It’s a movie that manages to do more right than wrong, serving as an affectionate nod to Carl Sagan. The subject of extraterrestrial existence has always held significance in cinema, standing as one of the most dependable topics within science fiction. While it's produced some truly excellent films, it’s also occasionally resulted in movies so poor they aren’t worth the cost of a DVD. This film, for me, largely stays on solid ground; it offers a well-constructed story that feels intelligent and believable, but it falters when attempting to introduce action sequences and inject excitement. A particularly strong point is how convincingly and understandably the movie handles complicated scientific topics and ideas. There’s a heavy emphasis on science, and considering Carl Sagan was among those who consulted on the film (he passed away during production, and the film is dedicated in his memory), it's easy to understand its strength. That’s what happens when you listen to knowledgeable people who genuinely study these subjects. Technically, the movie meets reasonable standards for a science fiction film from the late 90s with a fairly generous budget. Despite some innovations like green screen and CGI effects, which were beginning to be used in the industry, not everything is entirely successful. While there are some high-quality visual effects, the cinematography doesn’t quite measure up, feeling overly plain and uninspired. I appreciated the focus on radio telescopes—we're more accustomed to seeing optical telescopes—but listening to space is just as important. It was great to see Arecibo again, a very cinematic location that unfortunately recently ceased to exist, which I deeply regret. Jodie Foster delivers a commendable performance and deserves recognition for her hard work. She’s charismatic and strong enough to carry the lead role, although her quality dips somewhat toward the end when she had to interact with green screens, something not common for actors at that time. The performances of other actors like John Hurt, David Morse, Tom Skerritt, and James Woods are also quite good. They don’t have much material allowing them significant screen time or impact, but they all did their best with what they were given. Despite the attention he received, likely due to his salary, it was disappointing to see Matthew McConaughey in such a lackluster role, lacking any real substance; it seemed like he was simply collecting a paycheck and wasn't invested in the project. The script has both commendable aspects and others that should have been removed. The scientific discussions and the concept of transmitting data through signals that can be detected by sound are particularly relevant and well-executed. I also liked seeing the challenges the main character faces in securing financial and practical support for her research, as well as overcoming the prejudices and lack of interest from those funding it; this reflects how much scientific research is currently handled. The film later tries to involve the government and NASA, leading to a kind of inflated and melodramatic action sequence that clashes with what came before—a misstep, though director Robert Zemeckis doesn’t seem to learn from his errors, as it's happened in other films. Another mistake was the religious debate surrounding alien life; this film didn’t need it, and the topic should have been cut entirely.

Source on TMDB