To me, Contact is the movie that came the closest to showing what the cultural/religious impact would be worldwide in the event we did get definitive proof of life outside Earth. All other 'alien' movies seem to gloss over that.
Same here. This was Carl Sagan's one work of fiction. He was also author & host of the first "Cosmos" season before he passed away, and he was also the NASA scientist behind "The Pale Blue Dot" photo of Earth, which he lobbied to have taken by the Voyager 1 probe before Earth was too distant to see. In the photo, the Earth is within only a pixel of the vast blackness. When Carl Sagan saw the photo, he penned the following: "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." - Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994
The scene where young Ellie is running towards the medicine cabinet is a masterpiece in itself. It was a very creative way to express the feeling of something being so close, yet so far away and out of our reach. The helplessness really comes straight through the screen. One of my favorite shots from any movie.
The best science fiction is a study of how people deal with the new technology/alien/future. What frustrated you was the primary feature of the movie. They showed how the variety of people dealt with the contact: blind acceptance, blind denial, scientific skepticism, government paranoia, religion,
@@romainlettuce118 I don't agree. Yeah, they showed a number of kookie believers. But Palmer Joss was treated with respect, and the theme of the movie was an attempt to reconcile religion and science. As a believer myself who nevertheless rejects all organized religion as human-invented and something that can get pretty kookie, I'm fine with the message.
This movie is very manipulative in framing science as having to be an adversary of faith and they way they painted religious people was clearly antagonistic. That's Hollywood tho so no surprise
@@DMichaelAtLarge I agree, although I would say the theme is more specifically faith and science (and the fact that they're not mutually exclusive) as opposed to any specific religion. Palmer asking Ellie to prove she loved her father, for example. And Ellie ultimately being placed in a situation where her experiences and her message must be accepted with faith. Other than religion having a central aspect of faith, (making it a good vehicle to drive the plot and for character development ) it's not really the theme per se.
Science fiction, or sci-fi, is also social commentary and critique on the human condition and how we respond to certain phenomenon and extraordinary stimuli. It is reason stretched to it's limits and presented as fact...released into the wild, stir to taste then see what transpires. This movie is a perfect example.
You showed the "For Carl" dedication at the end of the movie. The film is based on Carl Sagan's one and only novel. So if the "political scientist" Drumlin and the politics around science seems real, it's because it is. Sagan would know. By the way, this is my favourite movie of all time. "Small moves, Ellie," is something I often say to myself.
This is less sci-fi and more of a scientist's perspective on what would really happen and how political it would get. Also politics was different in the 90's, religion was a much bigger topic, and science and religion butted heads more. It shows how both have their merits - religion can get in the way of important scientific progress, and science can also go too far and become unethical.
I read a book by Carl Sagan: "The Demon Haunted World, Science as a Candle in the Dark". In it, he basicially ridiculed anyone who believes in anything outside of a materialist perspective. Shortly before he died, he said something like; the u iverse is so vast and we know so little that we are arrogant to think we do. Itseemed to me that he should have approached faith and religion in the same way. Isn't it arrogant to believe that there is no God just because science can't prove it? On the other hand, religious people who are threatened by s scientific discovery and therefore refuse to consider the possibility of intelligent life beyond our planet also display arrogance. I believe in God and I don't have any problem with the idea that he created other life and worlds out there.
@@gravitypronepart2201 You dont understand it. The univers is big and we humens are stuck on a little planet. The only way to get data or facts about the endless of space is by telescopes. Its arogant to thinks we get enough data to fully discover our universe. Other things are can be disproven or some things are to time cosuming or expensive to prove. Like how many grains are in a desert. And some things cant be proven. When i ask you my grandmothers namen. You can think about it all you want, you can belive of some name, but you will never know unless i tell you. So its stupid to thin of or belive in a name. And with a high probability will never be abel to leave our solarsystem, unless we discover new physic. Some people belive that we will. but it is stupid to think about it. Humens in the stoneage could see feel the Gravitation, electromagnetic force and weak and the strong nuclear power, but since the begin of mankind there was never a sign of other physical force. So there is no gain to think about it before you find signs of something. No one will ever prove or disprove god. What does it matter to belive in him. what does ist change. Does the mighty creature god need our belives, does he feed of it. Is he going to kill us when we dont belive. What is the benefit of beliving in god? Is it so hard to be a good person for the sake of your on moral, than what god tells you. I think strictly religious people, Creationis etc, are stupid. But people like you who dont belive in stupid religion while having all the facts, only because they cant get over to be wrong. That makes me fucking angry. Dont play the reasonable, logic person when you fucking insane.
Jodie Foster gave everything she had on her role, after a meeting with Carl Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan. The meeting was supposed to take a few minutes, talking mainly about the role, but they ended up talking for hours.
Your debate at the end is exactly what Sagan was going for with the book. An understanding that science and religion don’t have to be in opposition. I’ve always thought the conversation is why this movie is important, even if it is somewhat challenging.
Just my opinion, but I feel like Sagan knew that if science positioned itself against faith, it would alienate and push away half the planet to turn against it. He wanted a more inclusive approach, openly admitting there are unanswered questions on both sides. We see this battle in our politics now. Taking an inclusive approach is better.
Personally I’ve always believed that God gave us science so we could begin to understand His methods. Not to disprove His existence. Just my personal experience. So I get a bit frustrated with those in the religious community who try to deny science.
I think that the movie shows how we, all of us, have a 'measure of faith' that we place in SOMETHING. A Supreme Being, a country, a military, a monetary unit, another person, our own abilities..etc.
Contact is one of those movies about perspective.I am sure a bunch of folks hate the movie. IMO cause it does show how people would react to something like this if it happened in real life. People love great ideas until they don't get the results they want.
The book and movie touched on all the right issues, but did lean towards portraying religious people in a bad light (reflecting Carl Sagan's views in the book, based on religion attacking scientists in history, like Copernicus). And I believe that contact with an alien race would become both a political and religious hot potato. However, their movie summation says it all. The scientific community includes religious people and religion includes a lot of scientifically open-minded people... It's sad that some political and religious groups have wholly rejected sound, proven science in recent memory, with tragic consequences. If Sagan was alive he'd probably feel partly vindicated in his pessimism...
@@HawkKing2000 Well it did portray religious perspective (not people) in a bad light for a couple of reasons: 1) religious context taking over as somehow "more important", when there is no way to measure and compare that kind of a leverage, when it's technically irrelevant with that kind of a discovery, and 2) aiming at some kind of a atheist-scientist profile of people, saying "see, she couldn't prove she was on Vega, this is the same situation we're in when someone asks us for proof of God's existence". Which is questionable in the movie, because all those things - transmission, construction plans etc - already are proof of extraterrestrial existence. It's ok to be both, scientist and religious, as long as you interpret your findings objectively. But it's not about religious scientists - it's more to show how people project their own (very much different) perspective on a finding like that. Some perspectives are open, analytical, welcoming.... Others are limited, full of fear of unknown or any kind of changes. To be honest, how the last two years are going, I'm quite afraid and somehow pessimistic how the world would react to such a discovery or any other big leap for the mankind. We have regressed too much in the last two decades.
We already know how people would react because the debate has long been underway. There's a fringe on every issue that makes others on the same issue look fanatic. The fanatics make the headlines.
rest in peace Dr.Carl Sagan...many many years ago when is was 14years old i read your book "The Cold and the Dark"...it changed my life, and led me to pursue an academic career in science.... thank you for that..and thank you for your endless contributions to the wonderful world of science..
the opening sequence is quite amazing in the way that they show how the radio signals are reaching out to space. As they zoom out and out, older and older tv or radio transmissions can be heard from the past, signaling how far our "presence" in space reached out.
I hoped someone had mentioned this. Then of course it reaches out as far as the invention of radio, which is where the silence begins, as nothing we have ever transmitted has yet reached further than that.
While it was a good attempt, but the timing of the silence was way off. They show passing Jupiter right when audio/radio is saying JFK had just been shot, but Jupiter is not even 40 light minutes from Earth. It would have been far more effective if they had scaled the "silence" to occur when the visuals was around 100 light years form Earth.
@@lestatdelc - Think that was more for effect than accuracy. The audience might understand the solar system, asteroid belt and Jupiter and Saturn, but once into deep space there isn't really context. Audio from 40 minutes earlier when they show Jupiter wouldn't really carry any weight or meaning.
The movie isn't about religion, but the conflict between Science and Faith (for many) has been ongoing for centuries. And it is frustrating, and the movie portrayed that beautifully. IMHO, this is one of the best movies about "contact" that's ever been made. Much better and deeper than spaceships, aliens etc.
When she was in Puerto Rico, she was using the radio telescope at Arecibo -- the bowl with the radio unit suspended by wires. It was abandoned some years later, and the radio unit has fallen. The news photos are depressing.
One of my all time favourite movies.. I have Carl Sagan’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ monologue framed on my living room wall.. I read it regularly as I find know matter what stress life brings, it keeps me grounded. ‘….to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known’ Sadly the Arecibo observatory collapsed in 2020
I will never understand how such a technical wonder was allowed to reach that state of disrepair. Though i never actually got to see it in person while i was in college in PR for a year, i used to follow their operations and always hoped there would be some kind of contact some day...
This movie made me cry when I was younger, first time watching it. At my elementary school age, I was heavy into extraterrestrial life, UFO sightings, the whole shebang. It was definitely a frightening rabbit hole I was in, but this movie gave me another insight that it’s not all doom and gloom and aliens trying to kidnap us. This movie actually gave me The sense of alien life with hope. I’ll never forget how this movie made me feel when I first watched it
One piece of context: in the late 1980s, a "creation science" advocate visited the fundamentalist church I was being raised in. After his dog-and-pony show (which I actually did learn the Lorentz Transformation formula from, speaking of time dilation), there was a Q&A session. One old man said, "Should we make anything of the fact that Carl SAGAN's last name is spelled similarly to 'SATAN'? Even for the creationist visitor, that was a bridge too far, and he said so. I had read Contact by that point, and I asked the creationist what he thought about the novel. His response was that Carl Sagan was a better scientist than a novelist. The comment struck me as exactly half sarcastic, and half sincere. I'm not a fundamentalist any more.
