Contact

Play trailer

2:12

Contact

PG,

1997,

2h 30m,

Sci-Fi/

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Contact: Trailer 1

Now Playing

View more videos

Stream Now

Watchlist

69%

68 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

100,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

68 Reviews

78%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

In this Zemeckis-directed adaptation of the Carl Sagan novel, Dr. Ellie Arroway races to interpret a possible message originating from the Vega star system. Once first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence is proven, Arroway contends with restrictive National Security Advisor Kitz and religious fanatics bent on containing the implications of such an event. An incredible message is found hidden in the signal, but will Arroway be the one to answer its call?

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Stream

Rent Contact on Fandango, or buy it on Fandango.

Critics Consensus

Contact elucidates stirring scientific concepts and theological inquiry at the expense of satisfying storytelling, making for a brainy blockbuster that engages with its ideas, if not its characters.

Read Critics Reviews

Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

Jul 18, 2018

Despite its lineage and some impressive special effects, Contact is a disappointingly earthbound production, weighed down by the ballast of talking-heads dramaturgy and bloated storytelling.

Go to Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Feb 28, 2018

If Contact is disappointingly soft in the head, it can also enthrall. Zemeckis is such a potent imagemaker that he is capable, for long stretches at a time, of sweeping you up in his vision.

Go to Full Review

Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Feb 16, 2011

Something like one of those mysterious asteroids that get the astronomers all worked up: a large body of gaseous matter surrounding a relatively small core of solid substance.

Go to Full Review

Matthew Rozsa

Democracy at Work (Substack)

Jan 31, 2026

4/4

"Contact" rewards subsequent viewings precisely because it allows viewers to contemplate nuances in both story and philosophy that may have previously eluded them.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Jun 7, 2023

4/4

The ruminative approach and final resolution that there are no certainties in the universe, however honest, left audiences unsatisfied. But the film remains a daring work, among the most cerebral and emotional motion pictures on this subject ever released

Go to Full Review

James Croot

The Post NZ

Jul 14, 2022

4/5

If you’ve ever gazed at the sky in wonder and wondered “what if”, are a fan of the magnificent Foster (and who isn’t), or simply like first-rate storytelling, then seek Contact out.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Feb 26, 2019

Spoilers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't watch this movie if you want to see aliens their actions or their planets. I watched this movie as a child and felt robbed.

See more

Jan 31, 2019

The best thrilling sci-fi movie ever made!

George S

Dec 28, 2018

Clever story with great acting - one of my favorites. ??

Anakin S

Dec 2, 2018

(94/100) I believe, personally, that Contact is an underrated gem. Contact challenges human thought, believes and asks the question: How would humans react to other life in the universe? Contact answers these questions and challenges in such a sophisticated way and brings everything together very nicely. The source material is of course great, and Robert Zemeckis and the writers really did a good job on the script and directing. The music by Alan Silvestri is memorable and beautiful. The CGI is a bit wonky, but it was the 90s so I'll let that slip. Overall Contact is an amazing movie about human morality, faith and understanding, again, I believe it is very underated. Go watch it now!

See more

Ron M

Oct 16, 2018

Robert Zemeckis's Contact is the thinking man's science fiction movie, massively underappreciated in my opinion . The opening shot which pans back into space, quietly humbling us by reminding our insignificance, the transmission and receiving of the signal, the machine and teleportation of Jodie Foster in it to meet the "makers", this film is filled with such scenes and joining them together is a fantastic story with an excellent pacing. Contact polarized critics but this is a very good film and features some great performances by Jodie Foster, Mathew Mcconaughey and others.

See more

Oct 12, 2018

Strong and beautiful.

Read all reviews

Robert Zemeckis

Director

Jodie Foster

Eleanor Ann 'Ellie' Arroway

Matthew McConaughey

Palmer Joss

James Woods

Michael Kitz

John Hurt

S.R. Hadden

Tom Skerritt

David Drumlin

The Abyss

75%

83%

The Abyss

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Abyss

Little Shop of Horrors

92%

79%

Little Shop of Horrors

Watchlist

Good Morning, Vietnam

90%

82%

Good Morning, Vietnam

Watchlist

Maverick

67%

71%

Maverick

Watchlist

Stargate

53%

73%

Stargate

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Kim Newman on… The Terrornauts

"Order of the Phoenix" Screenwriter Sits Down for a Chat

Potter 5 Claims a Release Date

Contact: Trailer 1

2:12

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In this Zemeckis-directed adaptation of the Carl Sagan novel, Dr. Ellie Arroway races to interpret a possible message originating from the Vega star system. Once first contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence is proven, Arroway contends with restrictive National Security Advisor Kitz and religious fanatics bent on containing the implications of such an event. An incredible message is found hidden in the signal, but will Arroway be the one to answer its call?

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producer: Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis
Screenwriter: Carl Sagan, James V. Hart, Michael Goldenberg
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 11, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $100.9M
Runtime: 2h 30m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings