Wow, what a beautiful movie. It has strong themes that it isn't afraid to wear on its sleeves. I started crying when Ellie was traveling through space. "They should have sent a poet" just absolutely destroyed me.
I wish more people in STEM realized the importance of humanities. The way Carl Sagan clearly did. I'm not just saying that about this single line, but because the entire movie is wrapped up in this beautiful dance of scientific pursuit and the human experience.
Great movie, I highly recommend it. I know not everyone loves it, but I loved it.
The book is really good aside from a couple long in the tooth places. The alien is good like an elderly being finding a way to come into contact if only in a place where it's basically virtual, they will never actually meet as a species face to face because space is fucking huge!
It's fun to consider that Sagan was falling in love during this time in his life while working on the golden plaque project and later with the same lady writing this story. Their love story is beautiful. Those disks are something that has potential to exist long after humans. Maybe even longer than the earth. And as long as we can tell their story, the Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan love story will be at it's heart