The movie is based on the book "Contact" written by Carl Sagan, who was basically the Neil DeGrasse Tyson of the 20th century as far as being a physicist, astronomer, and a populist spokesperson for science. He was the host of the original "Cosmos" TV series on PBS in 1980. In fact, when they made a reboot version of the series in 2014, Neil deGrasse Tyson hosted it. Carl's wife Ann Druyan, "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, and Brannon Braga who was part of the production team for multiple Star Trek series and movies were executive producers. Carl was very much an agnostic, who on occasion expressed a wish that the existence of God could be real, but he, like Ellie, couldn't see evidence for it. The book explores the themes of the movie, but deviates in the ending and constitutes a sort of wish fulfillment for him that some form of concrete evidence is discovered for the existence of God. Nevertheless, he and Ann Druyan were intimately involved in the production of the film, so Carl had influence on the movie's ending. Even as an agnostic, he was good with the film exploring religion vs. science and faith vs. evidence. The sparkling sand crystals and the stars in the sky at the destination of Ellie's journey that form a backward C is a deliberate tribute to Carl. He died before the movie was completed. The way first contact is presented in both the film and the book accurately reflect how Carl envisioned the event might take place and the methods the aliens might use to communicate without a common language except science. Much of Ellie's philosophy is a direct expression of his philosophy. As for saying that you were expecting science fiction and were surprised how much religion was also involved, there have been many science fiction novels throughout the 20th century that have addressed religion, either directly or metaphorically. "Contact" is hardly unique in this. "Dune" would be a great example of this.
I LOVED the original Cosmos miniseries and it's my favourite book of all time (and I'm a religious person btw). I couldn't stand the new reboot series -- couldn't get past the first episode. Seeing that Neil Degrasse Tyson and Seth McFarlane were behind it kind of makes sense. Can't stand either of those two.
"science fiction novels throughout the 20th century that have addressed religion" Star Trek TNG has had some great Episodes dealing with religion and Star Wars was highly influenced by Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey "A Hero with a thousand Faces" Which finds most religious heroes like Jesus and Hercules ... have very similar story arcs.
Apart from being one of those movies in which the producers actually _listened_ to the scientists, I love this film because it’s one of the greatest That Guy casts. Great character actors who never really achieved name recognition, like Tom Skerrit, John Hurt, David Morse., and especially William Fichtner. You could also count James Woods and Rob Lowe. You see them and say “Oh, it’s…uh… you know. That Guy!” EDIT; I forgot to add, I don’t know if this was a planned casting choice, but Tom Skerrit and John Hurt were also both in _Alien._
This film isn't as frustrating to me because there's proof that Ellie is telling the truth. Not just the 18 hours of static, but the fact that Ellie's chair was torqued out its socket and crushed in a fall that only gave her a bruise. And she was in the chair one second and out the next. The comparisons to faith vs. science are interesting, but the ambiguity the film tries to present isn't there.
to me it is frustrating exactly because there's proof. I want to scream at the screen "THERE'S PROOF!! THEY HAVE IT!!! EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW IT'S ALL TRUE!!! IT SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED AND NOT A GOVERNMENT SECRET!!".
When there was the electro-static interference, Ellie could have slipped out of the chair. Only the deaf guy could hear bits of what she was saying to piece it together. At least that's what skeptics would say.
@@brauliob the chair is in the wrong spot. If it fell straight through and the chair both broke loose on impact and then embedded in the wall, it wouldn't match how the chair went into the wall from a different location and angle after drifting as it was shown. It's not that the evidence is ambiguous or lacking, it's that people actively choose not to acknowledge what contradicts their own narrative.
Sadly, the Arecibo telescope was recently totally destroyed after a lack of maintained caused it to collapse. There are videos of it all over you tube.
It wasn’t so much a lack of maintenance that caused the collapse, as much as damage it sustained from multiple natural disasters & the logistical nightmare, presented by the terrain it was built upon, to maintain its structural integrity.
Wow I can't believe Dark City scored so low. You should still watch that and Minority Report. Another crazy sci-fi movie with a great cast you should definitely check out is A Scanner Darkly.
I think Dark City gets shoved to the back because its so similar to The Matrix. Even though The Matrix came out after Dark City. I like both movies, but I love the film noir vibe of Dark City.
I am confused that for the most part you didn't seem to get that the government understood it was real what she claimed, but bury it for security reasons. At least that's what I understood from your reaction on it. If I am wrong, I apologize. I first watched this movie back on release in the cinema. Liked it, even though was also frustrated by some parts. I wanted MORE in terms of the aliens. With months passing I saw it more and more for what it was and not for what I wanted it to be. Ended up loving it for what it is. Also, a fanboy of Carl Sagan.
I had a somewhat similar reaction to _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy of films. Like so many, I was a huge fan of the books. And the changes made just drove me crazy. But over time and repeated viewings, I have come to truly appreciate everything that it *is* and what it has come to mean to so many.¹ It's truly a monumental achievement. Particularly given what one might expect from Hollywood.² It's amazing _Peter Jackson_ was able to give us what he did. ··•✺•·· ¹ ─ Which was subsequently reinforced by watching reaction videos. ² ─ e.g., _The Hobbit_ films are exactly what one should have expected.
The intro shows that the further you are from earth the older the signal is. That is why it is noisy when close (recent way more numerous radio signals) and quieter as you back away (older les numerous radio signals) This was very brillant and accurate.
When he said, “prove it”, he was asking her to prove she loved her father, not that he existed. He wanted to hammer hone the point that there are abstract concepts (love) that is unprovable - like God.
I like the way the movie flips Faith back on those who don't believe in faith, she saw something that she couldn't prove, they now all have to go on Faith that she saw what she saw. I think you can certainly have faith and science, Faith and Science are NOT mutually exclusive. If science is your faith, you have faith in Science. You have faith that the world will still be spinning tomorrow and hold you to the ground, you have faith that you'll walk outside your door and that will still be oxygen out there to breathe, we all have faith in something, no matter how small it is.
I met the love of my life who introduced me to Carl Sagan, though I knew who he was already, yet she showed me in a passionate way more of Sagan's work. I had already seen contact but did not know Sagan wrote the book. I introduced my love to this movie and it was the greatest gift I could give her. She loved it deeply. We went on to create music with the theme of space science and created music that resonated with people all over the world. Sagan was our inspiration. I may not have her in my life anymore but this movie reminds me of our deep passion for the cosmos. It was emotional to see you you as a couple enjoy this great work. Thank you for this
TBR "Hopefully the aliens come and kill him." Sam, "Always, to killing." TBR "The best solution." Lol! You two are so much fun to watch! You guys both crack me up! Great reaction to a great movie! ( :E
A biologist and an engineer... No wonder I like y'all so much. I'm a biologist too! More seriously, I have to again point out how awesome your outro reactions are. It was interesting to hear your initial knee jerk reaction as soon as the movie ended, and then how your thinking and feelings about the movie sort of evolved the more you talked it out. I personally didn't enjoy the movie and wanted more of a payoff, but I appreciate what the story was trying to do.
Some of the design from Contact on the space travel are taken from the sketch book of Jorosowsky's Dune ! It's insane how many design of modern sci-fi that failed project inspired, even 30 years later !!!
Frustrating as it is there's some realism. When the scientists went to Congress in support of the supercollider that never got built, one of the congressmen asked "Will this make us find god?"
An interesting quote from Carl Sagan, "Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time-when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.”
Contact is probably my all-time favorite movie. This game scratches an itch of what it means to be human and to seek the answer to the ultimate question in the universe. Great watch guys!
I absolutely love Dr. Arroway's question that she'd hypothetically ask the aliens. "How did you do it? How did you survive the technological adolescence without destroying yourself?" Since we as a society cannot seem to get over the seemingly need to destroy others to maintain power or something similar. And I love how Palmer Joss was able to find that middle ground between faith and science. There is plenty of room in the middle for both of those viewpoints to coexist. It's too bad that Carl Sagan (the author of the novel that this movie is based on) did not live long enough to see the final product. He really was the best ambassador of science to the mainstream that we have ever seen. He is surely missed. Finally, I always liked that Elanor Arroway was born in De Pere, Wisconsin, which is one of the suburbs of Green Bay.
From the DVD commentary, Zemeckis said that his only direction to James Woods was "Be James Woods!" Woods improvised the "Where's the girl?" line when he shows up at the array with all the military and reporters.
Despite being an atheist, I really liked the religious aspects of this film…….it’s something that would definitely come to the fore in such a situation. Probably the main argument would be over just which religion should be represented!
One of my favourite movies of all times. It was based in the novel written by astrophysicist superstar Carl Sagan. Sagan believed in an universe full of civilizations in pursuit of knowledge as humans but also believed that humanity is still so much primitive and that maybe we first have to overcome self-destruction and violence before became a part of this galactic community. I think Sagan wanted to show how useless is this confrontation between science and religion and that we can, as species, be together in the pursuit of knowledge.
8:10 "Is the world a fundamentally a better place because science and technology?" I really *REALLY* hate this question, almost always asked by the anti-science side, because it is designed to cast doubt on the idea that it is not. This can be especially effective in the first world, but if you think about it, it is *CLEARLY* a better place. Sure, science and technology have created some major issues for the world that would not have become a problem had it not been for S&T. But we have gained so much more, especially in the 3rd world. Information and education have become available to more and more people around the world and that continues to improve. Medicine is not only more accessible, it is so much better than 100 years ago. Technology has allowed people with disabilities to lead a more active, rewarding life. As an amputee I really appreciate this one. There are so many ways S&T have improved the lives of everyone in the world, it more than makes up for the problems it has caused. It should be noted that S&T will be employed to solve even the problems it is causing.
You're kind of missing the point of the question. His point is that people may be living longer but they aren't happier or more fulfilled. I think you're correct to make a distinction between the 1st world and the 3rd world. But that distinction underscores his point. People in the 1st world have a higher standard of living, more technology, but things like the suicide rate are also considerably higher. The point is technology can provide many things (medications, clean water, information), but it can't give your life meaning.
