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Contact turns 20. Contact Is More Than a Movie About Science vs. Religion

Kreen101

Member
One thing I believe is quite accurate about the movie is the notion that if we did receive signals from aliens which were a blueprint to creating a space-traveling device, some religious nutjob would try to destroy it. Not that I recall the movie going down this avenue
It's one of the major plot points.

It wouldn't be the religious right trying to blow up the machine, it'd be the woke left if they had any reason to believe the alien's civilization is devout, patriotic or masculine, or if they find out they've eradicated the gay gene...
 
It wouldn't be the religious right trying to blow up the machine, it'd be the woke left if they had any reason to believe the alien's civilization is devout, patriotic or masculine, or if they find out they've eradicated the gay gene...

Real Housewives Of Atlanta Ok GIF
 
I originally saw this in the theater when I was barely a teenager and didn't really grasp what I was watching. I just saw it as someone hopping in a machine to visit a spiritual world/realm to communicate with a deceased family member. Obviously, there's got to be more to it than that and some underlying themes. I think now as an adult I should revisit it.. while trying not to be distracted by some of the dated effects lol
 

p_xavier

Authorized Fister
Needs a 4k release for sure. Was why I did my Ph.D. in that field for sure. I still
have major death anxiety but that movie helped.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
A very good movie but makes a logical fallacy Dawkins described in God’s Delusion - the assumption that the chances of a supreme religious being are 50/50 - you believe in science, that’s your right, I believe in God.
You cannot ‘believe’ in science, since no proof = no science.
Also the chances there is a God are infinitely smaller than the chance there isn’t one. It’s not an equal argument.
 

RJMacready73

Simps for Amouranth
One of my favs. Just rewatched it on sat. It's available on youtube for free right now(just has ads)

I wonder if it will ever get a 4k BRD release.
Watching a 10min clip on YouTube has me constantly hitting skip ads on the remote, couldn't imagine trying to watch a 2hr movie on that service
 
If that shit actually happened i always thought it would cause wars, ects. It would be like anti maskers/vaxxers vs pro maskers/vaxxers.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
I love that movie. The build up is fucking incredible, the pay off is ….eh, but the journey to get there is expertly crafted
 

Kev Kev

Member
Amazing film. I honestly can’t think of another film that takes you on such a wild emotional and, dare I say, spiritual journey.

And I’m not religious.

If it doesn’t at least stir up some emotions in you, then you are a cold bastard lol
 
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Amazing film. I honestly can’t think of another film that takes you on such a wild emotional and, dare I say, spiritual journey.

And I’m not religious.

If it doesn’t at least stir up some emotions in you, then you are a cold bastard lol
Same. Easily in my top 5 all-time. I've broken down in tears multiple times as she journeyed through spacetime in a state of awe.
 

BigBooper

Member
A very good movie but makes a logical fallacy Dawkins described in God’s Delusion - the assumption that the chances of a supreme religious being are 50/50 - you believe in science, that’s your right, I believe in God.
You cannot ‘believe’ in science, since no proof = no science.
Also the chances there is a God are infinitely smaller than the chance there isn’t one. It’s not an equal argument.
I think you're wrong here. There's plenty of people that "believe" in science without definitive proof. Otherwise, they wouldn't believe in ideas like the Big Bang. They wouldn't believe in evolution from specific ancient creatures to modern lifeforms, meaning they wouldn't believe something like birds evolved from a particular dinosaur without the missing links.

It's a great movie. Just watched it a few months ago.
 

FunkMiller

Member
I think you're wrong here. There's plenty of people that "believe" in science without definitive proof. Otherwise, they wouldn't believe in ideas like the Big Bang. They wouldn't believe in evolution from specific ancient creatures to modern lifeforms, meaning they wouldn't believe something like birds evolved from a particular dinosaur without the missing links.

That’s not really ‘belief’ though. Belief tends to suggest having faith in something with little or no evidence to back it up. There is a huge amount of verifiable and observable evidence to say that both the Big Bang theory and evolution are correct (though the BBT through extrapolation from data far more than evolution, which is observable around us every day). We don’t really need to believe in either thing, the same way we don’t need to believe that rainbows are constructed of refracted light. I guess ‘accepting’ science is a better word to use than ‘believing‘ in it. I may be dropping into semantic somewhat, but the idea of ‘believing‘ in science - which is based in rationality, testing, evidence and enquiry - sounds… dirty.

Jerry Seinfeld GIF
 
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RAÏSanÏa

Member
Arecibo. Only a year since the collapse but like being reminded an ancient monument.
--

That scene outside the VLA after the announcement so perfectly captures the reaction with a mix of Earthly wonder and fear.
Ib40DQ8.png
 
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