ContactWhen we send our hopes and dreams up on high, into the great unknown, the void above, praying for an answer...what happens when there is one? Dr. Eleanor "Ellie" Ann Arroway (Jodie Foster) has been listening for the sounds of other intelligent life out in the ether for probably her whole life. She is a scientist, whose life was molded from her experiences in her formative years, including her striking intelligence, and her role in the scientific community as a woman. She claims she is a die hard empiricist, putting stock only in that which can be proven. But when an alien transmission begins to reveal possibilities she cannot strictly prove, her definition of faith is put through the scientific method.
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The story of Contact and its development is nearly as involved as Ellie's own journey to realize her aspirations to prove the existence of other life in the universe. Contact was originally conceived as a film by none other than renowned scientist and astronomer, Carl Sagan, who--along with Ann Druyan--created the story to include the themes of science and religion as it is in the film. The movie fell into a stagnation of development for various reasons, which in turn led Carl Sagan to adapt the work into the novel of the same name. But even though the development of Contact seemed as unlikely as Ellie's chances in the film, it was finally realized in 1997, released in memory of Carl Sagan. Ellie's development mirrors that of some of the most dedicated and influential of scientists and professionals. A young Ellie (Jena Malone) sought to understand rudimentary radio transmissions, and her inquisitiveness was fostered by her father, Theodore Arroway (David Morse), recognizing the deeper impulse for Ellie to seek out her late mother, who she never really knew. This deep calling was heightened by the passing of her father at a young age, and in her grief, she insulated herself against the possibility that things happen without a provable sequence of cause and effect. But deep down, her passion to seek some answer, open some line of communication with some presence beyond the world as she knew it consumed her, driven by the desire to abate the loneliness which made its home in her. It is unsurprising that, in moments of crisis, people tend to gravitate one way or the other in matters of faith, but it is clear that Ellie is torn, because her faith is one which she cannot clearly define yet, and is one she is hesitant to accept, avoiding the risk of making herself vulnerable.
Ellie's encounter with a charismatic and naturalistic author and theologian named Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey) is the perfect confluence of her fears and anxieties, and the deeper calling in her heart. They share a brief romance when she is younger, while she is working at a research facility for SETI in Puerto Rico, but she actively dodges getting involved with him. Later, following her discovery of the alien transmission from somewhere near the star called Vega, she encounters him again, and the two discourse about their mutual covenants. In a day and age where too often conversations about religion and science become "religion versus science", devolving into acrimony and rhetoric, the frank and heartfelt dialogue between Palmer and Ellie feels authentic when it should, and guarded when it isn't. It is a great parable for the marriage of these two philosophies, all too often labelled as opposites, which are ultimately both about the "pursuit of truth", and are not necessarily mutually exclusive, since their commonality is faith. Ellie tells Palmer that her reason to volunteer to be sent to pilot the alien device, at potentially great risk to her well being, is because the sacrifice would be one which would be for the betterment of humanity, even at the expense of her life. Her claims are those of a martyr, and carry a resonance for Palmer as a Christian. But what is also concealed in Ellie is that she still clamors to discover in the "heavens", if somewhere, perhaps, her mother and her father are above, watching over her, to comfort to her loneliness. This is a truth she conceals even from herself, but one which becomes evident during the selection process to pioneer the alien vessel and represent humanity. When Palmer, a panelist to determine who will be selected, asks Ellie if she is a "spiritual person", she stammers and evades the question; she doesn't outright answer "yes" or "no". This is because she is ultimately unsure, even though she has convinced she must commit--as a scientist--to quantifying faith as a non-value, scared to put it to the test and run the risk that her unspoken wishes are just that. But just as Ellie asserts when she seeks funding from reclusive industrialist S. R. Hadden (John Hurt) so that she may lease the "Very Large Array" (VLA) in New Mexico and continue her research, where would we be if others hadn't taken the plunge into scientific endeavors which had been until then labelled as "science fiction".