@@havok6280 Well I imagine even a depressed person in 2021 is less miserable than your average Joe in 1901 where you worked 16hrs per day, six days a week or you would be thrown out of your house and where every child you had meant a 50/50 chance of your wife dying. If suicide rates were lower in 1901 it was only because people could not afford to buy rope.
" It should be noted that S&T will be employed to solve even the problems it is causing." I wish I still shared your optimism on this point. I do agree that, for many people (and domesticated animals), the standard of living has gotten "better" in many regards. But the older I get the less 'faith' I have in our ability to overcome our problems before they are insurmountable. To be clear, I do believe that S&T is absolutely capable of overcoming the problems it causes. I'm just no longer convinced it WILL do so in the hands of a bunch of animals who, as a whole, incline towards shortsightedness and hubris. I'm also concerned that, as we become more advanced (or, more specifically, make more advancements in science and technology) that it will become easier for some nutcase to access powerful tech and throw an enormous wrench in the works, creating a scenario far worse than simply blowing up a wormhole gate. I wouldn't mind being wrong, though. We'll see.
@@havok6280 nor can it take away meaning from your life, so? the only ones who can give meaning to their life are the people themselves - whatever that meaning might be.. so i am sure i am happy about the comfortable and save life i can live thanks to science and technology while still being able to find meaning in my job, my family, my friends, my hobbies.. it's not technology's or science's job to give your life meaning, that's your job.. not to mention that science and technology probably also gives a lot of meaning to the people who work in those fields because it is something they wanna do from the bottom of their heart...
I grew up as a traditional, conservative Christian in a traditional, conservative Christian family…. and all us of believed there was life throughout the universe. But the caricature that atheists painted us to be was the complete opposite: isolated, close-minded, xenophobic, narcissistic. They told us we believed we were alone in existence. That was patently untrue. I never knew a single Christian that believed we were alone. But we were smeared anyway. I read Contact 35 years ago and don’t remember it smearing us. Sagan wrote in some nuance, I believe. So far as I remember. I was 20 years old. It’s a great story. I’d like to re-read it.
I’m so glad your experience in conservative American Christianity was positive. But there are fundamentalist Christians exactly like the movie portrays. Tens of thousands of them. I personally have my own experience with it as do many of my close friends. But it is always good to hear of positive experiences too. Thank you for sharing.
The shot of young Ellie trying to contact her father… CQ, Dad come in… started with an Extreme close up of Ellie. Then the camera pulls back from her, through the glass window of the door and continues outside to where you now can see reflections in the glass the camera just went through, was perfect. They removed the glass, did the long pull back shot and then added CGI to make the reflection in the glass. Also, that shot mirrors the pull back from earth with sound as you can hear the time pulling through space of what we have broadcasted for years and years… just beautiful direction and cinematography throughout. It’s good to see CGI used for a practical purpose, rather than a special effect like the transporter and it’s explosion… although that was amazingly impressive also!
Interestingly, the movie almost completely inverts the themes of the novel on which it was based. In the book, the aliens inform Ellie that they’ve discovered a message hidden in the digits of π, suggesting that the universe has an intelligent creator. When she returns, Ellie devotes herself to confirming this information and the book ends with her succeeding. So the film is about Ellie growing beyond her strictly rational worldview and coming to understand the value of faith whereas in the novel she essentially proves the existence of God but only through her commitment to scientific rationalism. As Carl Sagan was a committed rationalist who died while the film was in production, I always wonder how he would’ve felt about the changes to the narrative. Also, for anyone interested, this lecture from production designer Mike Hill on the symbolism behind the look of the machine and the wormhole sequence is really fascinating and entertaining: ruclips.net/video/HYdSKQyff-8/видео.html
Agree, the book ending is more profound and intriguing. The Pi revelation basically proves the existence of some kind of god. As an atheist myself, id say thats literally the best part of the book. It shoulda stayed in the picture.
Just within the last couple of years there have been a number of theories that we are actually living in a simulation, a la' "The Matrix", being run by some entity. There's not much difference between that, and belief in a God.
@@milescoburn1845 You're not entirely wrong, but there's a big difference if you believe in an infallible and/or vengeful God. ETA: Can't help re-posting my comment re: Pi from elsewhere .... As XKCD summed it up: "Pi = 3.141HelpI'mTrappedInAUniverseFactory59..."
Ellie: "I've always believed that the world is what we make of it." - IMO the most profound moment in the movie. Ellie basically exposed Drumlin to his own cowardice with her response by illustrating that although he knew "how the world works" (and CLAIMED to be of the opinion that it wasn't fair), he'd obviously done nothing to try to change it. And also with the same statement, proved that she had never been operating in the naive manner that Drumlin wanted to believe she was, because to believe that about HER was what he used as his excuse for his cowardice.
The discussion you were having about science v religion reminded me of the film Inherit The Wind (1960) which is based, maybe loosely, on the real life 'Scopes monkey trial' in the 1920s, and is an enjoyable film, in my opinion.
Great reactions, Dan and Sam! This is my favorite "hard" science fiction film. Some historical perspective might be in order to understand the religious aspect of the film. The book, “Contact”, was written by Carl Sagan. Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best-known scientific contribution is research on extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation. Sagan assembled the first physical messages sent into space, the Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. Sagan also was instrumental in helping make science popular amongst the general public. He authored many books on science and appeared on “The Johnny Carson Show” (26 times) and wrote and narrated a science miniseries, “Cosmos” in 1980. Think: Neil deGrasse Tyson, way, way before Neil deGrasse Tyson. As a matter of fact, Neil deGrasse Tyson remade “Cosmos” in 2014. In his teachings, Sagan discounted the existence of an all-encompassing, supernatural being, He wrote, “The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by God one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God. This God is emotionally unsatisfying ... it does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity.” On spirituality, he wrote: “'Spirit' comes from the Latin word 'to breathe'. What we breathe is air, which is certainly matter, however thin. Despite usage to the contrary, there is no necessary implication in the word 'spiritual' that we are talking of anything other than matter (including the matter of which the brain is made), or anything outside the realm of science. On occasion, I will feel free to use the word. Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light-years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual.” I think, when Palmer Joss says at the end, “As a person of faith I'm bound by a different covenant than Doctor Arroway. But our goal is one and the same: the pursuit of Truth. I for one believe her.” Sagan is saying there is a place for both science and spirituality in our lives. Unfortunately, many people conflate “Religion” with “Spirituality.” And there have been many sects of religions which have tortured and bent their tenets to the point where true spirituality have been discarded. The religious sect portrayed in the movie would be one of those. I think your reactions to the movie have proven the book and film have accomplished their aim to get people thinking (and talking) about how intertwined science and spirituality are in humans. Sorry to be so long-winded.
Carl Sagan wrote the book "Contact". Carl's famous catch phrase was "The universe is all that is or was or will ever be". He was a prominent scientist who promoted "Scientism". The worldview conflicts are presented in a "black and white" manner, unfortunately.
@@digi_edits There's more about Ellie's family, she and Palmer don't jump into bed, and there's more about S.R. Haddon (hint: do a quick google search of Assyrian history, keyword Esarhaddon).
It's nice for you both to be optimistic about humankind, but as we've seen from even this year alone, different beliefs tend to be at war w/ each other. Hence, the film explores how the world would react to such a breakthrough. The key is the relationship between Ellie & Palmer, as they both represent open-minded people. The only true conflict between them mainly stemming from Palmer caring too selfishly about Ellie's life, not wanting her to sacrifice herself. Science fiction doesn't have to be just about science. Zemeckis' Back to the Future is also a teen comedy in addition to being sci-fi. Heck, BTTF3 is a western as well.
The subtext of Palmer Joss's motivation to not send Ellie because he doesn't want to sacrifice her life. Meanwhile, she is 100% committed to die for what she believes and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make first contact. I love the counterplay of motivations throughout the movie. As different characters use their motivations to push their own ideologies. I love it. Remember this was 30 years before, "Arrival". This movie was the standard-bearer for real first contact.
I remember when we saw this in the theater, a theater employee gave an announcement beforehand that there was a silent sequence at the beginning, and we shouldn't worry that there had been a malfunction, but that it was a normal part of the movie.
My theory is James Woods' character believed Ellie the whole time. I mean, he hardly seemed fazed at all when he heard that there was 18 hours of static on the camera. He seemed like he was *expecting* to hear that. But, his job is to "protect America", so he suppressed it and made it seem like the whole thing was a waste of time.
Whats interesting about the opening is, the further away you get from earth - its showing you how old the radio signal is thats reached that part of the universe until eventually we hear silence, it starts with modern radio, goes back and dates itself through news and music of each era ending in dead air... indicating that even our oldest radio signals have not reached that far, and it is silent for a loooong time in that opener.
For me, this is a movie that makes you think about what your watching. And it's not like men running around in rubber masks fighting with light wands. Most sci-fi movies are made for 11/12 yr old boys. Movies like Contact, Close Encounters, 2001, etc., will continue to make us think and wonder what lies ahead, but it won't be Jabba the Hut
There's a great clip of a podcast called "The Infinite Monkey Cage". For their 100th episode they video it and had numerous scientists, including Neil Tyson Degrasse and hosted by Brian Cox... They also have a "theology corner" where there is highly respected religious figures that can add to the scientific questions. One of the vicars tells an anecdote about when he went to the USA. He sarcastically asked one School master "is it true that creation is still taught in schools?" The reply was "Obviously we do, why? don't you teach it?" The priest replied, "yes, well we did until about the 1400's and then we realised it was complete hogwash".
There are a few films that give me chills in certain scenes and this one has 2 of them, the moment she hears the transmission and when Haddon leans into the camera and says "wanna take a ride?"
The part when she saw Vega and then she saw how beautiful the Celestial Evette was and said they should have sent a poet gave me chills! Because she saw things that no one on earth has ever seen before!
When I originally heard that, I thought that doesn't make sense, as it's no cheaper - but later realised it was a critique of large government contracts going to private corporations where the incentive for corporations is to extract as much as possible out of the client - usually more money, but in this case a spare Machine entirely under Hadden's control.
