Review 786: Contact

                                                    

Robert Zemeckis’ Contact is a film that deals with love, death and the existence of of God, 

Based on the novel of the same name by Carl Sagan, Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) is a radio astronomer and scientist who has dedicated her life to the SETI (Search for extraterrestrial life). While working at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, she As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, Ellie must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth and reality.  

As shown in the films prologue, young Ellie (an enchanting Jena Malone) was encouraged to pursue science by her father Theodore Arroway (David Morse). Their scenes together give off a strong Spielbergian vibe and childlike sense of wonder. Sadly, he died while she was still young and she’s made it her life’s mission that someday she’ll find him. 

The theme of science vs religion is the thematic backbone of the film, but the emotional core is Ellie's search as well as her mind and personality. However, Ellie’s idealism is put to the test when boss Dr. David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt) cuts the SETI funding because  

all set to a lovely score by Alan Silvestri. 

Ellie is a woman of science while Palmer is a man of faith. They compliment each other superbly.

Seeking funding, Ellie turns to  reclusive billionaire, S. R. Hadden (John Hurt). He’s only in a couple of scenes, but they’re very important and he’s brings a nice mixture of warmth and mystery to them.