Contact is a very acutely cast film; virtually every actor conveys an unspoken sense of personality to them which makes them like archetypes for real-world (or at least familiar) counterparts in similar scenarios. Even comparatively smaller parts like the fanatical terrorist, Joseph (Jake Busey), or White House Chief of Staff Rachel Constantine (Angela Bassett), evoke more complexity in the plot by virtue of these actors' personae. Contact is also heavily infused with a sense of media awareness, with global interest peaked after the reveal of not only the existence of the Vega signal, but also its content. There are multitudes of video clips featuring real-world news and entertainment personalities commenting on the events of the plot in Contact that gives the film an added layer of verisimilitude. Even former President Bill Clinton makes an appearance--in a manner of speaking--by virtue of digitally composited scenes using his likeness, and lifting actual speeches made, and--with surprising ease, due to the generic content of the speeches--make it sound as though he were speaking about the Vega signal and so on. The signal itself comes from approximately twenty-seven light years away, and to illustrate both how the signal takes years to travel across space, the opening of Contact deftly zooms out from our planet, amid the sounds of contemporary music and broadcasts. As we move further away, the signals we hear are older and older, as though rewinding time. The "wormhole generator" produced by the schematics sent encoded in the Vega signal is provided by a progenitor race, passed down through unknown eons, facilitating an intergalactic warp of space and time. It's concept, and even it's design, would be a popular influence for the acclaimed science fiction video game series, "Mass Effect". The wormhole sequence in Contact also shares similarities with the "stargate sequence" from Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, albeit with a somewhat warmer tone. The production team for Contact is reported to have watched 2001, and the evidence of its influence is apparent. Coincidentally, it has been said of 2001 that Kubrick's film was so visionary as to have inspired scientists in their own theories of the domain of space and intergalactic travel, suggesting that, not unlike the alien engine which produces the energy to generate the wormhole, that film has fueled science, which in turn has fueled film's depiction of space in a kind of closed loop.
Ellie's long-standing rival and scientific usurper, David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), is initially chosen for the mission to represent humanity, which is ironic, as Drumlin is largely established to be an unscrupulous opportunist, and succeeds time and again by his apparent ease at fabricating his personality to fit the surrounding politics--a "talent" Ellie has not cultivated. Drumlin is not a sympathetic character; his purported "pragmatism" in treating science as being subject to popular economics and context smacks of demagoguery, and is counter to the assertions of Palmer and Ellie--and science as a whole--that it is only in the search for truth where one will find answers. Drumlin also represents a level of sexism in both the scientific community and government. He frequently overtakes Ellie with zero regard for her involvement, virtually appropriating her discovery of the Vega signal on a larger scale--in which he invites the paranoid National Security Advisor, Michael Kitz (James Woods) to reinforce his actions with the U.S. government. Drumlin also undermines Ellie on a multitude of smaller scales, rarely letting Ellie even finish her own sentences when she provides expert knowledge about the purpose of the signal as it is peeled away, one layer at a time, and "mansplaining" to Ellie that her talents would be best suited toward more practical pursuits, likely putting those talents to his disposal. Drumlin's lack of foresight is most clearly illustrated when Ellie makes her discovery about the Vega signal, which requires not just someone with complex scientific knowledge and problem solving capability, but more important, someone who was listening in the first place.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction story conceived by one of the most brilliant minds in modern science, and startlingly relevant today with respect to its themes. Contact is a parable of faith set amid the backdrop of scientific discovery.
Ellie's encounter with a charismatic and naturalistic author and theologian named Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey) is the perfect confluence of her fears and anxieties, and the deeper calling in her heart. They share a brief romance when she is younger, while she is working at a research facility for SETI in Puerto Rico, but she actively dodges getting involved with him. Later, following her discovery of the alien transmission from somewhere near the star called Vega, she encounters him again, and the two discourse about their mutual covenants. In a day and age where too often conversations about religion and science become "religion versus science", devolving into acrimony and rhetoric, the frank and heartfelt dialogue between Palmer and Ellie feels authentic when it should, and guarded when it isn't. It is a great parable for the marriage of these two philosophies, all too often labelled as opposites, which are ultimately both about the "pursuit of truth", and are not necessarily mutually exclusive, since their commonality is faith. Ellie tells Palmer that her reason to volunteer to be sent to pilot the alien device, at potentially great risk to her well being, is because the sacrifice would be one which would be for the betterment of humanity, even at the expense of her life. Her claims are those of a martyr, and carry a resonance for Palmer as a Christian. But what is also concealed in Ellie is that she still clamors to discover in the "heavens", if somewhere, perhaps, her mother and her father are above, watching over her, to comfort to her loneliness. This is a truth she conceals even from herself, but one which becomes evident during the selection process to pioneer the alien vessel and represent humanity. When Palmer, a panelist to determine who will be selected, asks Ellie if she is a "spiritual person", she stammers and evades the question; she doesn't outright answer "yes" or "no". This is because she is ultimately unsure, even though she has convinced she must commit--as a scientist--to quantifying faith as a non-value, scared to put it to the test and run the risk that her unspoken wishes are just that. But just as Ellie asserts when she seeks funding from reclusive industrialist S. R. Hadden (John Hurt) so that she may lease the "Very Large Array" (VLA) in New Mexico and continue her research, where would we be if others hadn't taken the plunge into scientific endeavors which had been until then labelled as "science fiction".