Absolutely beautiful movie. It's such a perfect fit that Carl Sagan was behind it. The way he showed both the beauty and darkness of humanity. Carl Sagan was also a bit of an activist and the way he slid in elements of shadowy, highly influential people as well as government/military cover-ups, conspiracy, and deception, without making it the forefront of the movie - the forefront is the beauty of humanity & space and the possibilities out there - was also brilliant. Absolutely beautiful, heart-touching movie.
The biggest reason i love this film so much is that its not your conventional Sci-Fi film. Its more about the story, the characters, and their values. The sci-fi stuff is just a bonus. Now i got to watch it again, thanks for the vid guys. Im glad you enjoyed the film.
just a bit of trivia, the `jerk' is also `viper' from `top gun', james woods is the one that wants to `militarize' the project. it's also a shame that `massive one' (antenna aka `radio telescope' is what was once know as arecibo observatory in p.r. that had about a 1,500 ft. diameter dish to it. it's a shame that it was destroyed. as for the `vla' -`very large array' that's located in new mexico.
The book Contact was written by Carl Sagan. The "For Carl" was for Sagan, who died shortly before. Sagan was not religious, but was trying to write a human story. It is not a coincidence that religion is cast as a villain. Samantha is right though. There is no reason why science and religion can't coexist. They posit different foundational assumptions,, so "debating" them is pointless. The 90s were dominated by a lot of "religion and science can't co-exist" discourse.
No movie is made in a social vacuum but some highlight the issues of the time more than others. There was definitely a religion vs science battle going on in the 90s and as a high school teacher during that time I was at ground zero. Issues like creationism vs evolution were given as the reason for the ever increasing number of students who were being home schooled on religious grounds. Also the scene where the Christion cult guy blows up the first machine would of felt very familiar to audiences of the time who were seeing domestic Christian terrorists blowing up abortion clinics and the Atlanta Olympics injuring a 100+ people on the news.
Look at the world around you right now. This film was a pretty accurate portrayal of what human reaction Could be. Look at how the world reacted to a global pandemic.
I remember seeing this movie in the theaters back in 97. I chose to see it in one of the "fanciest" movie theaters in my city. Their best feature were their an incredible sound system, so the pounding beats of the alien signal sounded phenomenal and the roaring sounds produced by the machine in the sequence when Ellie is readying to board the capsule were hard to forget.
The sparkles in the alien dad's sandy hand and Ellie's sandy hand towards the end was also the same pattern the popcorn made when her real Dad fainted/died and dropped it all over the ground.
I think that once you'll get past the frustration, you'll realise that it's one of the best science fiction movies ever. It raises such existential interrogations.
The frustration is part of what makes it good. The movie makes you care and makes you frustrated. It's more of an experience, then just passive movie watching.
This movie was one of the easiest to remember seeing as a kid in theaters. It left such an impression on me. Helped me understand how vast space is and how likely that it *isn't* just an awful waste of space out there.
@@jkhoover I agree the frustration is what makes it feel grounded. when she gets her funding pulled you really beleieve well shit this is it. When Drummond takes all the credit you know who plays the political game best always wins. The movie fused the counter weighting forces of science, religion, politics, power, fear, ,paranoia. PLus they only have two hours to get it done and make some money.
People use events and discoveries to enhance their own personal agendas and ideologies. Especially when power is involved. Religion was the law for the past 5-10 thousand years. Religion has always used its influence to exert power in pursuit of spreading and maintaining its ideology. In modern times, religion is not the first authority we use to dictate policy but it is definitely not the last.
Today you all can live in a world where you can openly pursue scientific knowledge. That was not true for 99.9% of human history. The earth was thought to be the center of the universe. When scientists started to spread that doctrine they were tortured in iron maidens and burned at the stake. All because their discovery confronted religious doctrine that God created the earth for man and that we are at the center of his creation.
Was it intentional or mere irony that Tom Skerritt and John Hurt, both of who starred in 1979's sci-fi horror classic "Alien"; a movie about meeting an alien, are cast in 1997's "Contact"; a movie about meeting an alien.
Really good movie, the studio really did market it the wrong way with making people think it was going to be more action and science fiction which really fit with so many blockbusters released in the late 90's. Great performances and a really strong drama with a touch of science fiction.
This was originally written by Carl Sagan, a scientist who was also an atheist. He is famous for they quote, "Extraordinary claims, require extraordinary evidence." Meaning god beliefs require extraordinary evidence and simple arguments don't prove anything. Hence the emphasis on religion vs science.
I think he is still one of the most quoted people on that subject, from his book 'The Demon-Haunted World' to his TV series 'Cosmos'. And he also initiated the SETI project.
Contact, one of my favorite movies. I showed this to my ex gf some years back and she was blown away by it. Especially the wormhole scene. Carl Sagan wrote the book and was there during filming of the movie. Sadly he passed away before it came out. I wish he could have seen it.
Religion: "Science is the tool of the devil! It is a false god!" Religion after a major scientific breakthrough: "This is a miracle from God! We take full credit for it!"
The Book and Movie was written to illustrate the dilemma that would occur on Earth if we received a signal. It's frustrating because the story is a accurate depiction of what would happen. That's why it's one of my favourites.
Watching you guys have your immediate discussions aobut this film...was almost like hearing EXACTLY what went through my head when I first saw this movie. It really makes you think. More than a science fiction film...this is a big-budget, blockbuster DRAMA. No one would make this today...too risky.
Your reactions are always great, but here are a couple of requests for the new year that I think you'll enjoy. "Heat" 1995 Michael Mann "L.A. Confidential" 1997 Curtis Hanson and "The Last of the Mohicans" 1992 also directed by Michael Mann
My mom and I went to see this movie several times and we'd be real quiet when they are talking about the 18 hrs of static and the whole theater always gave out a collective gasp.
I LOVED that "Contact" mixed science with religion. People seem to think they don't mix...but they REALLY DO!!! The physical sciences and the metaphysical arts of faith and spirituality can create a greater balance and guide to understanding the cosmos and our place in the universe. My science-fiction novella "Seeds", also combines alien beings and religious overtones throughout human history into the future of humanity's evolution and survival. It is a work of science fiction, but it makes you think AND feel.
To me, Contact is the movie that came the closest to showing what the cultural/religious impact would be worldwide in the event we did get definitive proof of life outside Earth. All other 'alien' movies seem to gloss over that.
Same here. This was Carl Sagan's one work of fiction. He was also author & host of the first "Cosmos" season before he passed away, and he was also the NASA scientist behind "The Pale Blue Dot" photo of Earth, which he lobbied to have taken by the Voyager 1 probe before Earth was too distant to see. In the photo, the Earth is within only a pixel of the vast blackness. When Carl Sagan saw the photo, he penned the following: "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."
- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994
Earth is a infinite plane
Also one of the few that has aliens that aren't "I'mma murder you all and take your homes"
@@Zero11s Jesus Christ was gay. That's why he loves to be surrounded by men, 12 men to be exact.
it would be a collosal sh*t show. to say the least
The scene where young Ellie is running towards the medicine cabinet is a masterpiece in itself. It was a very creative way to express the feeling of something being so close, yet so far away and out of our reach. The helplessness really comes straight through the screen. One of my favorite shots from any movie.
Great explanation. I was trying so hard to figure out the why of this shot, but I think you got it.
@@w3-watchingwithwombat79it’s also just really fucking cool lmao
The best science fiction is a study of how people deal with the new technology/alien/future. What frustrated you was the primary feature of the movie. They showed how the variety of people dealt with the contact: blind acceptance, blind denial, scientific skepticism, government paranoia, religion,
Bingo! lol
@@romainlettuce118 I don't agree. Yeah, they showed a number of kookie believers. But Palmer Joss was treated with respect, and the theme of the movie was an attempt to reconcile religion and science. As a believer myself who nevertheless rejects all organized religion as human-invented and something that can get pretty kookie, I'm fine with the message.
This movie is very manipulative in framing science as having to be an adversary of faith and they way they painted religious people was clearly antagonistic. That's Hollywood tho so no surprise
@@DMichaelAtLarge I agree, although I would say the theme is more specifically faith and science (and the fact that they're not mutually exclusive) as opposed to any specific religion.
Palmer asking Ellie to prove she loved her father, for example.
And Ellie ultimately being placed in a situation where her experiences and her message must be accepted with faith.
Other than religion having a central aspect of faith, (making it a good vehicle to drive the plot and for character development )
it's not really the theme per se.
Science fiction, or sci-fi, is also social commentary and critique on the human condition and how we respond to certain phenomenon and extraordinary stimuli. It is reason stretched to it's limits and presented as fact...released into the wild, stir to taste then see what transpires. This movie is a perfect example.
You showed the "For Carl" dedication at the end of the movie. The film is based on Carl Sagan's one and only novel. So if the "political scientist" Drumlin and the politics around science seems real, it's because it is. Sagan would know. By the way, this is my favourite movie of all time. "Small moves, Ellie," is something I often say to myself.
I didn't realise that was referencing Carl Sagan. Thanks for the info.
This is less sci-fi and more of a scientist's perspective on what would really happen and how political it would get. Also politics was different in the 90's, religion was a much bigger topic, and science and religion butted heads more. It shows how both have their merits - religion can get in the way of important scientific progress, and science can also go too far and become unethical.
I read a book by Carl Sagan: "The Demon Haunted World, Science as a Candle in the Dark". In it, he basicially ridiculed anyone who believes in anything outside of a materialist perspective. Shortly before he died, he said something like; the u iverse is so vast and we know so little that we are arrogant to think we do. Itseemed to me that he should have approached faith and religion in the same way. Isn't it arrogant to believe that there is no God just because science can't prove it? On the other hand, religious people who are threatened by s scientific discovery and therefore refuse to consider the possibility of intelligent life beyond our planet also display arrogance. I believe in God and I don't have any problem with the idea that he created other life and worlds out there.
