did, and Ebert's later elevation of it to his 'Great Movies' list signals a gap between its mixed initial reception and its growing reputation.
“tells the smartest and most absorbing story about extraterrestrial intelligence since Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“one of 1997's finest motion pictures, and is a forceful reminder that Hollywood is still capable of making magic”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
“a preachy debate between sanctity and science”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorRobert Zemeckis
StarringJodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt
ComposerAlan Silvestri
Contact
1 Oscar Nominations
A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
What critics thought
Contact lands somewhere between prestige drama and sci-fi spectacle, and critics were genuinely split on whether that hybrid works. The film's philosophical ambitions — probing science, faith, and first contact — drew real admiration, but several reviewers felt Zemeckis let visual effects crowd out coherent storytelling, particularly in the climax. Audiences warmed to it more readily than many critics did, and Ebert's later elevation of it to his 'Great Movies' list signals a gap between its mixed initial reception and its growing reputation.
“tells the smartest and most absorbing story about extraterrestrial intelligence since Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“one of 1997's finest motion pictures, and is a forceful reminder that Hollywood is still capable of making magic”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews
“a preachy debate between sanctity and science”
Rita Kempley·The Washington Post
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorRobert Zemeckis
StarringJodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt
ComposerAlan Silvestri
Rent/Purchase