Contact is a very acutely cast film; virtually every actor conveys an unspoken sense of personality to them which makes them like archetypes for real-world (or at least familiar) counterparts in similar scenarios. Even comparatively smaller parts like the fanatical terrorist, Joseph (Jake Busey), or White House Chief of Staff Rachel Constantine (Angela Bassett), evoke more complexity in the plot by virtue of these actors' personae. Contact is also heavily infused with a sense of media awareness, with global interest peaked after the reveal of not only the existence of the Vega signal, but also its content. There are multitudes of video clips featuring real-world news and entertainment personalities commenting on the events of the plot in Contact that gives the film an added layer of verisimilitude. Even former President Bill Clinton makes an appearance--in a manner of speaking--by virtue of digitally composited scenes using his likeness, and lifting actual speeches made, and--with surprising ease, due to the generic content of the speeches--make it sound as though he were speaking about the Vega signal and so on. The signal itself comes from approximately twenty-seven light years away, and to illustrate both how the signal takes years to travel across space, the opening of Contact deftly zooms out from our planet, amid the sounds of contemporary music and broadcasts. As we move further away, the signals we hear are older and older, as though rewinding time. The "wormhole generator" produced by the schematics sent encoded in the Vega signal is provided by a progenitor race, passed down through unknown eons, facilitating an intergalactic warp of space and time. It's concept, and even it's design, would be a popular influence for the acclaimed science fiction video game series, "Mass Effect". The wormhole sequence in Contact also shares similarities with the "stargate sequence" from Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, albeit with a somewhat warmer tone. The production team for Contact is reported to have watched 2001, and the evidence of its influence is apparent. Coincidentally, it has been said of 2001 that Kubrick's film was so visionary as to have inspired scientists in their own theories of the domain of space and intergalactic travel, suggesting that, not unlike the alien engine which produces the energy to generate the wormhole, that film has fueled science, which in turn has fueled film's depiction of space in a kind of closed loop.
Ellie's long-standing rival and scientific usurper, David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), is initially chosen for the mission to represent humanity, which is ironic, as Drumlin is largely established to be an unscrupulous opportunist, and succeeds time and again by his apparent ease at fabricating his personality to fit the surrounding politics--a "talent" Ellie has not cultivated. Drumlin is not a sympathetic character; his purported "pragmatism" in treating science as being subject to popular economics and context smacks of demagoguery, and is counter to the assertions of Palmer and Ellie--and science as a whole--that it is only in the search for truth where one will find answers. Drumlin also represents a level of sexism in both the scientific community and government. He frequently overtakes Ellie with zero regard for her involvement, virtually appropriating her discovery of the Vega signal on a larger scale--in which he invites the paranoid National Security Advisor, Michael Kitz (James Woods) to reinforce his actions with the U.S. government. Drumlin also undermines Ellie on a multitude of smaller scales, rarely letting Ellie even finish her own sentences when she provides expert knowledge about the purpose of the signal as it is peeled away, one layer at a time, and "mansplaining" to Ellie that her talents would be best suited toward more practical pursuits, likely putting those talents to his disposal. Drumlin's lack of foresight is most clearly illustrated when Ellie makes her discovery about the Vega signal, which requires not just someone with complex scientific knowledge and problem solving capability, but more important, someone who was listening in the first place.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction story conceived by one of the most brilliant minds in modern science, and startlingly relevant today with respect to its themes. Contact is a parable of faith set amid the backdrop of scientific discovery.