Contact (1997)

Most alien movies would rather blow up a landmark. Contact would rather hold a committee hearing, and somehow that’s the better idea. Jodie Foster’s Ellie is a scientist who listens to static for a living, and the moment she first hears the signal in her headphones, eyes squeezed shut, tells you everything. The movie runs 150 minutes and feels it in the middle, where politicians, preachers and a billionaire all fight over the message. The weak link is Palmer Joss. Matthew McConaughey plays a philosopher of faith who’s mostly there to flirt with Ellie and ask big questions on cue. Tom Skerritt is great as the boss who grabs all the credit, and James Woods is a perfect wall of suspicion. Robert Zemeckis turns the machine sequence into something legit breathtaking. It made $171.1 million worldwide on a reported $90M. An 8.0 because it’s a science movie that takes faith seriously, and only the romance feels like a studio note. $1,671 says you try counting in prime numbers at a red light and lose track before it turns green.

What works: Jodie Foster makes Ellie’s obsession feel real, and the machine sequence is still one of the great rides in sci-fi.

What doesn’t: Palmer Joss is more of a debate topic than a person, and the middle drags under all the politics and press conferences.

Who it’s for: People who want their sci-fi thoughtful, and anyone who’s ever stared at the night sky and felt very small.