Alan Silvestri reunites with director Robert Zemeckis for Contact, a sweeping but uneven effort that, at its best, captures the profound mystery and atmosphere of the film's metaphysical sci-fi approach. Silvestri succeeds when he emphasizes the narrative's intellectual dimensions, creating a series of enigmatic yet exciting themes well-matched to Contact's exploration of alien life. He errs when he overemphasizes its human drama, falling prey to the sentimentality and saccharine storytelling so common to Zemeckis' output. Fans of Silvestri's superior score for James Cameron's like-minded The Abyss will nevertheless discover a similar experience here. Silvestri illuminates the unknown with uncommon grace and power.