John’s Throwback Thursday review of “Contact,” May 20, 2021
“Contact” – In the wake of big-budget toy commercials such as “Batman and Robin,” “Contact” is a refreshing change: It’s a summer blockbuster with substance to match its style. Director Robert Zemeckis harnesses all the key elements of Carl Sagan’s sweeping, reality-based alien encounter, while also giving it new life. The special effects are simply beautiful. Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey remind us what good acting can do for a movie, as each represents a side of the science vs. religion debate. “Contact” plays out the issue nicely and delivers an ambiguous yet powerful ending.
– John Hansen, NDSU Spectrum, Jan. 16, 1998