Comments about the movie Contact

Your Comments:

D.R.
Saturday, May 03, 2008 at 23:48:26 (PDT)

I loved this movie. Just finished watching it again (not sure how many times have seen it now) Thanks to DVD I noticed at the end of the "first" jump, the pod stopped briefly showing what appeared to be a "Station-like" structure. I Have yet to read the Novel, but am picking it up to do so. This may be answered in the novel, but it seemed that perhaps that VEGA was a way-point, rather than the ending destination. And in the movie, when the signal was first tracked to VEGA, they said it was impossable, too new a system to have life. And she made at least 3 similar jumps before reaching her final destination. Everything else I read assumes that she stops in VEGA. This observation brought me to me ACTUAL question. Why make this trip only once? The machine was made, and all they had to do was reconnect the pod to the drop arm and go again. It would have helped to bring validation or expose the possible fraud. ESPECIALLY after admitting there were 18 hours of static recorded. This space platform I mentioned would help explain why they either didn't or why if they had it did not work a second time. They simply closed the platform or moved it to a new location making the spacial coordinates invalid. HMMMMM possibly a good start to a sequel???? Let me know your thoughts.

rJe
Friday, March 07, 2008 at 14:57:09 (PST)

There seem to be so many uniformed posts to this forum, people who speculate but admit to not having read the book or admit to not understanding time-dilation effects. Please do a little research folks!
Time dilation can work in either direction. The humans in the movie are EXPECTING the pod to travel at the speed of light, which is all we understand. Ellie does not travel at the speed of light, she travels through conduits. In the construction of a tesseract, the occupant can leave one time, enter another dimension, and return to the exact same moment he left. Look up "Spatial Topology". This explains Ellie's journey. Had she eneterded a real wormhole (Einstein-Rosen Bridge)it's opening would have tobe about the size of the sun and she would be crushed going through it.
No one here has commented on a major and brilliant name: Hadden's character in the book is simply a man of debauchery who recreated the city of Babylon as his own Las Vegas. "S.R. Hadden". "Esarhaddon" is one of the greatest ancient kings of Babylon/Assyria. Sagan's books and photos of himslef are repleat with references to Sumeria, Babylon, and obelisks (hence the Washington Monument).
Readers of the book know the secret to the image of sparkling stars the alien gives to Ellie. She repeats them later on Earth. There wasn't time in the movie to illustrate this. The alien told her to keep researching the numerical value of pi (a circle), the glitter of stars is part of a circle. In the book, Ellie eventually finds a secret hidden deep within pi.
Seek your answers, folks. Don't just post questions (to which you already have the answers) and expect explanations, vending machine-style.

Bailey James
Tuesday, March 04, 2008 at 17:10:39 (PST)

I think COntact is a very realistic depiction of how first contact might be made and how humnanity would react.
One thing I don't get - and I know Sagan tried to be as scientifically accurate as possible - was how the machine worked. I always thought you'd edperience time dilation when travelling at hyper speeds - so that Ellie's time would be much shorter than what observers back on earth experienced. Joss Palmer even references this fact. How is it that to earth observers, it appeared nothing happened - and in an instant. Whereas for Ellie, 18 hrs passed? Isn't that the opposite of what relativity tells us? This point has really been gnawing at me!

As much as I loved the story, I felt kind of let down on two points - we never see the aliens, their planet(s) or any physical evidence of them. And the fact that Ellie couldn't "prove" she really travelled to Vega. Not sure why, but I wanted some more tangible payoff! BUt when I think about it, leaving it open ended was probably the only way, otherwise it would have been corny - three eyed ridge-backed aliens in makeup, etc.

great site, btw...thanks!

someone
Monday, February 11, 2008 at 09:22:13 (PST)

has anyone ever noticed that whenever elly and joss are talking about science and religion - God and faith - that the Washington monument is featured in the back ground? happens three times - at the end when they "see eye to eye" there it is again.

