Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Making Contact Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 6, 2017

Today, we know director Roland Emmerich as a craftsman of Hollywood blockbusters, eagerly attempting to achieve massive success with big- budgeted fantasy actioners. He’s had a rough period recently, guiding massive disappointments like “Independence Day: Resurgence” and “White House Down,” but Emmerich appears to love the possibility of big screen scale, trying to make escapism with as much noise and stupidity as possible. However, he wasn’t always like this, with 1985’s “Making Contact” (a.k.a. “Joey”) returning to a time in the helmer’s early career when all he wanted to do was ape his creative inspiration, Steven Spielberg. Armed with enough homage to make Amblin Entertainment lawyers nervous, Emmerich sets out to create the best “E.T.” and “Poltergeist” rip-off he can, using “Making Contact” to share as much Spielberg love as possible, shamelessly lifting every move from the maestro, down to cinematographic moves and the setting of suburban America. In true Emmerich fashion, he’s made a spectacular mess of everything, and while his heart is in the right place, his filmmaking vision is cross-eyed at best, as little to nothing about this tedious feature makes any sense.

Young Joey (Joshua Morrell) has just lost his beloved father, unsure how to process a death he doesn’t fully understand. Retreating to a bedroom filled with toys, Joey finds himself suddenly capable of telekinetic power, also able to talk to his father via a toy phone, trying to share his fears with his deceased parent. Joey’s mother, Laura (Eva Kryll), is concerned, unsure how to reach out to her son and help detach him from fantasy, requiring help from his teacher, Martin (Jan Zierold). While the adults figure out a therapeutic game plan, evil arises in a nearby abandoned mansion, where ventriloquist dummy Fletcher is brought to life, tasked with carrying out malevolent deeds conceived by its possessed owner, a famous stage performer. As Joey feels out his powers with help from friend Sally (Tammy Shields), Fletcher has more sinister business to tend to, tormenting his young enemy and a collection of curious neighborhood kids.

The synopsis I constructed isn’t entirely accurate, as most of “Making Contact” doesn’t explain any of its mysteries or antagonisms. It’s one of the most random movies I’ve seen, perhaps due to the feature’s hasty re-edit for its American release (reportedly losing 20 minutes of footage, which isn’t reinstated on the Blu-ray), but there’s also a clear sense that everything Emmerich is attempting to do here eventually slips out of his control. It’s a wild mishmash of fantasy and horror, with the helmer’s clear adulation for Spielberg driving production goals. Story, schmorey, “Making Contact” wants the sweetness of “E.T.” and the supernatural threat of “Poltergeist,” and it will do anything to preserve its tribute, including complete recreations of iconic shots, while the overall picture enjoys Spielberg lighting schemes, camera movements, and a childlike fascination with the unknown.

What exactly is this unknown? It’s difficult to pinpoint, with “Making Contact” commencing as a study of grief, finding Joey understandably destroyed by the loss of his father -- a cruel event bullies from school use to torment the quiet kid. Only in this movie would children employ the death of a parent to make a classmate feel bad about himself. Joey encounters magic through a glowing toy phone, permitting him access to his deceased father, allowed to share his complex feelings, though Laura isn’t too keen on the situation. If Emmerich stopped here and co-scripted a film about the comfort of denial and the enigma of the afterlife, “Making Contact” would come out the other side with some dignity, carefully exploring the boy’s journey into grief. But no, somehow, someway, this is a feature about a killer ventriloquist dummy who swears he’s a pawn in a demon’s sick game, and there’s the whole telekinesis angle that’s never explained. Joey is just endowed with powers one day, and everyone accepts it, even Laura. One would think she’d have a larger reaction to displays of mental magic from a kid who still has “Sesame Street” curtains hanging in his bedroom.

Is “Making Contact” supposed to be scary? Sad? Again, Emmerich provides few clues, too caught up in the technical details of the picture, trying to make sure every frame is as close as possible to a Spielberg endeavor. A few other film tributes sneak through, with Fletcher found inside a crumbling house that’s a match for the Bates family home in “Psycho.” There are toys galore as well, finding Joey’s bedroom a museum of pop culture highlights from the 1980s, finding “The Smurfs,” “The A-Team,” Disney, and especially “Star Wars” merch prominently positioned and even used a plot points. The visual world of “Making Contact” isn’t complete but it’s always highlighted. The story is barely tended to, crashing into confusion once Fletcher arrives and a bizarre movie about mourning becomes a mess of fandom, nonexistent spatial relationships, and multiple visits to a bank of pay phones situated outside a Krispy Kreme. Why? I wish I knew.

Making Contact Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers all the Spielbergian cinematography securely. It's a clear look at the feature, with agreeable detail throughout, picking up on facial particulars and set decoration, finding it easy to scan Joey's room and admire his packed collection of toys from the 1980s. Textures are also welcome on monsters and Fletcher, and costuming retains fibrous qualities. Colors retain their exaggeration, with bright, bold reds and blues to accentuate fantasy elements. Greenery is secure, and skintones are natural. Delineation isn't troublesome. Grain is fine and filmic. Source is in great shape, without over damage. A few moments of banding arrive during the climatic struggle.

Making Contact Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is crisp and full, leading with pleasant management of scoring needs, which carry sequences with precise instrumentation, offering a range of volume to support fantasy and horror moods. Dialogue exchanges are sharp, and while dubbing is present, intelligibility is never threatened. Sound effects are active throughout the listening experience, hitting all kinds of electrical zaps and robot whirs, while more aggressive creature effects offer some heavier movement.

Making Contact Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• U.S. Theatrical Trailer #1 (1:28, SD) and #2 (:59, SD) are offered.

• And a German "Joey" Theatrical Trailer (2:01, SD) is included.

Making Contact Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As innocent as it hopes to be, "Making Contact" isn't really for little kids. It's dark, dealing with demonic possession, murder, and untrustworthy adults. Emmerich even threatens children in the grand finale, which presents a bewildering test of bravery for Joey and the town bullies, who enter Fletcher's labyrinth, confronted by things they fear most. For one poor overweight kid, this means an intimate encounter with a hamburger monster (but why would he fear what he loves to eat?), and there's a Darth Vader cameo as well. The ending is nuts, but more for the way it just throws everything at the screen to see what sticks, teasing heavenly visions and grim dramatic punctuation that, thankfully, isn't permanent. Again, "Making Contact" was significantly trimmed to make it easier for American audiences to digest, and perhaps those missing minutes provide necessary connective tissue and characterization. However, considering Emmerich's track record, something tells me the cuts have probably improved the movie.