Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is one of the all time greatest alien first contact films. It was written and directed by Steven Spielberg and the film was one of his first big box office hits and undoubtedly helped launch his directorial career. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon and Justin Dreyfuss (Richard’s nephew).

Following the huge box office hit Star Wars by only a few months Close Encounters also received an overwhelming reception. Audiences loved the film and although some found the story slow to move along this helped build to the fantastic climax.

The special effects were state of the art at the time and still do not look dated today. Their subtlety really makes them seem more real than throwing large amount of CGI at the screen and hoping it sticks. The acting is also brilliant with Richard Dreyfuss portraying the tortured Roy perfectly and Melinda Dillon as the distraught mother whose child is ripped from her arms could not be more convincing. Makes you want to go and make a load of mashed potatoes.

The story is loosely split into three sections each of which describes the different stages of encounters with extraterrestrials. The first is sightings, the second is seeing a UFO and experiencing an associated effect e.g. time loss, radiation burns or damage to terrain; the third is a physical meeting between humans and extraterrestrials.

Cinema release 1977

Certificate PG

Available on DVD and Blue Ray