Contact (Dir. Robert Zemeckis, 1997)

I once laughed at the thought of alien contact. When I was young and believed in God the idea was absurd. But I’ve grown older and hopefully wiser but definitely more open and have since come to appreciate what I once thought absurd- the possibility that we are not alone. Contact is a very good exploration of what first contact with a friendly alien race might be like for humans. The movie is from an original treatment by Carl Sagan, who published this treatment as a book while the movie was stuck in development hell.

The movie follows Ellie who from a young age had her eyes on the stars. She lost her father at a young age, which only helped her passion in the search for our origin. As an adult, she makes a career of her passion as a SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) scientist. After a difficult period and a search for funding, Ellie gets a the message she was searching for. The first message is a broadcast of Hilter, the first broadcast sent to outer space. The aliens continue to communicate and send a blueprint for an intergalactic space ship so that physical contact can be made.

Meanwhile, we humans react to the news that alien contact has been made. There are protest groups as well as enthusiasts that show up for the launch of the first world made spacecraft. But what makes this movie interesting is the faith verses science debate. Ellie is a devote scientist, though she falls in love (hardly love from the lackluster performance, though we are supposed to buy this love) with a handsome leader of religion played by Matthew McConaughey. When asked whether she believes in God, Ellie replies that she believes in Occam’s razor- that given all options being equal, the simplest explanation is usually correct. Thanks for relying completely on this theory movie… I think we got it. But McConaughey replies does Ellie love her father. Of course she does, but cannot prove it. This debate would be of no interest except for the alien element.

When Ellie makes contact it is debatable as to whether or not she left earth. The aliens choose not to send her back with proof of her existence, and the cameras on earth show that the space craft remained on earth. How can we prove what we cannot see, but know in our hearts? There are things out there that we cannot explain. The fact is that we do not know where we came from. What should be so simple to explain, things like time (something we experience and deal with at every passing moment) still hold mystery. Believing in alien life is not so different from believing in a god or God. What the movie advocates is that we search to find our own answers and that we still find mystery in the universe. This mystery enriches our life, as frustrating as it can be.

The movie could be better but it is worth watching and better than my memory let on.