Contact (1997)

Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of intelligent aliens, who send plans for a mysterious machine. Based on Carl Sagan’s novel.

Netflix, IMDB

Director: Robert Zemeckis
STC Genre: Golden Fleece (Epic)

  • “Road” – at first, metaphorical, but by the end quite literal travel in space
  • “Team” – her colleagues
  • “Prize” – originally looking for contact. “If we are alone, seems like a lot of waste of space”. But finding much more – and different – than she was hoping for.

This is a classic example of  a good story making a good movie. Obviously, it is well shot, well acted, well directed and all, but none of the super-fancy special effects that Hollywood likes to dazzle us with all the time. Well, there were a few with the machine and travel, but that’s about it.

I found the movie a bit slow paced at times. Consider the opening image – a spectacular flight through space for what seems like two minutes – they could have cut two thirds of it and be just fine. This repeats in a few places, but overall doesn’t hurt the movie. In fact, it sets the tone of a more psychological drama than sci-fi action.

Story is the King. But you knew that already, right?

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