Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This is probably considered "a classic" by now, along with a few other 1970s Steven Spielberg movies. At the time of its release almost 30 years ago, the special-effects in here were astounding to view....and still hold up! They are still fun to watch. The scenes in the beginning of this movie and at the end, are indelibly imprinted in my memory cells as well as millions of others. Who can ever forget that opening scene in the farmhouse when the little boy (Gary Guffey) is kidnapped or that ending with the gigantic spacecraft hovering over Devil's Hole in Wyoming, or the sound sequences emitted by the scientists trying to communicate with the aliens? There are many, many memorable scenes in this film - probably its biggest attribute. To me, the only uncomfortable scene is the yelling match with Richard Dreyfuss and his family. The only message I didn't care for also involved Dreyfuss' character, who is "envied" at the end. Funny, I don't see a man who thoughtlessly leaves his family beyond as someone to be envied. Overall Dreyfuss looked more like a "Doofus" in here. There are other credibility problems in here, too, but overall it's extremely interesting storytelling, great colors and special-effects and just about everything that director Steve Spielberg is noted for in his successful box-office films which translates to one crucial factor: entertainment.

I know this is a dissenting view, but this is a film that just never resonated with me. It feels too procedural, the obsession scenes seem overblown, and the 'close encounter' is unsatisfying. I admired how it was a peaceful meeting of civilizations trying to communicate given how these things are usually depicted, but I'm not sure it jived with the terrorizing assault at the home earlier, and the lack of any astonishment or fear didn't feel authentic. Humans coming back to the Earth after thirty years, ah yes, to be expected, right this way for your debriefing. Meanwhile the idea of a man leaving without a single thought about his wife and small children was bound to make viewers wonder, and you could just see the wheels turning in Spielberg's mind when he had the guy kiss the other woman on their hike up the mountain, a ridiculous moment probably in there to create stepping stones to what he does next. The story is just not that good here, character motivations are often suspect, and with its padded runtime dominated by tedious terrestrial subplots and other little annoyances like product placement, it felt more hokey than spiritual. Watch Arrival (2016) instead.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is so terrible in so many ways that I'm at a loss as to where I even begin.... For starters very little happens in the film; now I'm not someone who has ADHD who needs explosions and car chases every two minutes in order to keep my interest in a film, but if you're going to set up a film in a slow burning way then it's always a good idea to make the characters interesting or give your audience something to care about. Seven Samurai is a good example of a film that is slow, but in that film the viewer is rewarded for their patience by a spectacular closing act. No such luck here. The first 90 minutes revolve around spaceships flying around we then have Dreyfuss and his family squabbling and arguing - all this isn't helped by the fact that none of them have a shred of likability about them. As the mother, Teri Garr was particularly grating and her overacting became mildly irritating. Likewise, the kids were annoying as well and the family melodrama that we witness for the majority of the running time gave me a mild headache. I think the worst thing about this film is that Spielberg somehow manages to make this family unfriendly; younger viewers will be more forgiving than an adult audience and won't look for things such as poor character development, plot holes etc. Kids will just want the film to be fun and exciting and the problem here is that Close Encounters is neither. I can imagine kids saying 'Mummy, Daddy, when's this going to get going?' 'When is something going to happen?' Then mummy and daddy are going to be forced to apologize for wasting 2 hours of their children's time when they realise that it doesn't get going and that nothing happens. I can honestly imagine this film causing a family row. Close Encounters is a terrible film and I can only assume that the high ratings have been awarded by Spielberg devotees - you know the sort of people who refuse to accept that he's capable of making a bad film. I, for one, would class myself as a Spielberg fan and have loved several of this films including Schindler's list, the first 3 Indiana Jones films, Jaws, Duel. However, I am prepared to accept that he does misfire on occasions by making boring films such as this and Empire Of The Sun. If you must watch a Spielberg film that involves an extra terrestrial encounter then you'd be better off watching ET.

This movie is a hoax on the viewer⎯ a promise of thrilling revelations, which never materialize. Spielberg has put together an unrelenting progression of "teasers," cinematic high jinks of flashing celestial lights building an anticipation that leads ultimately nowhere. This faux suspense is interspersed by the angst of a mundane suburban family counterpointed by scenes of dry officious scientists and authority figures declaiming theories and statistics. As with the majority of Steven Spielberg's work (an exception being the powerful masterpiece, "Schindler's List") this is a film constructed to appeal to the sensibilities and maturity level of teenage boys. The action/adventure genre has a legitimate place in movie making, yet this Spielberg effort falls flat on both counts. This is an incredibly boring movie.

