Robert Zemeckis directs Jodie Foster , Matthew McConaughey and James Woods in this sci-fi drama where Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence.

Maybe it is because he has spent the entire 21st century trying to tame the uncanny valley with middling success that we overlook the tremendous run of ambitious blockbuster after blockbuster that Robert Zemeckis crafted over 17 years at the pinnacle of his career. Romancing The Stone, The Back To The Future Trilogy, Roger Rabbit, Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump, Contact, What Lies Beneath, Castaway. Not a dud or arthouse vanity project among them, all with cutting edge spectacle and something deeper to say about the late 20th century American experience. Contact gets a little lost in the shuffle even though it is the most intelligent and philosophical. Maybe you prefer 2001 / Close Encounters / Arrival. Contact is very much my go to in the sub-genre. Expansive, challenging, yet completely comfortable as Saturday night multiplex fodder. The chase for the truth and the big answers compels. Thrum. Thrum. Thrum. The message from another galaxy bellows at us with oblique possibilities. The whole endeavour is anchored by Foster in her most perfectly tailored role. It fits her talents and star persona like a glove. She is a pioneer, a romantic, the most intelligent person in the room, the most vulnerable to the prejudices of the patriarchy. No movie like it has a central character so captivating, attractive or zealous. 2 and half hours fly by. For a film that constantly interrogates weighty issues, Contact is never dull or lost in talk. A wonder.

10

Perfect Double Bill: Arrival (2016)

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