Key Insights
- Film Adaptation: Robert Zemeckis directed Contact, a film based on Carl Sagan’s novel that explores themes of faith and science.
- Ending Controversy: The film’s ending, featuring Jodie Foster’s deceased father, sparked debate over its interpretation of alien contact.
- Technological Innovation: Zemeckis was known for pushing cinematic boundaries, yet Contact focused more on narrative than visual effects.
- Cultural Impact: Despite mixed reviews, Contact remains a significant work in science fiction cinema nearly thirty years later.
Robert Zemeckis’s Contact, based on the acclaimed novel by Carl Sagan, was among the most anticipated movies of its time. At last, a realistic, scientifically rigorous movie was being made about first contact.
But the ending, to many, proved to be the ultimate cop-out—albeit not that different from the book. The film hinges on the idea of faith vs. science, but the ending is ambiguous in both regards. More than that, audiences expected to see an alien, only to see—well: Jodie Foster’s dead father.
So what about the ending? Is it as bad as all that, or is it actually exactly what Carl Sagan intended, designed to provoke intellectual debate rather than provide your typical Hollywood ending? And why didn’t we see an alien?
After all, the movie is directed by the guy behind Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Forrest Gump. Weren’t audiences deserving of something a little more exciting than, well, Jodie Foster’s dead father?
Robert Zemeckis at the Peak of His Career
While somewhat more obscure now than you’d think given the pedigree, Contact was one of the most high-profile films of the nineties. If it fell somewhat short of industry expectations, that was only because of the sheer talent involved.
It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, who, at the time, was one of the most bankable directors in Hollywood, rivaling Steven Spielberg. His more recent work has certainly been a mixed bag, but at the time he was on an incredible box office run.
First there was 1984’s Romancing the Stone, which was followed by Back to the Future. That alone made him among the most sought-after directors in town, able to skillfully blend humor, drama, and cutting-edge VFX in what’s now thought to be among the greatest films ever made.
He followed it up with another industry disruptor—Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which blended live action and animation in a way no one thought possible, becoming another classic. It was quickly followed by his back-to-back Back to the Future sequels. And while his follow-up, Death Becomes Her, was seen as something of a disappointment financially, it was another movie that pushed boundaries in terms of on-screen VFX.
But nothing really prepared Hollywood for his follow-up, Forrest Gump. It not only won him a Best Director Oscar and became a box office behemoth but it did something no one thought possible at the time: it used cutting-edge technology to make dead historical figures like JFK, John Lennon, and others seem to interact with Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump. While very dated in our era of deepfakes and AI, at the time Gump ’s effects were considered mind-blowing.
When Zemeckis signed on to Contact, everyone expected another film that would push the envelope in terms of what technology could bring to the big screen. But while that’s maybe what the public or even some studio execs expected, that’s not what Contact was ever intended to be.
Carl Sagan and the Origins of Contact
Contact was based on the novel by Carl Sagan. Sagan was known as perhaps the greatest science communicator of his day. An astronomer and planetary scientist, he had the talent of taking complex scientific theories and breaking them down into language the layman could understand.
The most famous example of this was his passion project Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, a thirteen-part miniseries on PBS that covered cosmology and its relation to the origin of human life. It was a sensation throughout the eighties, seen by an estimated 500 million people in sixty countries. Among others, it inspired Neil deGrasse Tyson, who would later host his own version of Cosmos in tribute to the man he called his mentor, picking up the torch as the great science communicator of his day following Sagan’s death from cancer in 1996—only months before Contact came out in theaters.
In addition to his scientific work, Sagan was an author. The book actually began life as a screenplay he co-wrote with his future wife Ann Druyan in 1979. Frustrated with its lack of momentum at the studios, Sagan transformed the script into a novel, which became a bestseller.
While a fictional story, Sagan aimed to make it as scientifically accurate as possible, consulting with physicist Kip Thorne on the concept of “wormholes,” which figure prominently in the book. It centers around Eleanor “Ellie” Arroway, an astronomer working for the SETI Institute—short for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
The project detects a signal from Vega, 26 light-years away, transmitting prime numbers and later a retransmission of Adolf Hitler’s 1936 Olympic speech—the first TV signal to escape Earth’s ionosphere. Convinced they are on the verge of first contact, Ellie and four other scientists are chosen to travel on a ship that moves through a network of wormholes to make contact with alien lifeforms eventually taking the form of a loved one.
