Review Detail
7.8 4 10
(Updated: August 29, 2012)
Enjoyment
9.0
UnkwnFactor jan 17 2011
**** THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ****
I new to the FE review process, so I am still getting the feel of what/how etc to write a good, informative, constructive review. So, please have patience with me.
Due to some technical issues with the RapidShare links, I watched the first hour of the edit one night and the second half the next morning. This gave me the opportunity to mull over the edit overnight and really be able to give a good review
The original “Contact” for me is a great movie. I have watched the original many, many times. I like it so much, that I have taken care to have a great long time between viewings before I watch it again. I don’t want the experience to become mundane for me.
Having said that, this edit had perfect timing for me and my desire to watch “Contact” again.
PLOT/STORY:
I really liked the new opening of this edit; where Ellie is taking the school children on a tour of the VLA. I felt this opening, more than anything else in this edit, really sets up a feeling of hope and excitement that not only the movie is going to have overall, but for Ellie herself. I did not really like the next two scenes: Ellie returning from her voyage and then the Senate hearing with James Woods. Although these two scenes are very brief, I think they are misplaced in the edit (IMO only). I think the tour scene at the beginning, then Ellie on her ham radio as a child would be much better for the flow of the edit and in keeping with showing Ellie’s penchant for discovery and intelligence. I think the two scenes after the tour give away too much. They reveal too much about the plot. Please don’t take this as harsh criticism, because I really enjoyed this edit immensely in the long run, really. Also, because of the way the edit now ends, I just don’t think the entire Senate hearing is really necessary.
I never realized how much I would NOT miss the whole romance and religion aspects of this movie until this edit. I think the movie works very well without these sub-plots. I was very amazed about this as I knew going into this edit they were removed. Removal of these sub-plots, IMO, makes the movie much tighter and less slow/static. Bravo!
Now for the ending of the edit: after she sees the alien-her father and is about to return to Earth, the edit fades to black then cuts to the Kitz/Constantine (James Woods/Angela Basset) scene discussing the recording of the 18 hours of static, then ends with the final portion of the school children tour. I found this ending to be VERY effective and ties very well in with Ultimist’s vision of hope (not sure if he intended that or not, but it certainly shines through). The manner in which Ultimist edited this, I just don’t see the necessity of the Senate hearing, “we don’t believe you Ellie” sub-plot. I like the audio overlay and the galaxy shot at then end – very well done and perfectly ties into the theme of the movie.
In fact, I made a copy of this FE for my father-in-law (big fan of the original too). I will be eager to hear what he thinks of the “Senate hearing scene” as well.
TECHNICAL:
VIDEO: Perfect quality. Exactly what an FE should look like. I streamed this wirelessly form my network (via Dual wireless N) to a new OLED 55inch TV and it looked amazing on my TV. I really saw no video issues at all. Very sharp, clear, deep and good color correction.
AUDIO: Perfect. NO sync issues, no lows and highs between dialogue/music/sound effects. Never touched my remote once I set my amp to the level I wanted to hear this edit in (I use my home theater amp, Onkyo, to hear the edit instead of using the TV’s speakers.)
EDITING/CUTS/MISCELLANEOUS:
Overall, I liked what I saw. Near perfect editing/cuts. However, there was one very glaring cut/edit that I noticed as soon as it happened (I re-watched this portion again just to make sure it wasn’t because of my corrupt version form last night). The scene at the Arecibo party with Ellie, Palmer Joss and Drummond. Drummond walks away after an exchange of barbs with Ellie and Joss; Palmer Joss then turns to Ellie and says he has ruined his chances at an interview with Drummond, the scene harshly cuts to the next one. The audio is very rough here, between the cuts. It doesn’t detract form the overall quality of the edit, but it is there. Also, there seems to be a little issue with an audio cut when Ellie is trying to get back to the VLA and is driving through the madhouse of the RV park/town/gathering — during the “Purple People Eater” song area. I might be wrong on this. I need to go back and watch my DVD to verify if it is like that in the original. If it is, I will make sure to retract this part of my review.
I noticed no areas in the scene edits that I called “flashing” – it is where a scene has been edited but maybe a frame or two remains of the original and causes a very quick/brief flash at the transition from the cut to the next scene (not certain if I ma explaining myself correctly).
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I thoroughly enjoyed this edit. I eagerly anticipated this and was not disappointed. My apologies Ultimist if I harangued you too much to get the links to work! Even the above few “negative” things I mention, ultimately did NOT affect my enjoyment of this edit.
Does this replace my original DVD? Yes and No. For me, I absolutely love the original version and I absolutely love this edit. For me, I now have two versions of a great movie to add to my library. Think of this (for me): it’s like one of my favorite books being made into a movie – love them both for different reasons and can’t compare them to each other – they both are stand-alone great things!
PS–Yes, Carl Sagan’s book “Contact” is also one of my favorite books. So, I now get to have THREE versions of this material! Excellent!
Great job, Ulitmist!
