Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

This means something.

One thing it might mean is that this is one of the most unique science fiction films ever made. I recently watched it with my wife (who very rarely enjoys any kind of sci-fi), a friend, and that friend's wife (who simply detests all sci-fi). Yet everyone enjoyed it. (My friend and I had already seen it.)

"This means something," is a recurring line throughout CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, similar to "I've got a bad feeling about this," in the STAR WARS films. So, the dialogue is not the best ever written. But CE3K contains a human element interwoven throughout both the character development as well as the plot development that you're unlikely to find any other science fiction film, and certain not to find in any other UFO film.

Often great movies get cloned and copied, and fans of the original get annoyed. Well, I don't think CE3K ever got cloned or copied and that's what annoys me. The movie industry would be able to boast in much more quality if it put out more movies like this. I'm not saying it's a perfect movie on any level, but it's certainly not the typical alien invasion movie either. In fact it's not an alien invasion movie at all. I can't think of any other popular film (with the exception of E.T.) which featured not only peaceful visitors from another world, but a peaceful initial encounter between them and us. It reminds me of a statement which famed Christian author C.S. Lewis once made when he explained that if there are other life forms out there he would be more scared for them than of them, since we would only end up corrupting them as we have already corrupted ourselves. (I'm paraphrasing the statement, but it can be found in his collection of essays GOD IN THE DOCK.)

A decent review of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS cannot conclude without mentioning the brilliant musical scoring by John Williams (who was nominated for an Academy Award but lost to...himself for STAR WARS). A person cannot watch this film without having those five simple notes buzzing around in their brains for some time. Perhaps most moving of all is when he wraps the movie up with an intermingling of the movie's theme with "When You Wish Upon a Star" (Disney's PINOCCHIO plays a part in an earlier part of the film.)

This is the kind of film you love so much, that with every viewing, you know you haven't watched it for the last time. November 3, 2008

Movie

Bought for my grandfather and he said it came quickly and he is very happy with the quality of the video. October 3, 2008

Trumbull and Williams

The idea of an "everyman" confronting aliens is a great plot device, but Spielberg's ham fisted direction sinks this project. It COULD have been a classic. I was rather taken with it back when it played first-run, but now I can see that the effects work of Doug Trumbull and the music of John Williams were what really kept this afloat initially. Also, this blu-ray looks grainier than the theatrical presentation. October 2, 2008

Three versions of a sci-fi classic in one DVD

I never imagined that one day I would have the three versions of this sci-fi classic with such amazing quality of image and sound. Well, now I have them and, if you are a big fan of this movie as I am, you should buy it too. September 19, 2008

A magical Spielberg story

Close Encounters is one of those Spielberg movies where you can really feel the magic. It isn't a downer, and it isn't the kind of movie that makes you think about the world's problems. Even the US government seems to have the best intentions when it comes to the aliens. The whole movie wears a little smirk on it's face. Masterfully done, Encounters has some simple but effective visual effects and a emotional and powerful soundtrack. The casting is good considering it was early in the careers of several of the people involved. Richard Dreyfuss plays his character perfectly. Roy Neary is a regular joe that suddenly is confronted with some life changing events that he can't understand. The messages that he is getting in his head confuse him all the more and Dreyfuss does a perfect job of illustrating that. The supporting cast turns in good performances as well and really give the impression that you are watching a documentary rather than a work of fiction. The best parts of the movie in my opinion is when they are showing you clips from around the world of different UFO encounters and the research team finding evidence of an alien presence. When they're in the Mongolian desert and they find the freighter Cotopoxi. The same ship that was lost for real in the Bermuda Triangle. It still gives me chills. They slowly pan across and you see a huge ship sitting in the middle of the sand. Oooooh man, great shot. Bottom Line: This is another one of Spielberg's classics. You must get it on DVD for the multitude of extras that are on the 2 disc set. If you haven't seen it yet and you like either UFO's and/or Spielberg, you won't be disappointed. September 3, 2008

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