Jeralex
Monday, January 07, 2008 at 17:44:11 (PST)

I guess I'll be the one to start off the New Year. I'm going to go a little off subject, but I think that this something of interest to anyone who would visit this site. I work at NASA and I'm a very concerned about the future of our space program. I think it would be a disaster for the next president to cancel or delay the Constellation Moon-Mars missions. I won't get long winded here, but all I have to say is that if you support the further growth of the human race and America's future, then please let your representative know about it, especially the presidential candidates.

joker
Thursday, December 20, 2007 at 02:38:10 (PST)

I've just watched the movie and i was speechless the whole time and it has opened my mind to incredible things and ideas that i will not be able to sleep without watching the movie again and again and i think everyone agrees with me that it would be possible for something like this to acctually happen in real life we as people are so 2 dimensional and another thing were so worked up on what everything else that we couldnt unite as a world and build something that can go the speed of light and it'll maybe get us somewhere and teach us something and let this be a messege to all of us if we put are differences aside we can think mo rationally about everything so peace \/

fellow question-asker
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 18:22:13 (PST)

Cor

"I have recently watched contact and i am to the opinion that it is an outstanding film
every aspect was fantastic
can someone tell me more about the benign messeage"

I think the "benign message" you speak of refers to the footage of hitler. Everyone seemed kinda freaked at first... its hitler. Ellie pointed out that this was the first broadcast of its kind (used demonstrating the german's superior technology for the olympic games.) This would be the first signal an intelligent race would receive from earth. (travelling at a finite speed 186,000 miles per second) That is why it is benign in nature. Simply because it was the first that would have reached the intelligence that sent it back. The timeline is accurate... vega being 25.3 light years away.

fellow question-asker
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 18:11:20 (PST)

does anyone else think s.r. hadden designed the machine?
"I was a hell of an engineer..." hadden in the scene where he gives ellie the decrypted plans for the machine

Cor
Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 03:02:24 (PDT)

I have recently watched contact and i am to the opinion that it is an outstanding film
every aspect was fantastic
can someone tell me more about the benign messeage

Al
Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 20:21:14 (PDT)

She says "Poetry. They should have sent a poet."

Fred Atkinson
Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 20:03:20 (PDT)

There was a word or name that I couldn't make out that Ellie said just before she said 'They should have sent a poet'. Can anyone tell me what that was? I've always wondered about the meaning of it.

Ranjith Ravindran from India
Tuesday, July 03, 2007 at 07:36:37 (PDT)

I had read the novel long ago, and searched high and low for the movie version. Last week , finally my search ended, and i got a DVD. I must say, they have done a fabulous job in making it. It has been abridged suitably for general viewers. It just turns minds on, are we really alone in this big wonderful universe. Nobody else is intelligent enough to dream and imagine like us. Does seem like an awful waste of space. Tomorrow if we do receive sucha message or any clue of life out there, the events in the novel will all come true. The world will be divided into two, those who have read 'Contact' , and those who are going to read it.

lets keep searching for friends out there. Keep the Faith.

Guess
Monday, July 02, 2007 at 08:55:35 (PDT)

It is interesting to read this discussion board after 5 years!!!

Contact 2 shouldn't be made. It will totally destroy the meaning of the first movie. Instead, they (WB) should try
and make an extended version of the first one so that
they (WB) can explain what happened during those 18 hours -
where did she go?? what does the 5 stars mean? Where
is the space port that the aliens built which was in the
book? And wasn't there meant to be an invisible door ??

Tony Palm
Tuesday, June 12, 2007 at 07:18:08 (PDT)

Thanks Al!
Please let me know what you find. I do not have a copy of the book.
That part did confuse me and I thought maybe it was a movie blooper. Like I said, based on Einstein's theory, I thought the 18 hours (for Jodie) versus the instantaneous (for everyone else) was backwards.
Overall, I thought it was great film. I especially thought the beginning sequence was phenomenal! I am one of the 95% that do believe in God so I thought the discussions were interesting and lively. Unfortunately in our world, there are too many of the "preacher" fanatical types who do not represent the true beliefs of people, yet they are the ones who garner the media attention.