Watch the skies, you may see the stars move. Is it your imagination, or did it really happen. Answer to that could go both ways. Three UFOs fly past you while you are on the highway, one bright blue, the other red and blue, and the third bright orange, followed by a small red orbit tailgating it. Was this real, or just your imagination: Either it was real, or you must be seeing things... Thus is among th many questions asked in the Steven Spielberg UFO classic, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" a film that explores not just the possibility that we are not alone in the universe, but a film that compels us to look inside ourselves and try to find the real meaning in our lives. The story starts when lost pilots planes are being found, except that they have been lost for over thirty years! And in another part of this world, a married man, working for a cable company, experiences a "close encounter" of the first kind - sighting a UFO. Then, he experiences physical experiences regarding a shape and place he has never comprehending before. With a scientific expedition in pursuit, Roy Neary( Richard Dreyfuss) and a fellow "close encountering" Jillian Guiler(Melinda Dillon) try to find out the answer to their questions of why these strange occurrences are happening. As realistic as it could be, this film transcends the usual alien picture because it portrays the unbelievable as totally realistic and what one wouldn't expect - intelligent life is just that - intelligent, and accepting, of our world and universe. The images in this film light up the screen and make you feel like you are living a dream, with flurry images of light, making one feel warm and gentle. The locations are great too, as they go from Mongolian deserts, to farmlands, to the famous "Devil's Tower" in Wyoming, where the main magic happens. The characters are what really grab you. Roy Neary, the main focus, is as normal as he can be, what with working for a power company. A perfect fit in the puzzle this movie weaves. Francois Truffaut makes an almost rare appearance in a much bigger role than usual, as an astronaut that is just as fascinated with these happenings as the rest of the civilians. All characters are credible and you just learn to love 'em. The story lines (including family values, what is more important in one's life, and what the ultimate experience in heaven is) are as empathetic as it can get. John Williams scores a masterpiece with a score that touches all the senses in our subconscious and takes us on a journey with the characters, but on a journey within ourselves, as does the movie, and in the end, you feel refreshed and ready to take on your troubles and strife. The matter of which version is which is a real conversation piece. As the original theatrical version is VERY rarely seen, one suspects, based on many reviews, that the 1980 re - release is a much better film. But this should not hinder any viewings of this spectacular film. Spielberg, get back to these kinds of films!

I looked so forward watching CEOFTK as everyone had nothing but the best to say about it, but watching it, was nothing but disappointment. From the first 15 minutes I was bored and the rest did not satisfy me to the extent that I found it hard to stay concentrated till the end. It seems a movie starting nowhere and going nowhere, no plot no story just randomness. I know most people will disagree but the bottom line is I am not watching this movie ever again.

I love Steven's movies and brought this for £3 at the store today, simply because his name was attached to it and figured "hey if it's not great, it'll at least be fun"... unfortunately I was wrong. Me and my fiancée sat watching it, but the film never really seems to grip you in any shape or form. I really enjoyed the character development in the film, showing excellent emotion and the lead character was quite amusing with his crazy moments. My disappointment was down to the fact we were never really given anything to sink our teeth into... then the ending resulting in a bunch of song playing between ships and a keyboard with little lights?.... then more ships come to play a song... followed by a really BIG ship who out plays the musician..... it just seemed something and a whole lot of nothing in the end. They fly light years to return a bunch of people and old planes, to kidnap a child for a couple of days and then take a guy, breaking his family up on the sole purpose of seeing some lights and hearing them play five keys of music? The end?.... Now I'm not bashing those who like it and don't want a flame war on here, at the end of the day it's just my opinion, but it really felt like two hours of nothing, with the opening ten minutes being the best part of the movie. A real shame as the opening ten mins seemed to be building up to an interesting movie.

An amazing film, one of my favorites. I watch this regularly, especially at times when the reality of life is overwhelming, just to refocus and regain some sense of perspective. Everything in this film works toward one end: to transform the adult sense of fear back into the childlike sense of wonder at the world. From the very opening moments of the film, designed to create confusion and startlement, this movie creates a sensation of dread and foreboding. The dissonance of the soundtrack, the juxtaposition of images, they all are working to build into the viewer a feeling that something just isn't right, that something out of the ordinary is taking place, and underscoring this all with a sense that this is something to resist, to pull away from, to not allow it to affect one's "ordinary life." But as the movie progresses, the tone begins to shift, and the true intent of the film begins to peek through. This isn't about being afraid of the unknown, but rather embracing it. Paying attention to the "subliminal images" in life, allowing them to lead you into something unknown and perhaps dangerous, only then can one be open to wonder and experience the world through the magical eyes of a child. Dreyfuss' character takes us on this journey, met with resistance all along the way. His wife, his neighbors, his job, his community, all are working against him, and it's only when he's reached his craziest that he truly gives in and begins to stop trying to understand and instead embraces the experiences in store for him. The scientific community is seeking to understand, but without having any personal calling to be involved. Only Barry is truly able to throw himself into the strangeness that is taking place, and his enthusiasm is greeted by both the characters and the audience as somehow alien and threatening. The ending of this film, when all the fear is finally stripped away and the sense of amazed wonder overtakes everyone on the screen and in the audience, brings about an amazing catharsis. Discarding all the "adult" sensibilities and being able to approach life once again with a sense of innocent amazement for the Strange hidden amongst the Ordinary, one can begin again to approach life from a fresh vantage point. Powerful, mystifying, and rejuvenating. I highly recommend this film for anyone jaded with life and seeking a sense of renewal.