My favorite movie of all time. And I love, “For Carl”
@@gravitypronepart2201 You dont understand it. The univers is big and we humens are stuck on a little planet. The only way to get data or facts about the endless of space is by telescopes. Its arogant to thinks we get enough data to fully discover our universe. Other things are can be disproven or some things are to time cosuming or expensive to prove. Like how many grains are in a desert. And some things cant be proven. When i ask you my grandmothers namen. You can think about it all you want, you can belive of some name, but you will never know unless i tell you. So its stupid to thin of or belive in a name.
And with a high probability will never be abel to leave our solarsystem, unless we discover new physic. Some people belive that we will. but it is stupid to think about it. Humens in the stoneage could see feel the Gravitation, electromagnetic force and weak and the strong nuclear power, but since the begin of mankind there was never a sign of other physical force. So there is no gain to think about it before you find signs of something.
No one will ever prove or disprove god. What does it matter to belive in him. what does ist change. Does the mighty creature god need our belives, does he feed of it. Is he going to kill us when we dont belive. What is the benefit of beliving in god? Is it so hard to be a good person for the sake of your on moral, than what god tells you.
I think strictly religious people, Creationis etc, are stupid. But people like you who dont belive in stupid religion while having all the facts, only because they cant get over to be wrong. That makes me fucking angry. Dont play the reasonable, logic person when you fucking insane.
Jodie Foster gave everything she had on her role, after a meeting with Carl Sagan and his wife, Ann Druyan. The meeting was supposed to take a few minutes, talking mainly about the role, but they ended up talking for hours.
18 hours?
Wow! I never knew this! I love that she actually met Sagan.
Your debate at the end is exactly what Sagan was going for with the book. An understanding that science and religion don’t have to be in opposition.
I’ve always thought the conversation is why this movie is important, even if it is somewhat challenging.
Just my opinion, but I feel like Sagan knew that if science positioned itself against faith, it would alienate and push away half the planet to turn against it. He wanted a more inclusive approach, openly admitting there are unanswered questions on both sides. We see this battle in our politics now. Taking an inclusive approach is better.
Personally I’ve always believed that God gave us science so we could begin to understand His methods. Not to disprove His existence. Just my personal experience. So I get a bit frustrated with those in the religious community who try to deny science.
@@amyg4961 as a muslim, I'm feeling the same too
I think that the movie shows how we, all of us, have a 'measure of faith' that we place in SOMETHING.
A Supreme Being, a country, a military, a monetary unit, another person, our own abilities..etc.
"Wanna take a ride?" - one of my all time favorite moments in cinematic history.
I like "Why buy one when you can get two at twice the price?" I use that regularly! :)
The line that comes before "They still want an American to go" its even better to me. It's at that moment that she realisez WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN
Contact is one of those movies about perspective.I am sure a bunch of folks hate the movie. IMO cause it does show how people would react to something like this if it happened in real life. People love great ideas until they don't get the results they want.
Well said
I use this movie as a litmus test. If you hated it and were waiting for the ID4 alien invasion and battles, we probably won't get along.
The book and movie touched on all the right issues, but did lean towards portraying religious people in a bad light (reflecting Carl Sagan's views in the book, based on religion attacking scientists in history, like Copernicus). And I believe that contact with an alien race would become both a political and religious hot potato. However, their movie summation says it all. The scientific community includes religious people and religion includes a lot of scientifically open-minded people... It's sad that some political and religious groups have wholly rejected sound, proven science in recent memory, with tragic consequences. If Sagan was alive he'd probably feel partly vindicated in his pessimism...
@@HawkKing2000 Well it did portray religious perspective (not people) in a bad light for a couple of reasons: 1) religious context taking over as somehow "more important", when there is no way to measure and compare that kind of a leverage, when it's technically irrelevant with that kind of a discovery, and 2) aiming at some kind of a atheist-scientist profile of people, saying "see, she couldn't prove she was on Vega, this is the same situation we're in when someone asks us for proof of God's existence". Which is questionable in the movie, because all those things - transmission, construction plans etc - already are proof of extraterrestrial existence. It's ok to be both, scientist and religious, as long as you interpret your findings objectively. But it's not about religious scientists - it's more to show how people project their own (very much different) perspective on a finding like that. Some perspectives are open, analytical, welcoming.... Others are limited, full of fear of unknown or any kind of changes. To be honest, how the last two years are going, I'm quite afraid and somehow pessimistic how the world would react to such a discovery or any other big leap for the mankind. We have regressed too much in the last two decades.
We already know how people would react because the debate has long been underway. There's a fringe on every issue that makes others on the same issue look fanatic. The fanatics make the headlines.
rest in peace Dr.Carl Sagan...many many years ago when is was 14years old i read your book "The Cold and the Dark"...it changed my life, and led me to pursue an academic career in science.... thank you for that..and thank you for your endless contributions to the wonderful world of science..
It’s funny that McCougnehey warns Ellie about time dilation (4 yrs = 50 Eath yrs), then goes thru the exact same thing himself in another movie
This movie was a masterpiece. This pretty much how humans would react with first contact .
37:21 the government also believed in her based on the 18 hours video footage, they just didn't want to make it public.
Sounds right! 😂 sounds deadly accurate to a real world scenario
the opening sequence is quite amazing in the way that they show how the radio signals are reaching out to space. As they zoom out and out, older and older tv or radio transmissions can be heard from the past, signaling how far our "presence" in space reached out.
I hoped someone had mentioned this. Then of course it reaches out as far as the invention of radio, which is where the silence begins, as nothing we have ever transmitted has yet reached further than that.
While it was a good attempt, but the timing of the silence was way off. They show passing Jupiter right when audio/radio is saying JFK had just been shot, but Jupiter is not even 40 light minutes from Earth. It would have been far more effective if they had scaled the "silence" to occur when the visuals was around 100 light years form Earth.
@@lestatdelc Ah that's an excellent point, it would be more meaningful if it was shown accurately.
@@lestatdelc - Think that was more for effect than accuracy.
The audience might understand the solar system, asteroid belt and Jupiter and Saturn, but once into deep space there isn't really context.
Audio from 40 minutes earlier when they show Jupiter wouldn't really carry any weight or meaning.
But comes full circle to intimate that all of the unknown is actually inside us. Man is God. God is man.
The movie isn't about religion, but the conflict between Science and Faith (for many) has been ongoing for centuries. And it is frustrating, and the movie portrayed that beautifully. IMHO, this is one of the best movies about "contact" that's ever been made. Much better and deeper than spaceships, aliens etc.
When she was in Puerto Rico, she was using the radio telescope at Arecibo -- the bowl with the radio unit suspended by wires. It was abandoned some years later, and the radio unit has fallen. The news photos are depressing.
One of my all time favourite movies.. I have Carl Sagan’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ monologue framed on my living room wall.. I read it regularly as I find know matter what stress life brings, it keeps me grounded. ‘….to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known’
Sadly the Arecibo observatory collapsed in 2020
For the second time actually. The first time it landed on Sean Bean in Goldeneye.
@@jmlaw8888 "For England, James!"
@@jmlaw8888 😄👍
Thought I was only nerdy enough to have that quote on my wall.
I’m glad I haven’t had children, this blue dot will die from mega corporations.
R.I.P. Aricebo Observatory - the footage of it spontaneously collapsing due to neglect broke my heart
Same😞
Same here. I couldn't believe that something so significant was left to rot away like that.
I know. It amazes me it was left to get into that state. Sickening really.
I will never understand how such a technical wonder was allowed to reach that state of disrepair. Though i never actually got to see it in person while i was in college in PR for a year, i used to follow their operations and always hoped there would be some kind of contact some day...
Competition from newer, more advanced telescope systems doomed it.
"OK to GO!" is a great line!! Jodie Foster nailed her role. Very emotional.
This movie made me cry when I was younger, first time watching it. At my elementary school age, I was heavy into extraterrestrial life, UFO sightings, the whole shebang. It was definitely a frightening rabbit hole I was in, but this movie gave me another insight that it’s not all doom and gloom and aliens trying to kidnap us. This movie actually gave me The sense of alien life with hope. I’ll never forget how this movie made me feel when I first watched it
John Hurt's performance as S.R. Hadden was absolutely hysterical. Patiently looking after his 'investment'.
Another great Hurt performance is Elephant Man. Really loved seeing a couple of actors from Alien.
CHEST BURST!!! Funny how he is in Contact and literally makes contact in Alien.
R.I.P, Storyteller..
@Scrotumus Ballbagius He also played one of The Doctor's regenerations in Doctor Who. So played an actual alien.
🎶 Jeffrey Bezos 🎶
One piece of context: in the late 1980s, a "creation science" advocate visited the fundamentalist church I was being raised in. After his dog-and-pony show (which I actually did learn the Lorentz Transformation formula from, speaking of time dilation), there was a Q&A session. One old man said, "Should we make anything of the fact that Carl SAGAN's last name is spelled similarly to 'SATAN'? Even for the creationist visitor, that was a bridge too far, and he said so. I had read Contact by that point, and I asked the creationist what he thought about the novel. His response was that Carl Sagan was a better scientist than a novelist. The comment struck me as exactly half sarcastic, and half sincere. I'm not a fundamentalist any more.
When Ellie was little, she made a picture of a beach. This is the beach at the end.
The movie is based on the book "Contact" written by Carl Sagan, who was basically the Neil DeGrasse Tyson of the 20th century as far as being a physicist, astronomer, and a populist spokesperson for science. He was the host of the original "Cosmos" TV series on PBS in 1980. In fact, when they made a reboot version of the series in 2014, Neil deGrasse Tyson hosted it. Carl's wife Ann Druyan, "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, and Brannon Braga who was part of the production team for multiple Star Trek series and movies were executive producers.
Carl was very much an agnostic, who on occasion expressed a wish that the existence of God could be real, but he, like Ellie, couldn't see evidence for it. The book explores the themes of the movie, but deviates in the ending and constitutes a sort of wish fulfillment for him that some form of concrete evidence is discovered for the existence of God. Nevertheless, he and Ann Druyan were intimately involved in the production of the film, so Carl had influence on the movie's ending. Even as an agnostic, he was good with the film exploring religion vs. science and faith vs. evidence.
