Contact (1997)

Arrival. Seriously though, such a killer movie.

Ethan Martin said:Hahahhaha, you nailed it, man! 👍

What a freaking mess this "arrival" thing is...

Comparing it to Contact? Oh, God, save me. I’m done talking—I already know the tidal wave of people defending Arrival is about to hit.

Look, I honestly love director Denis Villeneuve (as everyone knows), but Arrival is massively overrated.

Compared to Contact? Not even in the same league.

Well, I don't know—to me, Arrival was excellent. It’s just not in the same category as Contact, whether you look at the themes or anything else. I can't compare those two movies at all...

And I’ve only seen it once, because as a mother, I found it incredibly heavy and emotional—just deeply moving... And honestly, that’s what I value most in a movie: that emotional impact.

But hey, to each their own! 🙂

Olivia Alvarez said:Honestly, I don't know—to me, Arrival is outstanding. It isn't even in the same league as Contact, whether you're looking at the themes or anything else. I just can't compare those two movies at all...

And I’ve only watched it once—as a mother, it was incredibly heavy and emotional, just deeply moving... And that's what I value most in cinema—that emotional impact.

But hey, to each their own. 🙂

I appreciate emotional impact too, but I really can't wrap my head around psychedelia in film—while Arrival definitely has plenty of it, to each their own, I suppose. 🙂. 🙂

Morgan Rodriguez57 said:Arrival is totally my guilty pleasure. 😳

But I mean the one from '96.

Wait, is that the one starring Charlie Sheen?

Tyler Garcia69 said:Is that the one with Charlie Sheen?

Yeah.
I actually sat through it just because of this thread.
The first half is decent enough—classic 90s sci-fi vibes😍—but the second half? Just a dragged-out mess.
God, what an Elijen. 🤦😁

feralpilot0 said:Yeah.
I actually went back and rewatched it just because of this thread.
The first half was awesome—it felt like that classic 90s sci-fi vibe😍—but then the second half just drags on forever. Total desperation.
Man, those aliens... 🤦😁

👍

To be honest, I’d kind of forgotten most of it since it's been ages since I last saw it. Honestly, maybe it's better that way! :-D

feralpilot0 said:Yeah.
I actually took a look at it just because of this thread.
The first half is great—it’s got that classic 90s sci-fi vibe😍—but the second half feels like a total slog.
Man, that Alien influence... 🤦😁

Fair enough, but I feel like the movie actually has... hm... "soul." And you have to admit, considering the era and the budget, the effects still hold up incredibly well. Plus, the story isn't boring—it really keeps you hooked throughout, even if the ending doesn't quite hit as hard as the first half. It's not a disaster, though; honestly, the ending is decent enough.

To me personally, it’s just a really dear sci-fi flick. 🍿

Arrival is such a conceptually solid sci-fi flick, and honestly, Sheen’s performance is just phenomenal. That alone is enough reason for me to sit down and watch it all over again.
But then—man—you get stuck back in those first sixty minutes of the movie.

In my opinion, an Oscar was a bit much for this one, though.

Last night Contact was on television. It was that good old Zemeckis film, I suppose.

Back when I was younger, I actually thought this movie was great. It felt light, easy to watch, and had that quick-fire action where scenes just flowed into one another perfectly.
I watched it again yesterday, just like I have a few times before 😁, and honestly, it doesn't hold up nearly as well.
First off, the ending is just incredibly poorly executed. I see people in the comments claiming it somehow strikes a balance between science and faith, but I couldn't disagree more. To me, the ending is a total victory for theism. In fact, the way the film pushes theistic themes through MM's role always feels heavy-handed and forced, which I really dislike. Every time there's a dialogue between Jodie Foster and MM regarding space, God, and all that stuff, Jodie Foster comes across as completely lost—just looking confused and insecure about her own mission. When the topic of God or faith isn't on the table, she seems fine, but the moment it's mentioned, her character retreats into this defensive shell. It happens throughout the whole movie and it’s just poorly handled.
Beyond that, the way the US Government gets involved feels cheap. Having James Woods play James Woods is just typical; he puts on that persona and gives the whole thing an Independence Day acting vibe, which definitely isn't a compliment.
The rest of the cast is just mediocre at best, mostly background players who don't leave much of an impression.
I thought Tom Skerritt gave the best performance. He wasn't overacting, but he played his part well as that subtle power player pulling the strings behind the scenes.