When I come to this movie I ask myself two questions: what is the point of it and is it here just to show off special effects. The answer that I come up with is: there is none and yes. I haven't seen this movie seen I was a kid and the only thing I could remember was a scene where a number of spaceships fly over a road and a small boy cries out "Icecream". I really only watched this movie for the special effects, and one must say that for the time, the effects were very good. Watching it now, I just think that it is Spielburg saying, "hey, look how much money I can spend on a pointless movie." This movie indeed has not real point or plot. What seems to be happening is that machinery that has disappeared, allegedly because of alien abductions, is now appearing around the world. Then there are some strange lights appearing over Idaho and this kid runs out of the house and stands on a road as space ships fly over. There are a number of other people here as well. One of them is a guy that ends up losing his wife and kids because of this experience. Personally that scene just made me sick because it revealed the problems with marriage, people think it is great until they hit the first obstacle, and then marriage is horrid. People simply don't take note of the marriage vows anymore – to be with that person through all manner of hardships. The breakup of this marriage is simply pathetic. All these people have been implanted with the knowledge of a mountain where the aliens are going to land. The army also knows of this place and forces everybody else out. Two people manage to get there though, even though the army tries to stop them by using a nerve gas scare and then sleeping gas. When they reach the place, the aliens appear in a huge ship that makes the mountain looks small, they speak with music (even though I doubt the humans actually know what is being said), and then the aliens return their abducties (all Americans), another lot are sent on board, we have a look inside the mothership and the movie ends. From this synopsis there seems to be a big indication that there is no point to this movie. In my comments of this movie, I am probably going very much against what the critics say, but I seriously feel that this movie is long winded, dull, and pointless. It is not pointless in the existentialist style, but pointless in that it seriously has a non-existence plot. It is a movie simply made to show off special effects, and even Jurasic Park had more of a plot to it than this. There is the government conspiracy in this movie, but is still leads to a pointless ending. The boy is abducted by aliens, but why did the aliens take an interest in him in the first place? There is no answer to this and I feel that this was only done for some scene. No, I do not like this movie. It may be quoted as a Steven Spielburg masterpiece, but I refuse to say that it is. It probably didn't flop, but that is because people were dazzled with the special effects. What is interesting though is that at the time of the creation of this movie, we have the government coverups. Cover-ups never came into constant use until the late 80's and the 90's so it is interesting to see it used here. The cover up is not as evil as it is in such movies as Conspiracy Theory or series like the X-files, but it is used. Possible it deals with the distrust of the government after Watergate, but moreso it is seen as for the publics safety rather than anything else. There are no antagonists here, except maybe the army, and they are not portrayed in a genuinely evil light either. Rather they have their goals and they don't want people around to see it. Personally I think this is a movie that can be missed. There is a special edition that I saw, which means that it is longer and more boring than the original.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a film about aliens landing on earth, but instead of descending into the usual laser-gun confrontations between humans and aliens, this one dares to remain "peaceful". It is a film about contact, not conflict. It is also a wonderfully thoughtful film and a prime example of compelling story-telling. If there is a weakness with Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, it is that the director Steven Spielberg occasionally allows sentimentality to enter into the proceedings, but in truth it is a very minor weakness and it doesn't significantly spoil this tremendous movie experience. Several missing aircraft turn up over 30 years after they were reported lost. More baffling still is the fact that they vanished over Florida but have turned up, in pristine condition and without pilots, in the middle of Mexico. Other weird things happen: an aeroplane pilot reports a near collision with a brightly lit spacecraft; a Navy warship missing for decades is found in the desert; thousands of Indians report a light in the sky which "sang" to them; and across America there are scores of inexplicable UFO sightings. Electrician Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is a normal family man who sees one of the UFOs. Soon after, he is tormented by a vision apparently implanted in his mind by the aliens. His torment becomes obsession as he tries to figure out the meaning of a hill-like shape that has become embedded in his mind. As his marriage collapses, he desperately tries to find answers and is finally gratified when he discovers that the picture in his head is trying to tell him where to go in order to witness an extra terrestrial landing. The fact that Roy Neary is just an everyday guy cast into the most incredible of circumstances gives this film a real human dimension. Roy could represent any one of us - you, me, your next door neighbour, your father, whoever. Spielberg tells his story very carefully, adding clues and more layers of mystery before actually revealing where the story is heading. It is probably the most controlled and skillfully paced of Spielberg's '70s films. The ending, featuring the alien arrival, is a technical tour-de-force, but it works well on an emotional level too because the viewer has grown to know Roy and has been drawn into his quest for answers. John Williams provides yet another legendary music score - including an iconic five-note tune which the aliens and humans use to communicate with each other. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is a classic sci-fi film, as fresh and absorbing now as it was back in 1977.