The sparkling sand crystals and the stars in the sky at the destination of Ellie's journey that form a backward C is a deliberate tribute to Carl. He died before the movie was completed.
The way first contact is presented in both the film and the book accurately reflect how Carl envisioned the event might take place and the methods the aliens might use to communicate without a common language except science. Much of Ellie's philosophy is a direct expression of his philosophy.
As for saying that you were expecting science fiction and were surprised how much religion was also involved, there have been many science fiction novels throughout the 20th century that have addressed religion, either directly or metaphorically. "Contact" is hardly unique in this. "Dune" would be a great example of this.
Haha I remember watching "Cosmos" with Sagan on evening TV in the 80s, that was so great. One of the best. Even my old grandma got into it.
I LOVED the original Cosmos miniseries and it's my favourite book of all time (and I'm a religious person btw). I couldn't stand the new reboot series -- couldn't get past the first episode. Seeing that Neil Degrasse Tyson and Seth McFarlane were behind it kind of makes sense. Can't stand either of those two.
"who was basically the Neil DeGrasse Tyson of the 20th century"
That's quite an insult to Carl.
@@SterileNeutrino I watched this series too. I even joined the Carl Sagan Club.
"science fiction novels throughout the 20th century that have addressed religion" Star Trek TNG has had some great Episodes dealing with religion and Star Wars was highly influenced by Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey "A Hero with a thousand Faces" Which finds most religious heroes like Jesus and Hercules ... have very similar story arcs.
"Arrival" with Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner is another very intelligent sci-fi film. You should see that if u haven't.
A search of their videos has revealed: "CE3K," yes, "Arrival," not yet.
I love how it took you both out of your comfort zone.
Apart from being one of those movies in which the producers actually _listened_ to the scientists, I love this film because it’s one of the greatest That Guy casts. Great character actors who never really achieved name recognition, like Tom Skerrit, John Hurt, David Morse., and especially William Fichtner. You could also count James Woods and Rob Lowe. You see them and say “Oh, it’s…uh… you know. That Guy!”
EDIT; I forgot to add, I don’t know if this was a planned casting choice, but Tom Skerrit and John Hurt were also both in _Alien._
Contact... Starring Capt. Dallas (Tom Skirrett) & Kane (John Hurt) from best sci-fi flick...Alien (1979).
This film isn't as frustrating to me because there's proof that Ellie is telling the truth. Not just the 18 hours of static, but the fact that Ellie's chair was torqued out its socket and crushed in a fall that only gave her a bruise. And she was in the chair one second and out the next. The comparisons to faith vs. science are interesting, but the ambiguity the film tries to present isn't there.
*evidence
to me it is frustrating exactly because there's proof. I want to scream at the screen "THERE'S PROOF!! THEY HAVE IT!!! EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW IT'S ALL TRUE!!! IT SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED AND NOT A GOVERNMENT SECRET!!".
When there was the electro-static interference, Ellie could have slipped out of the chair. Only the deaf guy could hear bits of what she was saying to piece it together. At least that's what skeptics would say.
@@brauliob the chair is in the wrong spot. If it fell straight through and the chair both broke loose on impact and then embedded in the wall, it wouldn't match how the chair went into the wall from a different location and angle after drifting as it was shown. It's not that the evidence is ambiguous or lacking, it's that people actively choose not to acknowledge what contradicts their own narrative.
@@zairac2564 I agree, but conspiracy theorists will grab hold of anything and defend it to their graves! :)
the most thoughtful sci-fi movie ever made, it keeps getting better the more you think about it.
Sadly, the Arecibo telescope was recently totally destroyed after a lack of maintained caused it to collapse. There are videos of it all over you tube.
It wasn’t so much a lack of maintenance that caused the collapse, as much as damage it sustained from multiple natural disasters & the logistical nightmare, presented by the terrain it was built upon, to maintain its structural integrity.
basically lack of funding
Also by act of Bond 😂😂😂
Let us take a moment to appreciate the late, great Areceibo Radio Telescope, an instrument that made it possible to see the worlds beyond Earth.
@@tsogobauggi8721 lol
Wow I can't believe Dark City scored so low. You should still watch that and Minority Report. Another crazy sci-fi movie with a great cast you should definitely check out is A Scanner Darkly.
I just don't think many people have seen Dark CIty compared to the others.
I think Dark City gets shoved to the back because its so similar to The Matrix. Even though The Matrix came out after Dark City. I like both movies, but I love the film noir vibe of Dark City.
Dark city is a masterpiece
Dark City is amazing but you NEED to watch the Director's Cut if you don't want the whole thing spoiled.
Yeah these are good suggestions. But if you guys plan on dark city to emphasize: watch he directors cut of dark city!
I am confused that for the most part you didn't seem to get that the government understood it was real what she claimed, but bury it for security reasons. At least that's what I understood from your reaction on it. If I am wrong, I apologize.
I first watched this movie back on release in the cinema. Liked it, even though was also frustrated by some parts. I wanted MORE in terms of the aliens. With months passing I saw it more and more for what it was and not for what I wanted it to be. Ended up loving it for what it is.
Also, a fanboy of Carl Sagan.
I had a somewhat similar reaction to _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy of films. Like so many, I was a huge fan of the books. And the changes made just drove me crazy. But over time and repeated viewings, I have come to truly appreciate everything that it *is* and what it has come to mean to so many.¹
It's truly a monumental achievement. Particularly given what one might expect from Hollywood.² It's amazing _Peter Jackson_ was able to give us what he did.
··•✺•··
¹ ─ Which was subsequently reinforced by watching reaction videos.
² ─ e.g., _The Hobbit_ films are exactly what one should have expected.
Exactly
When she meets her dad in the alien world, that part, and that music, it's pure magic
The intro shows that the further you are from earth the older the signal is. That is why it is noisy when close (recent way more numerous radio signals) and quieter as you back away (older les numerous radio signals) This was very brillant and accurate.
When he said, “prove it”, he was asking her to prove she loved her father, not that he existed. He wanted to hammer hone the point that there are abstract concepts (love) that is unprovable - like God.
I like the way the movie flips Faith back on those who don't believe in faith, she saw something that she couldn't prove, they now all have to go on Faith that she saw what she saw. I think you can certainly have faith and science, Faith and Science are NOT mutually exclusive. If science is your faith, you have faith in Science. You have faith that the world will still be spinning tomorrow and hold you to the ground, you have faith that you'll walk outside your door and that will still be oxygen out there to breathe, we all have faith in something, no matter how small it is.
I met the love of my life who introduced me to Carl Sagan, though I knew who he was already, yet she showed me in a passionate way more of Sagan's work. I had already seen contact but did not know Sagan wrote the book. I introduced my love to this movie and it was the greatest gift I could give her. She loved it deeply. We went on to create music with the theme of space science and created music that resonated with people all over the world. Sagan was our inspiration. I may not have her in my life anymore but this movie reminds me of our deep passion for the cosmos. It was emotional to see you you as a couple enjoy this great work. Thank you for this
I like how there not just one but two actors from "Alien" in this movie: John Hurt and Tom Skerrit
TBR "Hopefully the aliens come and kill him." Sam, "Always, to killing." TBR "The best solution." Lol! You two are so much fun to watch! You guys both crack me up! Great reaction to a great movie! ( :E
😂 thank you!
Yeah, I nearly spit out my drink at that exchange!
@@kevinforever6898 I would have liked to see that! Lol! Imagining milk spewing all over the place! Funny! ( :E
The popcorn at the bottom of the stairs when her dad dies is placed to show the constellation Lyra were Vega is cool little Easter egg✌❤🇬🇧
Merry Xmas TBR and Samantha and all the viewers/subscribers
In the book, the chair is not a problem and they go with a team of FIVE scientists, all specialized in different, relevant fields.
A biologist and an engineer... No wonder I like y'all so much. I'm a biologist too!
More seriously, I have to again point out how awesome your outro reactions are. It was interesting to hear your initial knee jerk reaction as soon as the movie ended, and then how your thinking and feelings about the movie sort of evolved the more you talked it out.
I personally didn't enjoy the movie and wanted more of a payoff, but I appreciate what the story was trying to do.
Some of the design from Contact on the space travel are taken from the sketch book of Jorosowsky's Dune ! It's insane how many design of modern sci-fi that failed project inspired, even 30 years later !!!
Frustrating as it is there's some realism. When the scientists went to Congress in support of the supercollider that never got built, one of the congressmen asked "Will this make us find god?"
Speaking of aliens, the "engineer guy" who helped Eleanor crack the code was actor John Hurt, who played Cain in Alien (1979).
And Tom Skerritt, who plays Drumlin in Contact, is Dallas in Alien. Both actors’ characters die in both movies.
An interesting quote from Carl Sagan, "Science is more than a body of knowledge; it is a way of thinking. I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time-when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.”
Contact is probably my all-time favorite movie. This game scratches an itch of what it means to be human and to seek the answer to the ultimate question in the universe. Great watch guys!
I absolutely love Dr. Arroway's question that she'd hypothetically ask the aliens. "How did you do it? How did you survive the technological adolescence without destroying yourself?" Since we as a society cannot seem to get over the seemingly need to destroy others to maintain power or something similar.
And I love how Palmer Joss was able to find that middle ground between faith and science. There is plenty of room in the middle for both of those viewpoints to coexist.
It's too bad that Carl Sagan (the author of the novel that this movie is based on) did not live long enough to see the final product. He really was the best ambassador of science to the mainstream that we have ever seen. He is surely missed.
Finally, I always liked that Elanor Arroway was born in De Pere, Wisconsin, which is one of the suburbs of Green Bay.
There is absolutely no room in the middle.
I have come to realize the weight of her question about not destroying ourselves. It is amazing how accurate that has turned out to be.
From the DVD commentary, Zemeckis said that his only direction to James Woods was "Be James Woods!"
Woods improvised the "Where's the girl?" line when he shows up at the array with all the military and reporters.
Despite being an atheist, I really liked the religious aspects of this film…….it’s something that would definitely come to the fore in such a situation. Probably the main argument would be over just which religion should be represented!
