1997, 2 hrs 33 min., Rated PG for some intense action, mild language and a scene of sensuality. Dir: Robert Zemeckis. Cast: Jodie Foster (Dr. Ellie Arroway), Matthew McConaughey (Palmer Joss), Tom Skerritt (David Drumlin), David Morse (Ted Arroway), Jena Malone (Young Ellie), Rob Lowe (Richard Rank), Angela Bassett (Rachel Constantine), James Woods (Michael Kitz).

Contact is a movie that asks many questions, and the viewers are encouraged to decide the answers for themselves. Based on a novel of the same name by the late Carl Sagan, the story is of Dr. Ellie Arroway, a radio astronomer obsessed with finding intelligent life ever since she and her father met new people on ham radio. She discovers an intelligent broadcast signal from deep space, the star Vega, and when they decipher the message it contains a message that contains detailed instructions for building a machine that would apparently allow a representative from the human race to travel to the home of the race that sent the signal.

What surprised me is that Contact actually tackles the issue of religion and in the most part doesn't trash religious beliefs. Wow! Ellie (Foster) doesn't believe in God, and thinks the 90% of the world that does are, basically, idiots. But, she's also denied her dream for that reason. Of course, Palmer (McConaughey) doesn't say much for religious leaders, considering he jumps right into bed with Ellie without a second thought. But there were a couple of items that I guess the anti-Christian Hollywood types couldn't resist (swipe below for these cruddy developments as well as an ending spoiler:)

First off, did it have to be a religious extremist zealot that blew up the first machine? Second, it was obvious that Rob Lowe's character, Richard Rank, was named that as an insult to Ralph Reed and those who support the Christian Coalition.

I like the ending to Contact, with the way it turned Ellie's arguments against religion against her. She tries to get Palmer to prove God exists earlier in the film, and scoffs at any idea of our faiths. But in the end, she has to use similar arguments in order to pursuade people to believe her 18-hour journey was real. She can't prove it, so we have to put faith in her account.

The idea of aliens as our friends in Contact is rare in tinseltown. Few films have given credence to the notion of a highly intelligent race that wants to communicate with us and teach us as opposed to vaporizing the earth. I would say this follows behind Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in terms of friendly aliens, but ahead of 2001: A Space Odyssey in terms of aliens we never see in person.

What are the chances we'll be listening or watching the right star or system at the right time? And if only one person gets to represent the human race, who should it be? A national leader? A religious figure? A top scientist? Military? And what nationality? Does it have to be American? What about a European who speaks a dozen languages? Heck, just send Jimmy Carter and he'll help the aliens build houses so he can win the Nobel Peace Prize.

The movie contains a theme that asks "Do you think there are people on other planets?"

The answer: "I don't know, but if it's just us, it would be an awful waste of space."