Upon their return, they discover that to humans left behind on Earth it seems like they never left. No evidence remains of first contact leading many to disbelieve their story although Ellie later discovers scientific evidence revealing that their trip did indeed happen.
The Long Road to Adaptation
When Contact was published as a novel and sold so well, the project—and Sagan and Druyan’s script—once again became a hot property in Hollywood initially optioned by Warner Bros.
At first Roland Joffé director of The Killing Fields and The Mission, was set to direct with a revised screenplay by James V. Hart who would later write Hook and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Eventually Joffé was replaced by Mad Max’s George Miller with Michael Goldenberg brought in to further develop the script.
Miller wanted to cast Uma Thurman as Ellie with Ralph Fiennes playing Palmer Joss—a Christian philosopher who becomes Ellie’s love interest and further inhabits the faith vs. science aspect of searching for extraterrestrial life. Yet Miller and studio parted ways over his script ideas and they went to Robert Zemeckis. Thanks to his place in Hollywood following Forrest Gump, Zemeckis was given carte blanche to do movie his way including final cut privileges and casting. Still he kept Sagan intimately involved hoping to make a science-based film that could rival 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Key Differences Between the Novel and Movie
Robert Zemeckis assembled a fine cast led by Jodie Foster who was perhaps only second to Julia Roberts at that time as one of most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood. She was coming off two Oscar wins first for The Accused in 1988 and then for The Silence of The Lambs which was also one biggest blockbusters at that time. Her track record at box office was excellent having also won acclaim for directing Little Man Tate as well as her foray into comedy starring opposite Mel Gibson in Maverick.
The role of Palmer Joss would be taken by Matthew McConaughey who had skyrocketed to stardom overnight after being cast in lead role John Grisham adaptation A Time To Kill the year before. When that film was hit he became megastar this would be follow-up.
The supporting cast included James Woods Tom Skerritt Angela Bassett and David Morse who played important role as Ellie’s deceased father whose image aliens take at end.
The film version of Contact would be different from novel many ways:
- Diverse Crew: Five people travel in novel while Ellie is joined by four international passengers reflecting book’s emphasis on global cooperation. In film Ellie travels alone making experience more personal emotionally direct while keeping Foster as film’s central focus.
- Lesser Romance: Palmer Joss is less romantic lead book while film greatly expands relationship with Ellie making their romance central conflict between faith science appealing larger audience particularly because McConaughey’s heartthrob status giving equal screen time faith aspect debate aiming movie both faith-based secular audience.
- Centrally Focused Father:The movie makes Ellie’s father central alien appears Ellie form late father novel also uses familiar human form communicate her but Ellie’s childhood grief relationship with father much more prominent film.
- Simplified Politics:The novel is more political scientific spending considerably more time international negotiations construction machine mathematical ideas debates between different nations belief systems while film turns much into focused Hollywood character drama.
- Differing Endings:The endings offer different evidence officials suppress fact Ellie’s recording device captured roughly 18 hours static subtly supporting her account while novel Ellie discovers remarkable pattern hidden deep within digits pi suggesting intelligence perhaps design exists within structure universe itself.
- A Deeper Mystery:The book’s aliens are more explicit about larger mystery explaining they did not create transport network are themselves investigating who built it while film hints ancient cosmic infrastructure but leaves more unexplained.
Why We Didn’t See an Alien
The decision have extraterrestrial appear as Ellie’s father came from Carl Sagan—not Robert Zemeckis. The same basic encounter occurs Sagan’s novel: being assumes appearance Ellie’s deceased father Ted because has accessed her memories wants communicate through form she can understand trust.
Zemeckis did however make choice feel much more sentimental because movie called Contact comes from Robert Zemeckis positioned as summer blockbuster audiences expected some kind alien at end film instead they got something more intellectual—but also opinion many overly sentimental.