For me, this is just a mindless evening watch. The deeper themes they try to tackle simply aren't executed well enough to stick.

I absolutely loved that movie. Seeing Jodie Foster alongside a young Matthew McConaughey playing the trophy husband was everything. 😬 I actually really dig the religious undertones toward the end because they offer a sense of hope, and honestly, we could all use some. Personally, I prefer that kind of ending over the bleakness of Interstellar. Don't get me wrong, Interstellar is a solid film, but the whole Dylan Thomas vibe with all that heavy pondering on existence and meaning is just too much for me. It’s almost like our brains spike with extra activity right at the end just to comfort us and make that final act easier to swallow.

gentleharbor3 said:I actually really love that religious angle toward the end—it offers a sense of hope, and honestly, we could all use a little more of that right now.

Signed. For me too—that bit just adds another layer to an already incredible movie.

darkbadger46 said:Arrival is actually a really solid sci-fi flick with a phenomenal Sheen. Honestly, that alone is enough reason for me to rewatch it.
But then you're stuck sitting through that first hour all over again.

He definitely deserved an Oscar for this one.

There's a sequel out there too, but I don't remember much about it...

mistyotter35 said:The Second Arrival

Hahahhaha, how original... 😁

Honestly, the book absolutely crushes it. The movie barely even touches 5% of what was actually happening in the novel.

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Regardless of how you interpret the ending, one thing remains clear: people are generally far too naive. We simply won't be able to grasp what a more advanced race is actually doing if we ever make contact with the Elijen. Even after experiencing their technology and having contact with an advanced species, Elanor still can't find a meaningful way to describe it all. The film portrays faith in God and belief in extraterrestrial life quite beautifully. For Elanor, this advanced race acts almost like a version of God, and she tries to explain it through science—even though, for religious people, such an explanation might feel like blasphemy.

While all of this might be irrelevant to daily life—faith is fine, but you ultimately create your own happiness—existential crises and the fear of death are big reasons why believing in something beyond our understanding helps. The idea that "they" will be there at the end to help us face death or navigate hardships... it provides comfort. Elanor saw her father again, but it wasn't really him; it was just the way the advanced race communicates with her, using her own memories. It makes you wonder: does Elanor believe she’ll become some kind of greater spirit in deep space when she dies? Is that what heaven is? An advanced race as God? Can science ever prove God exists? But the reality is simpler: these are just the ways this advanced race operates. They admire human civilization and simply wanted to establish contact. Which brings us back to the title...

The movie itself doesn't offer any groundbreaking observations, but thinking about it definitely sparks some good discussions.

Gregory Brown94 said:.............................

.................... Can science actually prove the existence of God? The reality is that these are just the methods an advanced race uses to operate, they look upon human civilization with curiosity and wanted to establish Contact. That's why the movie title makes sense...

The film itself doesn't offer groundbreaking insights, but it certainly sparks some great debates.

It wasn't aliens looking for contact; it was a billionaire trying to win over Elanor's trust. Someone dreamt up a detailed blueprint for traveling through... space (?), so he needed someone with "faith" to execute his vision.

Essentially, the documentation was navodno sent by an alien intelligence to encourage humans to reach out.
But the "travel machine" in the movie is a product of the human mind. Both the concept and the actual construction of the wormhole device...

I haven't watched the movie in a while—so I might be slightly off in my response to your post—but the core idea is that humanity is seeking contact with aliens, rather than receiving help from them.

It seems somewhat reminiscent of what we saw in "2001: A Space Odyssey". There is this lingering message left behind, and I suppose it is up to human ingenuity and our current level of technological advancement to dictate how things proceed from here.

mistyotter35 said:It’s quite similar to what you see in... 2001: A Space OdysseyA message has been left behind, and now it’s up to human ingenuity and our technological progress to decide what happens next.

Not even close. It doesn't hold a candle to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Not by a long shot.
It feels like there’s an extraterrestrial force at work there—something that was present even before civilization truly began.
In that Kubrickian masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the core message is actually a transmission sent from something far beyond humanity.

It’s just like *Contact* by Carl Sagan, isn't it? We humans are practically begging for a message from the stars. That billionaire was searching for Eleanor... it’s all so deeply human. There aren't any little green men or greys out there.

So, here’s the deal:

*Contact* just doesn't hit the same way as *2001: A Space Odyssey*.