CONTACT SPECIAL EDITION: DVD

Science has fascinated Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) since her childhood days playing with shortwave radio communications, encouraged by her loving father, who dies all too soon. She turns her fascination into a career as an astronomer, searching for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence along with longtime colleague, Kent Clark (William Fichtner). But when Government funding dries up, she turns to eccentric billionaire businessman S.R. Haden (John Hurt) who provides the funds, for reasons of his own. One night in the desert, she receives a signal from the distant star, Vega, that may have been sent by intelligent life. Immediately the government, headed by National Security Advisor Michael Kitz (James Woods), gets involved. For inside that signal are the blueprints for creating an intergalactic probe capable of sending a traveler to another world. As she fights to retain control of her discovery from Kitz and her former boss, David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), Ellie turns to a former acquaintance, one-time lover and now Presidential spiritual advisor, Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey), who supports her, but also questions her belief in science over that of religion. Ellie finds herself competing to be Earth's first ambassador to another world, and she again receives support from Hadden. But even when the first intergalactic journey by a human being is made, the big question remains.

"The opening sequence of Contact is a tribute to quality DVD. The special effects sequence (more than three minutes) taking us on a visual journey through the universe is spectacular, and the profound statement the sequence makes on just how small and insignificant we really are doesn’t dwindle on the small screen due to the clarity and detail of the DVD. The picture quality of the opening sequence is brilliant and it really sets the benchmark for the rest of the movie. This DVD version of Contact has two words on the cover that I love to see – ‘Special Edition’. This, for anyone who doesn’t yet know, means extras. Here we get not one but three audio commentaries. One from Jodie Foster, the second from director Robert Zemekis and producer Steve Starkey and the third from the special effects guys Ken Ralston and Stephen Rosenbaum. These are quite good value to anyone who is intrigued by what goes on behind the camera or too anyone just curious as to how the producers got President Clinton to appear in the movie. They also shed a lot of light on just how much of the movie you thought was real, isn’t. Many seemingly normal shots were tinkered with by the special effects artists after the film was shot. If this isn’t enough there’s also a short documentary on the special effects plus some production notes. If you like the music you can also listen to the fourth alternate track which consists purely of the soundtrack by Alan Silverestri. Certainly being worthy of the label ‘Special Edition’, Contact on DVD combines a great movie, a great widescreen transfer and a whole bunch of extras (over 8 hours) to make it more than worth the price of the disc."
Ben Hooft