This movie is terrible

She rides through space and time to meet her father on some tropical beach. Of course it's not literal, but that doesn't give it the right to be crap.

Pretty good film about truth seeking dressed up as a science fiction / alien tale

While this movie is often held up as a science fiction story about first contact with beings from another world, that is only the framework for what the story of this movie is about (I have not read the book and do not know if the book is similar to the movie, but the Carl Sagan was involved in the screenplay). Contact also refers to the human search for truth and what coming into contact with that is like. This isn't a particularly subtle story, but it does have a strong point to make about the humility true seekers of truth have versus those who talk about truth, but distort and destroy as they advance some other agenda.

A mistaken view of the movie would be to see it as science versus religion or as reality versus faith. Sagan is actually pointing out the similarity of scientific truth seeking and faith - a lesson that Eleanor Arroway (played by the great Jodie Foster) eventually learns as she is persecuted for the reality she experienced, but cannot prove. She even refers to her experience as a vision in trying to describe it. And her soulmate, the man of faith Palmer Joss (played quite well by Matthew McConaughey), supports her testimony and sees something in the search for truth through science that he had not suspected.

The bad guys in the film are on both sides and are portrayed a bit ham handedly, but are well acted by Jake Busey as Joseph, and James Woods as Michael Kitz. Joseph is the wild eyed "prophet" whose vision of the truth leads him to reject anything that science has to say (except the making of explosives, apparently), and Michael Kitz is a cynical politician who "investigates" Arroway's experience, but who is really using her to try and advance his political career. (Why they simply didn't have someone else go through the machine to verify what Arroway said one way or the other eludes me - maybe the story made up some "reason" to prevent that logical next step.) So, this way the story pairs Arroway and Joss as true seekers who have humility and devotion to the truth, but who have different approaches. Their love story shows them as soul mates not only in love, but also in their love of truth. Then we have the idiot bad guys Joseph and Kitz who have other desires and only pretend to be seeking the truth. They already "know" their truth and aren't seeking anything.

The other characters all help dress out this theme and add to an interesting story, but this is the main point of the story and makes for a pretty good film. Just don't expect a terrific science fiction / alien film, because that is not what this really is.

Not bad until last the 1/4...

...when it becomes at turns drearily predictable and unpredictably schmaltzy.

The best thing about this film is Jodie Foster...so easy on the eyes, and such a talented actress to boot! She projects a very attractive spunkiness and tenacity which fit her slightly masculine features perfectly. The rest of the cast, which includes James Woods, Angela Bassett, and Matthew McConaughy (sp), are pretty competent but they can do only so much when the script goes south towards the end.