Especially in the USA -- it would be inescapable. That part seems VERY accurate to me.
The ‘funding guy’ is John Hurt, from Alien :)
@@JohnnyXoz And his look.
Tom Skerrit and John Hurt ... A wee Alien reunion :)
One of my favourite movies of all times. It was based in the novel written by astrophysicist superstar Carl Sagan. Sagan believed in an universe full of civilizations in pursuit of knowledge as humans but also believed that humanity is still so much primitive and that maybe we first have to overcome self-destruction and violence before became a part of this galactic community. I think Sagan wanted to show how useless is this confrontation between science and religion and that we can, as species, be together in the pursuit of knowledge.
8:10 "Is the world a fundamentally a better place because science and technology?"
I really *REALLY* hate this question, almost always asked by the anti-science side, because it is designed to cast doubt on the idea that it is not.
This can be especially effective in the first world, but if you think about it, it is *CLEARLY* a better place.
Sure, science and technology have created some major issues for the world that would not have become a problem had it not been for S&T. But we have gained so much more, especially in the 3rd world.
Information and education have become available to more and more people around the world and that continues to improve. Medicine is not only more accessible, it is so much better than 100 years ago. Technology has allowed people with disabilities to lead a more active, rewarding life. As an amputee I really appreciate this one.
There are so many ways S&T have improved the lives of everyone in the world, it more than makes up for the problems it has caused.
It should be noted that S&T will be employed to solve even the problems it is causing.
You're kind of missing the point of the question. His point is that people may be living longer but they aren't happier or more fulfilled. I think you're correct to make a distinction between the 1st world and the 3rd world. But that distinction underscores his point. People in the 1st world have a higher standard of living, more technology, but things like the suicide rate are also considerably higher. The point is technology can provide many things (medications, clean water, information), but it can't give your life meaning.
@@havok6280 Well I imagine even a depressed person in 2021 is less miserable than your average Joe in 1901 where you worked 16hrs per day, six days a week or you would be thrown out of your house and where every child you had meant a 50/50 chance of your wife dying. If suicide rates were lower in 1901 it was only because people could not afford to buy rope.
" It should be noted that S&T will be employed to solve even the problems it is causing."
I wish I still shared your optimism on this point. I do agree that, for many people (and domesticated animals), the standard of living has gotten "better" in many regards. But the older I get the less 'faith' I have in our ability to overcome our problems before they are insurmountable. To be clear, I do believe that S&T is absolutely capable of overcoming the problems it causes. I'm just no longer convinced it WILL do so in the hands of a bunch of animals who, as a whole, incline towards shortsightedness and hubris.
I'm also concerned that, as we become more advanced (or, more specifically, make more advancements in science and technology) that it will become easier for some nutcase to access powerful tech and throw an enormous wrench in the works, creating a scenario far worse than simply blowing up a wormhole gate.
I wouldn't mind being wrong, though. We'll see.
@@havok6280 nor can it take away meaning from your life, so?
the only ones who can give meaning to their life are the people themselves - whatever that meaning might be.. so i am sure i am happy about the comfortable and save life i can live thanks to science and technology while still being able to find meaning in my job, my family, my friends, my hobbies.. it's not technology's or science's job to give your life meaning, that's your job.. not to mention that science and technology probably also gives a lot of meaning to the people who work in those fields because it is something they wanna do from the bottom of their heart...
the point is never treat Science as a religion which nowadays is becoming a thing
The frustration in this movie is true to life. This movie mirrored true life here on Earth, from politics, religion, business, the sciences.
I grew up as a traditional, conservative Christian in a traditional, conservative Christian family…. and all us of believed there was life throughout the universe. But the caricature that atheists painted us to be was the complete opposite: isolated, close-minded, xenophobic, narcissistic. They told us we believed we were alone in existence. That was patently untrue. I never knew a single Christian that believed we were alone. But we were smeared anyway.
I read Contact 35 years ago and don’t remember it smearing us. Sagan wrote in some nuance, I believe. So far as I remember. I was 20 years old.
It’s a great story. I’d like to re-read it.
I’m so glad your experience in conservative American Christianity was positive. But there are fundamentalist Christians exactly like the movie portrays. Tens of thousands of them. I personally have my own experience with it as do many of my close friends. But it is always good to hear of positive experiences too. Thank you for sharing.
The shot of young Ellie trying to contact her father… CQ, Dad come in… started with an Extreme close up of Ellie. Then the camera pulls back from her, through the glass window of the door and continues outside to where you now can see reflections in the glass the camera just went through, was perfect. They removed the glass, did the long pull back shot and then added CGI to make the reflection in the glass. Also, that shot mirrors the pull back from earth with sound as you can hear the time pulling through space of what we have broadcasted for years and years… just beautiful direction and cinematography throughout. It’s good to see CGI used for a practical purpose, rather than a special effect like the transporter and it’s explosion… although that was amazingly impressive also!
Interestingly, the movie almost completely inverts the themes of the novel on which it was based. In the book, the aliens inform Ellie that they’ve discovered a message hidden in the digits of π, suggesting that the universe has an intelligent creator. When she returns, Ellie devotes herself to confirming this information and the book ends with her succeeding.
So the film is about Ellie growing beyond her strictly rational worldview and coming to understand the value of faith whereas in the novel she essentially proves the existence of God but only through her commitment to scientific rationalism.
As Carl Sagan was a committed rationalist who died while the film was in production, I always wonder how he would’ve felt about the changes to the narrative.
Also, for anyone interested, this lecture from production designer Mike Hill on the symbolism behind the look of the machine and the wormhole sequence is really fascinating and entertaining: ruclips.net/video/HYdSKQyff-8/видео.html
It's Hollywood most of them don't believe in God unless they are referring to Harvey Weinstein ask Meryl Streep.
His wife/widow approves of the film.
Agree, the book ending is more profound and intriguing. The Pi revelation basically proves the existence of some kind of god. As an atheist myself, id say thats literally the best part of the book. It shoulda stayed in the picture.
Just within the last couple of years there have been a number of theories that we are actually living in a simulation, a la' "The Matrix", being run by some entity. There's not much difference between that, and belief in a God.
@@milescoburn1845 You're not entirely wrong, but there's a big difference if you believe in an infallible and/or vengeful God.
ETA: Can't help re-posting my comment re: Pi from elsewhere .... As XKCD summed it up: "Pi = 3.141HelpI'mTrappedInAUniverseFactory59..."
Ellie: "I've always believed that the world is what we make of it." - IMO the most profound moment in the movie.
Ellie basically exposed Drumlin to his own cowardice with her response by illustrating that although he knew "how the world works" (and CLAIMED to be of the opinion that it wasn't fair), he'd obviously done nothing to try to change it.
And also with the same statement, proved that she had never been operating in the naive manner that Drumlin wanted to believe she was, because to believe that about HER was what he used as his excuse for his cowardice.
The opening is meant to show as you get farther away you can hear older and older transmissions until, 60 light years away, you hear nothing.
The discussion you were having about science v religion reminded me of the film Inherit The Wind (1960) which is based, maybe loosely, on the real life 'Scopes monkey trial' in the 1920s, and is an enjoyable film, in my opinion.
funny cause the globe model is a religion
Great reactions, Dan and Sam! This is my favorite "hard" science fiction film. Some historical perspective might be in order to understand the religious aspect of the film.
The book, “Contact”, was written by Carl Sagan. Sagan was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best-known scientific contribution is research on extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation. Sagan assembled the first physical messages sent into space, the Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. Sagan also was instrumental in helping make science popular amongst the general public. He authored many books on science and appeared on “The Johnny Carson Show” (26 times) and wrote and narrated a science miniseries, “Cosmos” in 1980.
Think: Neil deGrasse Tyson, way, way before Neil deGrasse Tyson. As a matter of fact, Neil deGrasse Tyson remade “Cosmos” in 2014.
In his teachings, Sagan discounted the existence of an all-encompassing, supernatural being, He wrote, “The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by God one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God. This God is emotionally unsatisfying ... it does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity.”
On spirituality, he wrote: “'Spirit' comes from the Latin word 'to breathe'. What we breathe is air, which is certainly matter, however thin. Despite usage to the contrary, there is no necessary implication in the word 'spiritual' that we are talking of anything other than matter (including the matter of which the brain is made), or anything outside the realm of science. On occasion, I will feel free to use the word. Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light-years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual.”
I think, when Palmer Joss says at the end, “As a person of faith I'm bound by a different covenant than Doctor Arroway. But our goal is one and the same: the pursuit of Truth. I for one believe her.” Sagan is saying there is a place for both science and spirituality in our lives. Unfortunately, many people conflate “Religion” with “Spirituality.” And there have been many sects of religions which have tortured and bent their tenets to the point where true spirituality have been discarded. The religious sect portrayed in the movie would be one of those.
I think your reactions to the movie have proven the book and film have accomplished their aim to get people thinking (and talking) about how intertwined science and spirituality are in humans.
Sorry to be so long-winded.
Carl Sagan wrote the book "Contact". Carl's famous catch phrase was "The universe is all that is or was or will ever be". He was a prominent scientist who promoted "Scientism". The worldview conflicts are presented in a "black and white" manner, unfortunately.
Science and faith are not inherently good or bad. It all comes down to the people, their motivations and intent.
fun fact that device was originally The Time Machine from Terminator that they reused for this movie
One of my favorite scifi movies, but the book is *way* better than the movie..
RiP Carl Sagan🌎
Really¿ I´m planning on reading it someday soon. Can you tell me without spoilers what aspects are better¿ Thx
@@digi_edits There's more about Ellie's family, she and Palmer don't jump into bed, and there's more about S.R. Haddon (hint: do a quick google search of Assyrian history, keyword Esarhaddon).
It's nice for you both to be optimistic about humankind, but as we've seen from even this year alone, different beliefs tend to be at war w/ each other. Hence, the film explores how the world would react to such a breakthrough. The key is the relationship between Ellie & Palmer, as they both represent open-minded people. The only true conflict between them mainly stemming from Palmer caring too selfishly about Ellie's life, not wanting her to sacrifice herself. Science fiction doesn't have to be just about science. Zemeckis' Back to the Future is also a teen comedy in addition to being sci-fi. Heck, BTTF3 is a western as well.
