Contact
Contact
7.569%79%
A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
RichyE reviewedOctober 20, 2025
Saw this one in the cinema, back when sci-fi still dared to be quiet, philosophical and emotionally grounded.
Bought it on DVD later, because some films deserve shelf space.
Jodie Foster plays Ellie Arroway, a radio astronomer who intercepts the first extraterrestrial signal ever received on Earth.
What follows isn’t alien warfare or space battles. it’s a global scramble to decode the message, build a mysterious machine and confront the meaning of belief, truth and human purpose.
Robert Zemeckis directs with restraint and elegance.
The visuals are clean, the pacing deliberate and the emotional beats land with surprising weight.
Matthew McConaughey plays Palmer Joss, a spiritual counterpoint to Ellie’s scientific rigor.
Their dynamic adds tension and warmth, especially as the film explores the uneasy marriage of faith and reason.
The cast is stacked, John Hurt, Angela Bassett, James Woods, Tom Skerritt and William Fichtner all bring depth to a story that could’ve easily drowned in exposition.
It’s ambitious, emotionally intelligent and quietly profound, with wormhole journeys, Pi mysteries and a final act that dares you to believe.