This FE, too me, epitomizes, what this community is all about. I highly recommend this edit to all.
**** THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ****
I new to the FE review process, so I am still getting the feel of what/how etc to write a good, informative, constructive review. So, please have patience with me.
Due to some technical issues with the RapidShare links, I watched the first hour of the edit one night and the second half the next morning. This gave me the opportunity to mull over the edit overnight and really be able to give a good review
The original “Contact” for me is a great movie. I have watched the original many, many times. I like it so much, that I have taken care to have a great long time between viewings before I watch it again. I don’t want the experience to become mundane for me.
Having said that, this edit had perfect timing for me and my desire to watch “Contact” again.
PLOT/STORY:
I really liked the new opening of this edit; where Ellie is taking the school children on a tour of the VLA. I felt this opening, more than anything else in this edit, really sets up a feeling of hope and excitement that not only the movie is going to have overall, but for Ellie herself. I did not really like the next two scenes: Ellie returning from her voyage and then the Senate hearing with James Woods. Although these two scenes are very brief, I think they are misplaced in the edit (IMO only). I think the tour scene at the beginning, then Ellie on her ham radio as a child would be much better for the flow of the edit and in keeping with showing Ellie’s penchant for discovery and intelligence. I think the two scenes after the tour give away too much. They reveal too much about the plot. Please don’t take this as harsh criticism, because I really enjoyed this edit immensely in the long run, really. Also, because of the way the edit now ends, I just don’t think the entire Senate hearing is really necessary.
I never realized how much I would NOT miss the whole romance and religion aspects of this movie until this edit. I think the movie works very well without these sub-plots. I was very amazed about this as I knew going into this edit they were removed. Removal of these sub-plots, IMO, makes the movie much tighter and less slow/static. Bravo!
Now for the ending of the edit: after she sees the alien-her father and is about to return to Earth, the edit fades to black then cuts to the Kitz/Constantine (James Woods/Angela Basset) scene discussing the recording of the 18 hours of static, then ends with the final portion of the school children tour. I found this ending to be VERY effective and ties very well in with Ultimist’s vision of hope (not sure if he intended that or not, but it certainly shines through). The manner in which Ultimist edited this, I just don’t see the necessity of the Senate hearing, “we don’t believe you Ellie” sub-plot. I like the audio overlay and the galaxy shot at then end – very well done and perfectly ties into the theme of the movie.
In fact, I made a copy of this FE for my father-in-law (big fan of the original too). I will be eager to hear what he thinks of the “Senate hearing scene” as well.
TECHNICAL:
VIDEO: Perfect quality. Exactly what an FE should look like. I streamed this wirelessly form my network (via Dual wireless N) to a new OLED 55inch TV and it looked amazing on my TV. I really saw no video issues at all. Very sharp, clear, deep and good color correction.
AUDIO: Perfect. NO sync issues, no lows and highs between dialogue/music/sound effects. Never touched my remote once I set my amp to the level I wanted to hear this edit in (I use my home theater amp, Onkyo, to hear the edit instead of using the TV’s speakers.)
EDITING/CUTS/MISCELLANEOUS:
Overall, I liked what I saw. Near perfect editing/cuts. However, there was one very glaring cut/edit that I noticed as soon as it happened (I re-watched this portion again just to make sure it wasn’t because of my corrupt version form last night). The scene at the Arecibo party with Ellie, Palmer Joss and Drummond. Drummond walks away after an exchange of barbs with Ellie and Joss; Palmer Joss then turns to Ellie and says he has ruined his chances at an interview with Drummond, the scene harshly cuts to the next one. The audio is very rough here, between the cuts. It doesn’t detract form the overall quality of the edit, but it is there. Also, there seems to be a little issue with an audio cut when Ellie is trying to get back to the VLA and is driving through the madhouse of the RV park/town/gathering — during the “Purple People Eater” song area. I might be wrong on this. I need to go back and watch my DVD to verify if it is like that in the original. If it is, I will make sure to retract this part of my review.
I noticed no areas in the scene edits that I called “flashing” – it is where a scene has been edited but maybe a frame or two remains of the original and causes a very quick/brief flash at the transition from the cut to the next scene (not certain if I ma explaining myself correctly).
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I thoroughly enjoyed this edit. I eagerly anticipated this and was not disappointed. My apologies Ultimist if I harangued you too much to get the links to work! Even the above few “negative” things I mention, ultimately did NOT affect my enjoyment of this edit.
Does this replace my original DVD? Yes and No. For me, I absolutely love the original version and I absolutely love this edit. For me, I now have two versions of a great movie to add to my library. Think of this (for me): it’s like one of my favorite books being made into a movie – love them both for different reasons and can’t compare them to each other – they both are stand-alone great things!
PS–Yes, Carl Sagan’s book “Contact” is also one of my favorite books. So, I now get to have THREE versions of this material! Excellent!
Great job, Ulitmist!
This FE, too me, epitomizes, what this community is all about. I highly recommend this edit to all.
U