Contact
1997 · Movie · PG · 150 min · ★ 7.4 · 66% critics
A radio astronomer detects the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever heard on Earth. As governments and scientists race to interpret the message, she must weigh her convictions against what she can prove, what she believes, and what it all means in reality.
Based on Contact
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Details
- Years
- 1997
- Release date
- 1997-07-11
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 150 min
- Critic score
- 66/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (5,004 votes)
- Box office
- $171,120,329
- Budget
- $90,000,000
About
If you enjoy thoughtful, science-forward first-contact stories like Arrival or Interstellar, you’ll likely like Contact; Not for you if you want a purely action-driven alien movie or you dislike films that tackle science vs religion themes.
Pros: smart sci-fi ideas; strong performances; science-heavy dialogue | Cons: late action drift; weak/dated effects; polarizing faith debates
Themes
- based on novel or book
- nasa
- extraterrestrial technology
- new mexico
- prime number
- radio wave
- wormhole
- fanatic
- spirituality
- religion
- scientist
- sabotage
- +8 more
Awards & recognition
- Hugo Award — Best Dramatic Presentation · 1998
- Academy Award — Best Sound · 1998 · nominated
Cast & crew
Jodie Foster
as Ellie Arroway
Matthew McConaughey
as Palmer Joss
James Woods
as Michael Kitz
John Hurt
as S. R. Hadden
Tom Skerritt
as David Drumlin
William Fichtner
as Kent
David Morse
as Ted Arroway
Angela Bassett
as Rachel Constantine
Geoffrey Blake
as Fisher
Max Martini
as Willie
Directed by Robert Zemeckis