I have to say, this is easily among my top science fiction films from the 1990s. The movie demonstrates intelligence, features strong performances and direction, and its special effects actually enhance the narrative instead of detracting from it. Jodie Foster, who hasn't been very active recently as either an actress or director, remains one of my favorite American performers, and I find it interesting to consider how her considerable abilities have been employed more recently—for example, in 'Elysium.' I’m still quite upset with Spike Lee for having Christopher Plummer refer to her that way in 'Inside Man'. I've often wondered what beings on other planets might think of our civilization based on the signals Earth sends out. Fortunately, I haven’t lost much sleep over it; my upstairs neighbor, ‘Thumper,’ deserves credit for that. As Led Zeppelin put it in 'Stairway to Heaven,' "...and it makes me wonder'. Like many films of this type, the conclusion feels a bit underwhelming when different societies finally come into contact. I maintain that crafting an ending is one of the most challenging aspects of filmmaking. Here, unlike truly exceptional science fiction like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ or more contemporary works such as 'Children of Men,' the adequate but not remarkable finale prevents me from giving it a perfect score. Still, it comes very close to being flawless, and I believe it's worth owning and watching again. It also provides an early indication—which would later be realized in ‘Killer Joe’—that Matthew McConaughey is capable of delivering solid performances. Choosing my favorite film directed by Zemeckis is difficult; this one is up there with 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' and 'Back to the Future'.

Source on TMDB