A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
Acting
Jodie Foster carries wonder and grief like nobody else.
Direction
Zemeckis makes three hours of talking feel like a launch countdown.
Sound
That opening cosmic zoom still raises neck hairs.
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Jodie Foster
Ellie Arroway
Matthew McConaughey
Palmer Joss
James Woods
Michael Kitz
John Hurt
S. R. Hadden
Tom Skerritt
David Drumlin
William Fichtner
Kent
David Morse
Ted Arroway
Angela Bassett
Rachel Constantine
Geoffrey Blake
Fisher
Max Martini
Willie
Rob Lowe
Richard Rank
Jake Busey
Joseph
Tucker Smallwood
Mission Director
Jena Malone
Young Ellie
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Carl Sagan's novel was published in 1985; he died during production in 1996, never seeing the finished film.
US