The subtext of Palmer Joss's motivation to not send Ellie because he doesn't want to sacrifice her life. Meanwhile, she is 100% committed to die for what she believes and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make first contact.
I love the counterplay of motivations throughout the movie. As different characters use their motivations to push their own ideologies. I love it. Remember this was 30 years before, "Arrival". This movie was the standard-bearer for real first contact.
I mean they live in America where people fight each other depending on which party (which are honestly almost the same) they support
@@cassu6 Not limited to America, but yeah.
From that Sci Fi list you showed earlier in this video, I highly recommend Minority Report too. Totally worth a watch.
And Dark City. All the movies on there were essential viewing though.
Personally, I'd vote for Soylent Green. I'll never forget Charlton Heston shouting in despair, anger and agony. No quote, because spoilers!
I remember when we saw this in the theater, a theater employee gave an announcement beforehand that there was a silent sequence at the beginning, and we shouldn't worry that there had been a malfunction, but that it was a normal part of the movie.
My theory is James Woods' character believed Ellie the whole time. I mean, he hardly seemed fazed at all when he heard that there was 18 hours of static on the camera. He seemed like he was *expecting* to hear that. But, his job is to "protect America", so he suppressed it and made it seem like the whole thing was a waste of time.
Whats interesting about the opening is, the further away you get from earth - its showing you how old the radio signal is thats reached that part of the universe until eventually we hear silence, it starts with modern radio, goes back and dates itself through news and music of each era ending in dead air... indicating that even our oldest radio signals have not reached that far, and it is silent for a loooong time in that opener.
For me, this is a movie that makes you think about what your watching. And it's not like men running around in rubber masks fighting with light wands. Most sci-fi movies are made for 11/12 yr old boys. Movies like Contact, Close Encounters, 2001, etc., will continue to make us think and wonder what lies ahead, but it won't be Jabba the Hut
There's a great clip of a podcast called "The Infinite Monkey Cage". For their 100th episode they video it and had numerous scientists, including Neil Tyson Degrasse and hosted by Brian Cox... They also have a "theology corner" where there is highly respected religious figures that can add to the scientific questions. One of the vicars tells an anecdote about when he went to the USA. He sarcastically asked one School master "is it true that creation is still taught in schools?" The reply was "Obviously we do, why? don't you teach it?"
The priest replied, "yes, well we did until about the 1400's and then we realised it was complete hogwash".
There are a few films that give me chills in certain scenes and this one has 2 of them, the moment she hears the transmission and when Haddon leans into the camera and says "wanna take a ride?"
The part when she saw Vega and then she saw how beautiful the Celestial Evette was and said they should have sent a poet gave me chills! Because she saw things that no one on earth has ever seen before!
"Why have one when you can have two at twice the price?" -this is my friend and I's favorite quote, lol.
When I originally heard that, I thought that doesn't make sense, as it's no cheaper - but later realised it was a critique of large government contracts going to private corporations where the incentive for corporations is to extract as much as possible out of the client - usually more money, but in this case a spare Machine entirely under Hadden's control.
The “For Carl” at the end was Carl Sagan. He wrote the book that the movie was based on, but died about six months before the movie came out.
Absolutely beautiful movie. It's such a perfect fit that Carl Sagan was behind it. The way he showed both the beauty and darkness of humanity. Carl Sagan was also a bit of an activist and the way he slid in elements of shadowy, highly influential people as well as government/military cover-ups, conspiracy, and deception, without making it the forefront of the movie - the forefront is the beauty of humanity & space and the possibilities out there - was also brilliant. Absolutely beautiful, heart-touching movie.
The biggest reason i love this film so much is that its not your conventional Sci-Fi film. Its more about the story, the characters, and their values. The sci-fi stuff is just a bonus. Now i got to watch it again, thanks for the vid guys. Im glad you enjoyed the film.
just a bit of trivia, the `jerk' is also `viper' from `top gun', james woods is the one that wants to `militarize' the project. it's also a shame that `massive one' (antenna aka `radio telescope' is what was once know as arecibo observatory in p.r. that had about a 1,500 ft. diameter dish to it. it's a shame that it was destroyed. as for the `vla' -`very large array' that's located in new mexico.
The book Contact was written by Carl Sagan. The "For Carl" was for Sagan, who died shortly before. Sagan was not religious, but was trying to write a human story. It is not a coincidence that religion is cast as a villain. Samantha is right though. There is no reason why science and religion can't coexist. They posit different foundational assumptions,, so "debating" them is pointless. The 90s were dominated by a lot of "religion and science can't co-exist" discourse.
the 80's even more so
No movie is made in a social vacuum but some highlight the issues of the time more than others. There was definitely a religion vs science battle going on in the 90s and as a high school teacher during that time I was at ground zero. Issues like creationism vs evolution were given as the reason for the ever increasing number of students who were being home schooled on religious grounds. Also the scene where the Christion cult guy blows up the first machine would of felt very familiar to audiences of the time who were seeing domestic Christian terrorists blowing up abortion clinics and the Atlanta Olympics injuring a 100+ people on the news.
Look at the world around you right now.
This film was a pretty accurate portrayal of what human reaction Could be. Look at how the world reacted to a global pandemic.
I remember seeing this movie in the theaters back in 97. I chose to see it in one of the "fanciest" movie theaters in my city. Their best feature were their an incredible sound system, so the pounding beats of the alien signal sounded phenomenal and the roaring sounds produced by the machine in the sequence when Ellie is readying to board the capsule were hard to forget.
The sparkles in the alien dad's sandy hand and Ellie's sandy hand towards the end was also the same pattern the popcorn made when her real Dad fainted/died and dropped it all over the ground.
I think that once you'll get past the frustration, you'll realise that it's one of the best science fiction movies ever. It raises such existential interrogations.
The frustration is part of what makes it good. The movie makes you care and makes you frustrated. It's more of an experience, then just passive movie watching.
This movie was one of the easiest to remember seeing as a kid in theaters. It left such an impression on me. Helped me understand how vast space is and how likely that it *isn't* just an awful waste of space out there.
@@jkhoover I agree the frustration is what makes it feel grounded. when she gets her funding pulled you really beleieve well shit this is it. When Drummond takes all the credit you know who plays the political game best always wins. The movie fused the counter weighting forces of science, religion, politics, power, fear, ,paranoia. PLus they only have two hours to get it done and make some money.
People use events and discoveries to enhance their own personal agendas and ideologies. Especially when power is involved. Religion was the law for the past 5-10 thousand years. Religion has always used its influence to exert power in pursuit of spreading and maintaining its ideology. In modern times, religion is not the first authority we use to dictate policy but it is definitely not the last.
Today you all can live in a world where you can openly pursue scientific knowledge. That was not true for 99.9% of human history. The earth was thought to be the center of the universe. When scientists started to spread that doctrine they were tortured in iron maidens and burned at the stake. All because their discovery confronted religious doctrine that God created the earth for man and that we are at the center of his creation.
Was it intentional or mere irony that Tom Skerritt and John Hurt, both of who starred in 1979's sci-fi horror classic "Alien"; a movie about meeting an alien, are cast in 1997's "Contact"; a movie about meeting an alien.
Carl Sagan did a great job of showing how faith parallels science and religion.
Really good movie, the studio really did market it the wrong way with making people think it was going to be more action and science fiction which really fit with so many blockbusters released in the late 90's. Great performances and a really strong drama with a touch of science fiction.
This was originally written by Carl Sagan, a scientist who was also an atheist. He is famous for they quote, "Extraordinary claims, require extraordinary evidence." Meaning god beliefs require extraordinary evidence and simple arguments don't prove anything. Hence the emphasis on religion vs science.
I think he is still one of the most quoted people on that subject, from his book 'The Demon-Haunted World' to his TV series 'Cosmos'.
And he also initiated the SETI project.
Contact, one of my favorite movies. I showed this to my ex gf some years back and she was blown away by it. Especially the wormhole scene. Carl Sagan wrote the book and was there during filming of the movie. Sadly he passed away before it came out. I wish he could have seen it.
Religion: "Science is the tool of the devil! It is a false god!"
Religion after a major scientific breakthrough: "This is a miracle from God! We take full credit for it!"
"miracle from God" -- this is exactly what Dem NY governor Hochul said about the covid vaxes, that "they're a gift from God" which is literally insane
The Book and Movie was written to illustrate the dilemma that would occur on Earth if we received a signal. It's frustrating because the story is a accurate depiction of what would happen. That's why it's one of my favourites.
Watching you guys have your immediate discussions aobut this film...was almost like hearing EXACTLY what went through my head when I first saw this movie. It really makes you think. More than a science fiction film...this is a big-budget, blockbuster DRAMA. No one would make this today...too risky.
"Wanna take a ride...?"
Still get goosebumps.
r.i.p. Mr Hurt.
If you never got onto it that's Gary Busey's Son Jake. Good Reactions guys keep it up, Also, Gattaca is a great one on that list :)
Your reactions are always great, but here are a couple of requests for the new year that I think you'll enjoy.
"Heat" 1995 Michael Mann
"L.A. Confidential" 1997 Curtis Hanson and
"The Last of the Mohicans" 1992 also directed by Michael Mann
Tbr” now I hope this machine just fries him” wish granted, hahaha classic
My mom and I went to see this movie several times and we'd be real quiet when they are talking about the 18 hrs of static and the whole theater always gave out a collective gasp.
Government would never hide the truth. *snickers*
Watched this again for the umpteenth time just last night…..love this movie.
I LOVED that "Contact" mixed science with religion. People seem to think they don't mix...but they REALLY DO!!! The physical sciences and the metaphysical arts of faith and spirituality can create a greater balance and guide to understanding the cosmos and our place in the universe. My science-fiction novella "Seeds", also combines alien beings and religious overtones throughout human history into the future of humanity's evolution and survival. It is a work of science fiction, but it makes you think AND feel.