Review of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) by Mark B — 22 Jan 2011

Spielberg's first sci-fi flick is not only first class entertainment but a symphony for the eyes as well as the senses. I received the opportunity to see all three different cuts which resulted in me changing my mind from liking the movie to absolutely loving it. Few films hit the right note from beginning to end when trying to deal with the unknown and not going too far. Spielberg brings the scenario of several human-alien encounters on a realistic level without any silly monsters or stupid cheezy effects.

Richard Dreyfuss plays a blue color worker who gets tailed and scanned by a UFO. This leads to his obsession with the encounters, all the way down to a top secret meeting between government and aliens. The story is very simple actually, but the way that it is told is what makes it so fascinating. After almost 35 years the movie still feels a bit modern and the fascination Dreyfuss feels about the UFO's is something we would all probably feel if we were in the same situation, or probably run away as far as we could. What I think makes this stick out over all the other alien encounter movies is that it not only takes the reactions and point of view from the innocent every day person, but the scientist perspective as well as the military. All three stories leading up to the end where they all connect.

The most fascinating part of this movie is the use of light as well as the music. Several of the visions are almost magical, and even when the scenes are slow and far from action filled, the beauty of the scenes speak for themselves. I dare say that never before, or after has there been a movie that looks like Close Encounters. Pick almost any scene from the movie and you can't mistake what you are viewing. Not to mention the music that John Williams so wonderfully composed. Considering Williams was also responsible for Star Wars the same, he fully had an understanding on how to give science fiction movies a personality of their own.

When it comes down to the three different versions of the film, all three are great. Spielberg had no intention on showing the audience the inside of the UFO by the end of the movie. He thought it should be left to the imagination of the audience. But considering it was going to be the only way to fund the version he wanted to make from the start, and release it in the theatre, he had to give in. So the "special edition" of the film was released in theatres in 1980. It's also the best cut in my opinion. It feels a lot tighter and several of the unecessary scenes are taken away. Still, weather you see the original theatre version, special edition, or directors cut, it won't make a difference. They are all just as good and about as long. This is one of the fine examples of how movies should be made.