Contacto (1997)★ 7.6/10

"Contact" used to be one of my favorite sci-fi movies. I appreciated the heroine Ellie's exploring spirit of science and the discussions around the intersection of science and theology. The dreamlike appearance of the alien at the end is particularly impressive because it strictly followed the laws of science while also being beautiful.
As a science enthusiast, I can easily become immersed in it. However, when I introduced it to my girlfriend, who isn't particularly fond of science, she had different opinions and pointed out several issues with it. After discussing it with her, I realized that these problems do exist, and my passion for science had blinded me to them.
The main issue with the movie is that the storylines of the supporting roles are overly simplistic. Their sole purpose seems to be to assist Ellie whenever she is in adverse situations.
For instance, there is a blind scientist with excellent hearing who appears every time Ellie encounters difficulties. He relays information that others cannot hear, which helps resolve the crisis that Ellie faces each time. Once he finishes his job, he disappears.
The same is true with the mysterious merchant who lives in the air. For three times when Ellie falls into despair, he appears and helps her out of her dilemma. First, when no one was willing to invest in Ellie's project to search for aliens, he provided funding. Second, when Ellie can’t decipher the alien signal, he shares his knowledge with her. The last time, after the spacecraft explodes, he tells Ellie that Japan has built another one.
Other supporting roles have similar problems, butwon't list them individually. Nonetheless, each time Ellie encounters trouble, someone appears to turn the situation around, creating the impression that Ellie's success stems from the assistance of others and diminishing her own efforts.
For science enthusiasts, "Contact" may be an excellent film, but it may not appeal to others.