Contact (1997)
Robert Zemeckis's landmark sci-fi drama asks whether humanity is truly ready to meet its cosmic neighbors — and whether science and faith can ever share the same answer.
Contact - Movie Information
- Original Title: Contact
- Release Year: 1997
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Drama, Sci-Fi, Mystery
- Age Rating (US): PG
- Runtime: 2h 30m
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: English, Russian, Spanish
- Release Date (Theatrical): July 11, 1997 (Canada), July 11, 1997 (United States - PG), September 26, 1997 (United Kingdom - PG), October 9, 1997 (Germany - 12), September 17, 1997 (France - TP), October 23, 1997 (New Zealand - M), October 16, 1997 (Australia - M), September 19, 1997 (Brazil - L), September 26, 1997 (Mexico), November 26, 1997 (Italy - T), September 19, 1997 (Spain - 7), November 15, 1997 (South Korea - 12)
- Alternative Titles: コンタクト (JP), Contact (ES), 接触未来 (CN), 超時空接觸 (TW), 超時空接觸 (HK), Kontakt (CZ)
- Production Companies: South Side Amusement Company, Warner Bros. Pictures
- Production Countries: United States of America
Contact - Plot
A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
Contact - Trailer
Watch the official trailer and see the journey begin:
Take a journey to the heart of the universe.
Where to Watch Contact
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Contact - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Robert Zemeckis
Main Cast
- Jodie Foster
- Matthew McConaughey
- James Woods
- John Hurt
- Tom Skerritt
- William Fichtner
- David Morse
- Angela Bassett
- Geoffrey Blake
- Max Martini
Writers
- Michael Goldenberg
- James V. Hart
- Carl Sagan
- Ann Druyan
Producers
- Steve Starkey
- Robert Zemeckis
Contact - FAQs
Is Contact based on a true story or novel?
Contact is based on the 1985 novel of the same name by renowned astrophysicist and science communicator Carl Sagan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ann Druyan. While fictional, the story draws heavily on real scientific concepts, including SETI research, radio astronomy, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
What does the ending of Contact mean?
The ending of Contact is deliberately ambiguous. Dr. Ellie Arroway experiences an extraordinary journey through a wormhole and meets an alien in the form of her late father, yet her recording device captures only static — suggesting either the experience was real but unprovable, or that faith and empirical evidence cannot always coexist.
What is Contact about?
Contact follows Dr. Ellie Arroway, a passionate radio astronomer who detects the first confirmed extraterrestrial signal from space. As governments and religious leaders clash over how to respond, Ellie fights to be chosen for a mission that challenges everything she believes about science, faith, and what it means to be human.
Who are the main actors in Contact?
Contact stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway and Matthew McConaughey as Palmer Joss, a theologian and her love interest. The supporting cast includes James Woods, John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, David Morse, Angela Bassett, Geoffrey Blake, and Max Martini.
Where can you stream or watch Contact?
Contact is available to stream free on The Roku Channel. It can also be rented or purchased on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home, giving viewers a range of flexible options to watch the film.
What is the age rating for Contact?
Contact is rated PG in the United States. Despite its thought-provoking themes around science, religion, and extraterrestrial contact, the film contains no strong language or graphic violence, making it broadly accessible to older children and adults alike.
Did Contact win any awards or critical recognition?
Contact earned strong critical praise upon release and received a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Jodie Foster's performance was widely celebrated, and the film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film. It holds a solid reputation as one of the most thoughtful sci-fi films of the 1990s.
What movies are similar to Contact?
If you enjoyed Contact, you may also like Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Gravity (2013), Event Horizon (1997), Stargate (1994), Signs (2002), Contagion (2011), and Dark City (1998) — all films that explore humanity's relationship with the unknown, science, or the cosmos.
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