THROWBACK SERIES - CONTACT REVIEW!!!

Initial release date: July 11, 1997

Studios: Warner Brothers/South Side Amusement Co. (now known as ImageMovers)

Plot: In this adaptation of the Carl Sagan novel, Dr. Ellie Arroway races to interpret a possibly message originating from the Vega star system. Once first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence is proven, Arroway contends with restrictive NSA advisor Kitz and religious fanatics bent on containing the implications of such an event. An incredible message is found in the signal, but will Arroway be the one to answer its call?

Cast

Jodie Foster - Ellie Arroway

Matthew McConaughey - Palmer Joss

David Morse - Ted Arroway

Jena Malone - Young Ellie

Geoffrey Blake - Fisher

William Fichtner - Kent

Timothy McNeil - Davio

Tom Skeritt - David Drumlin

Dan Gifford - Jeremy Roth

James Woods - Michael Kitz

Angela Bassett - Rachel Constantine

John Hurt - S.R. Hadden

Writer(s): James V. hart (Epic; August Rush; The Last Mimzy; Sahara)

Michael Goldenberg (Green Lantern; Order of the Phoenix)

Carl Sagan (based on the novel by)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Rated PG for some intense action, mild language and a scene of sensuality (150 minutes)

The 1997 Robert Zemeckis film Contact is a jaw-dropping, thought-provoking film that is extremely intriguing.

The film delivers some amazing visuals and does a great job with the space exploration segments, which I'll talk about very shortly. Contact can also be a little emotional when you see that Ellie's father passed when she was young and she stuck with space exploration since her father got her interested in it.

The exploration sequence where Ellie goes into the machine that is being built is one of the best space exploration sequences ever. The visuals in those scenes are really amazing to look at and there are quite a few films that are about space exploration that really intrigue me - including the 2014 movie Interstellar ( a must watch BTW).

Contact can be a little long but this captivating and interesting film is definitely worth a look!!

Here are some fun tidbits about Contact!

• Author and Producer Carl Sagan died during production. He was reportedly taking great care to ensure that science was accurately depicted in this movie.

• The "UFO ABDUCTION INSURANCE" banner across an RV is from a real company. Warner Brothers paid them to use their ideas in the movie.

• All three acts of the movie begin with a zoomed out-shot of a celestial body, immediately followed by a tight shot of Ellie's eyes. This echoes Sagan's opinions that humans are a way for the universe to experience itself.

• According to producer/director Robert Zemeckis, S.R. Hadden was based on what would happen if a Bill Gates-type lost his mind.

• The four-ringed machine in the movie was originally designed for Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

• The filmmakers put out a call for "UFO enthusiasts." Most of the extras brought their own wardrobe and props.

• To get the technical jargon right, Jodie Foster asked for cue cards for the first time in her career.

• Peter Jackson did some visual effects for this movie, repaying the favor to Zemeckis, who was the executive producer in Jackson's 1996 movie The Frighteners.

• During the development of Contact, the production crew watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for inspiration.

• Contact's release in July 1997 rekindled public interest in Sagan's 1985 novel. The book remained on The New York Times Best-Seller List from July 27 - September 21, 1997.

• The film was released domestically on July 11, 1997, in 1,923 theaters, earning $20.5 million in its opening weekend, ranking at No. 2 behind Men in Black. It eventually grossed $100.9 million domestic and $70.2 million in foreign countries, reaching a worldwide total of $171. 1 million.

https://youtu.be/Q399v-pMG30