A long and scholarly science-fiction film, sometimes over-sentimental and too often uninvolving, but with some inspired (and inspiring) passages.

Jodie Foster is the obsessed astronomer who seems to have spent her whole life from childhood as an advanced radio ham - searching for contact with those 'out there', at first on the airwaves, but with adulthood, in outer space.

Too long, unfortunately, elapses before she makes 'contact' and is helped by genius billionaire (John Hurt) to unravel cryptic alien formulae.

The film really picks up a gear about here with some wonderful moments, although the digital addition of then-President Clinton into several scenes is a mistake and evokes only giggles: an actor should have played the role.

Foster is mostly exceptionally good, especially when blasting through megaspace. Errors are made in the last reel, though, that result in our interest draining away.