Al
Monday, June 11, 2007 at 12:35:19 (PDT)

Yes, that was not explained very well. The time dilatation effect happens (or is noticeable) when someone moves at speeds closer to the speed of light. In this case, though, the trip was instantaneous. The sphere just fell through the rings. I do not remember how this is handled in the book. I will have to read it again.

Tony Palm
Monday, June 11, 2007 at 11:49:52 (PDT)

Just saw the movie yesterday on a VHS tape. I have a question. At one point, Matthew M. asks Jodi F. about Einstein's theory. They explain on such a trip maybe 4 years pass for her whearas 50 years have passed on earth.

Then at the end of the show, to everyone else it seems virtually no time passes, but to Jodie F. 18 hours had passed.
Isn't that backwards? Shouldn't it seemed like a short time to Jodi and a longer time to everyone else??

Thanks!
tony.palm@micorp.com

Ronald Flores
Sunday, May 06, 2007 at 21:09:15 (PDT)

I think a sequel to this story will not necessarily be a failure. In essence, the movie version of the story does leave some loose ends as opposed to the book which is rather very conclusive. The movie offers several points of view that might allow for a sequel, if treated properly. I mean, dont expect a sequel themed like "ellie's adventures" after the end of the movie.

joshuasocean
Monday, April 23, 2007 at 13:35:49 (PDT)

the "machine" that teleports her to the "others" has 3 rings but from the side looks like a 6 pointed STAR. the center, where she is, teleports her to/connects her to be closer to "GOD". A Star of David symbolically represents 6 points and a center, "the 7th" represents GOD.

mike
Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 15:47:42 (PDT)

i was wondering about the music. The underlying tune throughout the movie is a christian song i had heard quite a while ago. I don't know if it was an original christian tune or not. Cna anyone give any info to where they got the tune from?

Jordan
Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 11:13:27 (PDT)

I don't understand why meeting one alien, showed her that she wasn't alone anymore. Was she not on earth where there are more than a billion people existing? How does this answer any of the questions she had? This movie does nothing but show that aliens don't answer any more questions about why we are here any more than God does.

Bekalu
Friday, April 06, 2007 at 15:06:57 (PDT)

The shortest and the simplest explanation is the truth and that is Contact-2 is not available, bad truth!! If you are sure that the 2nd part would not be as best as the 1st then never try to make it!!!

kim
Friday, March 23, 2007 at 23:01:36 (PDT)

why hasnt there been a second movie? This is amazing.

wolf
Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 20:18:11 (PST)

if you have never believed that there is life in another universe..watching this movie could change your thinking or at least be open minded about the possibility that some day this could become reality. this has got to be one of the best top ten science fiction movies ever made. from the begining to the end it keeps you focused.in the movie,her white house friend tells her that if she is selected to go,from the time she is gone,she will age 4 years ,yet on earth..50 years would have passed and all her friends and love ones would be dead....when she is sent back to earth by the aliens...the first question she asked was what year and day it was,but everyone was and looked the same as they were when she left. how long was she supposed to be gone to have 50 years go buy on earth,the camera recorded less than one day.....also..when she reached her destiny,she questioned the alien{the vision of her dad},what's next..and was told she was going to sent back home,she said there was a lot of questions to be answered and questioning her short time there...her dad{the alien},said this breif communication was a start...to me this would indicate that there might be a sequel at some point in time...its ten years later and no sequel. is it possible that making a sequel would, in some people's thinking,ruin their beliefs that there is a possibility that someday this could become reality...inspired by this one and only movie of a kind..this is a great movie and i will be watching it again and again....am i disappointed that there may never be a sequel?....no..some things are better left the way they are,but if there was going to be..it would not be a success unless jodi foster was in it..... wolf,..blairsville,pennsylvania

Steve
Wednesday, February 07, 2007 at 22:56:28 (PST)

Does anyone know what the stars in the sand mean...both her and her father pick up some dirt and see the exact same shape of glittery stars...ive been curious about this for a long time...

Jamie (UK)
Sunday, January 21, 2007 at 16:27:55 (PST)

Just watched the film again for the first time in some 5 or 6 years, very thought provoking, love the opening scene. I wonder how many people after watching the film go straight onto the internet and search for SETI and related subjects!

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