Intellectually thematically conventional alien never really what Sagan promising reasoning appears be:
- A genuinely advanced extraterrestrial might be so unfamiliar humans couldn’t meaningfully perceive or communicate with it.
- Any recognizable creature design—grey alien insect humanoid—would be Hollywood invention.
- The aliens are managing humanity’s first step into much larger reality so they deliberately provide Ellie psychologically comprehensible interface.
The movie does give Ellie glimpses enormous structures distant civilizations during her journey what withholds extraterrestrial true physical form distinction matters she unquestionably contacts another intelligence but film refuses pretend knows such intelligence would look like.
In some ways this isn’t dissimilar what Denis Villeneuve would later do his own first contact movie, Arrival Now actually see aliens important likely why that film success but similar aliens have find way communicate humanity beyond language—with that movie also playing how aliens process time.
Technological Realism Controversy
While Zemeckis avoided reaching into his VFX bag tricks big-screen alien other ways film indeed cutting-edge.
Footage then-President Bill Clinton manipulated make look like addressing first contact allowing film establish him president rather than cast actor proved controversial White House Counsel sending strongly worded letter studio protesting use Clinton film Warner Bros defended saying White House notified early even sent print before release even if never specifically sought permission.
The movie also starts three-minute CGI sequence depicting vastness universe which at time longest continuous CGI shot live-action film.
Also worth noting Zemeckis’ devotion making film look like takes place contemporary world using clips from Crossfire Larry King Live and The Tonight Show Jay Leno Like Clinton use several CNN correspondents proved controversial Because Time Warner owned CNN gave impression news channel manipulated parent company future anytime CNN approached use film had go through ethics committee .
Box Office Reception Legacy
In end < em > Contact </ em > ; reaction mixed—both critically audiences Many critics liked it audiences gave A-minus CinemaScore rating good but not high enough suggest loved movie unreservedly .
It seen something box office failure when failed take top spot weekend came out making just over $20 million That record star Jodie Foster not strong enough beat out movie won weekend—ironically < em > Men Black </ em > ; featured whole whack aliens appealed directly blockbuster audience < em > ; Contact </ em > ; missed out .
< em > Contact </ em > ; ended up having legs box office just passed $100 million domestically Given high $70 million budget lost money theaters though made shortfall overseas home video cable became early DVD hit shut out Academy Awards receiving only single nomination Best Sound likely seen bitter disappointment movie directed Zemeckis .
Zemeckis quickly bounced back year 2000 two major hits Harrison Ford Michelle Pfeiffer-led < em > ; What Lies Beneath </ em > ; Tom Hanks-led < em > ; Cast Away </ em > ; Yet Zemeckis later embarked controversial chapter career based interest pushing possible screen pioneering motion capture technology < em > ; The Polar Express </ em >< ; em > ; Beowulf </ em >< ; em > ; A Christmas Carol </ em >< ; /strong> ; through company ImageMovers Last two saw mixed results box office while ImageMovers production < ; em > ; Mars Needs Moms</ em> ; total disaster .
He’d do one more great live-action movie—the Denzel Washington-led Flight but follow-up movies received poorly both critically financially .< ; em > ; Allied < /strong> ; disappointment ,< ; em > ; Welcome Marwen < /strong> ; disaster while The Witches < /strong> ; < /strong> ; Pinocchio < /strong> ; went straight streaming His film Here < /strong> ; once again tried push boundaries terms VFX failed financially .
Looking Zemeckis’ career whole one needs give some praise work Contact By not showing alien end actually showed restraint .
Zemeckis due love tech could easily given us giant CGI alien But would gone against Carl Sagan’s original concept While Zemeckis changed some aspects book opted remain faithful Sagan’s core intentions giving film feeling something late Sagan would proud .
It wasn’t financially all successful well regarded nearly thirty years later—and certainly movie everyone involved can hold heads high while talking about .
The post Nearly 30 Years Later Robert Zemeckis Most Misunderstood Sci-Fi Epic Deserves Reevaluation appeared first JoBlo .
[nospin]Here you can find original article photos images used our article also come from this source We are not their authors they have been used solely informational purposes proper attribution their original source.[/nospin]
