Customer Reviews

Contact (Bilingual) [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(232)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(34)

 

 

I have seen the movie may times and love it very much.

Presently, I am "stocking up" for my retirement (in about 1 1/2 years from now).
So for now, aside from unwrapping it and putting on the shelf, nothing.

Jean

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.

When you want to create a world for a big budget science fiction movie, it has to litterally be it';s own world with little or no connection with the everyday world. Showing CNN news casters in this movie from start to finish was clearly a case of over-kill and took away from what the film was supposed to be, had George Lucas or Steven Spielberg made this movie, it would have been a lot more then what was delivered here, which was not much.
Carl Sagan's best known films and statements on Mankind's place in the universe was much better explored with the PBS series, COSMOS.

They did an amazing job bringing this to Blur ray! Worth adding to your BR collection! My only nit pick about BR releases is lack of added content, like deleted scenes and the little extra us movie nuts love! Gag reels and deleted scenes make for a complete disk! On and Inserts would be nice!

One of my favorite subjects as I was growing up and into my early 20s, was backyard skywatching and astronomy. I believe this movie accurately portrays the emotional aspects of science in general and astronomy in particular: the sense of awe and beauty when confronted with infinity, and the sense of lonliness felt by everyone with an idealistic passion.

If you have ever read Carl Sagan's books, you'll see that this movie touches upon the usual staples of a Carl Sagan read: the foundation of religion vs. the foundation of science, the mutual misunderstanding and struggle between those governed by curious optimism versus those governed by primal fear, and a demonstration of the dangers of a world that depends on science which is filled with so many people who do not understand it.

Some have argued that they find Contact to be "preachy." I don't really see much of a foundation in that assessment of the movie. Just like in real life, the ultimate philosophical answers are left wide open at the end of this movie, leaving it open to many different interpretations. And I think it's refreshing to see a movie that doesn't follow the contemporary pattern of avoiding any serious discussion about morality and philosophy. These are some of the conversations the human race will be forced to have with itself if we want to survive the coming centuries. Recent events since this movie was released and Carl Sagan's death only accentuate the importance of facing this fact.

I love this movie. From the beautiful computer-generated opening sequence, through the middle sequences detailing the main character's relentless and passionate quest for scientific knowledge and exploration, to the adventurous surreal climax, I felt that I had a personal connection with almost every aspect of this movie.

Simply one of the best movies in my collection. An all-star cast anchor this layered story about contact with aliens, science, friendship, love and most of all faith. I would highly recommend this movie as one of the best movies I have ever seen!

Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), appropriate last name, is a scientist seeking the fringes of space to find if we are alone. Mean time she has to overcome terrestrial impediments as Dr. David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt) a limelight-steeling pragmatist, and Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey) the religious antagonist. Supported by the mysterious multi-billionaire S.R. Hadden (John Hurt), will Ellie get her wish or is she a victim of Occam's razor.

Intriguing story based on a book by Carl Sagan; however, I never read the book to compare. The supposedly two-sided story that becomes two versions of the same argument is rather hokey and one-dimensional.

Occam's (or Ockham's) razor is a principle attributed to the 14th century logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. Ockham was the village in the English county of Surrey where he was born.
The principle states "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."

I have followed the film from the movies to Blu-ray and will probably watch it again when the re-master for 3D or whatever comes next. However, the basic acting has not changed with any technical innovation.

On the positive side, the Blu-ray edition is packed with DVD extras that include several commentaries, trailers and much more. After the commentaries, SETI yourself down and re-watch the movie.

Contact by Carl Sagan

Anyone who feels any sense of wonder and excitement about science will love it. This film is a life changing experience!

this movie pleasantly surprised me.i had put off seeing it for
years,mainly for 2 reasons.the first reason is that the movie looked
like it would be 1 long bore.the 2nd reason is Jodie Foster.i have
never been a fan of her.something about her just rubs me the wrong
way.however,tonite the movie was on 1 of the movie channels,and i
thought,what the heck.i'll give It a shot.i figured i'd watch for a
short time,then become bored and do something else.that was not to be
the case.yes,the movie is long,clocking in at almost exactly 2 and a
half hours.but it doesn't feel like a 2 and a half hour movie.i thought
the time went by rather quickly,and considering the subject matter,you
wouldn't think that would be the case.the movie has a lot of dialogue
and passive action,for the most part.a drama,more than anything.but the
filmmakers made it interesting,and even compelling at times.the visual
effects were very well done.the film has a beautiful look to it in many
scenes.Jodie Foster did a good job in this movie,and i didn't find her
annoying at all.i think she really brought some heart and soul,some
passion to her character.i also liked the use of irony in a scene
towards the end of the movie.it's nice to be pleasantly surprised once
in awhile.for me "Contact" is a 4.3/5

This is one of the most layered, thought provoking, dramatic, and moving films I have seen in years. On the surface, it is a great space adventure film, but look deeper, and it takes all of our wonder about the meaning of existence, and boils it down to how we learn about ourselves through our relationships...work, family, and love. See it. See it. See it.