I remember reviewing the hardcover of Carl Sagan's novel, Contact, for the local tabloid where I lived in North Carolina, when the book was first published during the mid-eighties. I enjoyed Contact, especially its concept of what it would be like if an alien civilization contacted us from another solar system and how our religious leaders would react. Mr. Sagan took a hard look at the differences between science and religion with regards to this question.
I, for one, believe that there is other life out there somewhere in our universe. That belief doesn't lessen my own spirituality, but rather enhances it. There's no reason why a God, or Surpreme Being, or God Force, or Higher Power couldn't have created a universe with other life forms in it. I don't see why earth should have a monopoly on God. After all, the universe is a pretty big place.
I honestly don't think the average person has any idea of just how huge the universe actually is, or even cares for that matter. The distance from our planet to where the Big Bang supposedly took place is estimated at fifteen billion light years. That's light years, not miles. A light year is roughly six trillion miles, so multiply that by 15 billion, and that's a lot hell of a lot of milage. Our galaxy is over a 100,000 light years in diameter and a 1,000 light years in thickness. It also has somewhere in the neighborhood of from 200 to 400 billion stars in it. A star is like our sun and usually has at least one or more planets orbiting around it. That's a lot of potential right there for life, and there are billions of galaxies within our universe. See what I mean about the universe being a pretty damn big place?
The movie, Contact, narrows the focus down to Dr. Ellie Arroway (played by Jodie Foster), a person who has been studying the universe since she was nine. Because her mother and then father (played by the great David Morse) died when Ellie was young, she has been on her own for most of her young and then adult life. As a scientist, she has devoted her time to listening to the sounds of the universe in the hope of discovering other life. The majority of her collegues think she's committed professional suicide because either there is no other life out there, or else it's so far away that one will not be able to contact it during this lifetime. Dr. Arroway doesn't care and sticks to her guns and eventually gains the support of billionaire S. R. Hadon, who knows a good, long-term investment when he sees it.
Then, Dr. Arroway does make contact with someone or something from outer space, and suddenly everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, claiming her glory and perseverance for their own. The message from outer space seems to be coming from the vicinity of the Vega system, which is only twenty-six light years away. Within the message are the blueprints for building a machine that will travel there and hopefully back.
While the U.S. Government is debating on whether or not to build the trillion-dollar machine, the religious leaders are questioning how this will affect the masses and their fate in God. One such leader is Palmer Joss (played by Matthew McConaughey, and yes, he does take off his shirt near the beginning of the movie, when he first meets Ellie) who's had a personal experience that turned his life upside down and made him a firm believer in God. Palmer is also in love with Ellie, though she doesn't realize it till later in the movie.
Of course, the machine is eventually built and someone will have to risk their life by volunteering to travel in it. The person selected will represent the entire planet to whoever sent the signals back to earth. This is really what the whole point of the film is about--making contact on a face-to-face basis and to hopefully learn something about our place in the cosmos.
What about the film itself? First, I loved the opening sequence of the movie as the camera pulls back from earth as the sun is coming up. The sounds of voices from old television shows throughout the years and radio signals can be heard in the background. As the camera pulls even further back, we see Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and then we pull out of our solar system and travel through the Eagle Nebula and other breathtaking systems within our own galaxy. Finally, the camera pulls away from the Milky Way galaxy and we begin to see other galaxies, realizing the vastness of our universe. The sequence then ends by breaking up and reappearing within the blue eye of actress, Jena Malone, who plays the young Ellie Arroway.
For me, the next really important scene in the film (warning--spoilers ahead) is when Ellie Arroway travels through the wormholes from our planet to the Vega system, stopping every-so-often to show us a large, alien structure, and then a faraway city on another planet. Finally, Ellie reaches the destination of the pod which is a beach on an alien planet that has closeups of the universe and galaxies in the night sky. Ellie then sees her father, whom the aliens are using after downloading her memories, so she won't be scared or feel threatened. Her father tells her that this is the way it's been done for billions of years and that humanity must be patient in taking its first small steps at contact with other alien civiliations. Her father also tells her that they weren't the first to use this set up of space travel...that it was here when they arrived. Few of Ellie's questions are answered with most being left to the imagination of the viewer's mind. The visuals, however, are stunning in their beauty and realism.
The fact that Ellie Arroway returns to earth with no evidence of the trip other than the eighteen hours of static on her portable headcam and her word that something actually happened, leads to the question of faith and how we apply it within our own lives. The movie definitely leaves a great deal of "food for thought" for the audience. There's a lot to think about here and to digest.
For me, that's what great movies do. They generate something within the viewer that causes him or here to feel more passionate and to question the reality of their life and how to make it better. All the films of importance to me through the last five decades have left me with something unique and vital that touches my heart in a special way and gives me hope and inspiration in the continuing of my own journey, no matter how difficult or frustrating it may seem at times.
I think of the films that include Ben Hur, The Robe, Field of Dreams, Rudy, The Shawshank Redemption (hope is a good thing, perhaps the best of things, and no good thing ever dies), Phenomenon, Seabiscuit, The Green Mile, The Adjustment Bureau, The Dead Zone, Hearts In Atlantis, The Gift with Cate Blancchett, The Last Samurai, Door In the Floor, Thunderheart, Dances With Wolves, and others I can't even remember at the moment. Everyone who loves film will have their own movies of importance and they'll probably be quite different from mine. That what Contact does for me. It gives me hope for humanity at a time when we need it the most.
The behind-the-scenes extras certainly add to the value of the Special Edition DVD of Contact. They have the making of certain scenes within the film, including the opening sequence that so impressed me, the giant machine that's built to send the space pod on its journey, how some scenes are enhanced to appear larger in scope, and dozen's more, including a commentary.
Robert Zemeckis, who directed Contact, created a brillant film that dazzles and enriches the viewing audience in ways that are uplifting and emotionally profound. This was definitely one of the best movies of its year and decade. The musical soundtrack by Alan Silvestri (The Bodyguard) is also fabulous to listen to.
Another thing I just want to mention is the amazing performance of William Fichtner as Kent, the blind astronomer and Arroway's partner. I've been a fan of Mr. Fichtner since Heat, and I loved him in Equililbrium, Ultraviolet, The Perfect Storm, Crash, and The Dark Knight. I absolutely did not recognize him in Contact. That's how much he became the character of Kent. I had to watch the end credits to see who played the role, and I was blown away that it was William Fichtner.
Needless to say, this is a great movie that's worth watching over and over again. I never get tired of seeing Contact. Highly recommended.
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