Review of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) by Kyle20Ellis — 18 Mar 2022

I like a lot of Steven Spielberg films, such as Schindler's List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Jaws and Jurassic Park and Close Encounters of the Third Kind is no exception. Although I have given it a very high score, I do not think this film is perfect. The script isn't the best in a Steven Spielberg movie, but it is serviceable enough. Also Close Encounters of the Third Kind starts off a little slow, but once it gets going, it is exciting and it never stops being exciting.

So why have I given it a high score? Well when I was a kid, it was a personal favourite of mine. I especially loved it for the special effects and score. Years later at 18, I dug my old video out and those memories came back. It isn't quite as good now, but I still consider it one of Spielberg's best. The special effects are absolutely spectacular, the cinematography is excellent and John Williams' score is outstanding and one of his better works(Jaws and Star Wars being his best). The story is also quite engrossing, there is a great mixture of mundane everyday life and of course the extraordinary events such as the kidnap of the young child which I still find quite terrifying to this day and Dreyfuss' slip into apparent insanity.

Spielberg's direction hits all the right buttons, and while protracted for me the climax is impossible to not get caught up in. The acting is fine, Richard Dreyfuss is perfect as Roy, particularly with the childlike inquisitiveness he brings to the role and Francois Truffant makes for an elegant UFO expert. Overall, this is a fine film and one of my personal favourite films from Spielberg.