Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Directed by Steven Spielberg, Close Encounters of the Third Kind follows Richard Dreyfuss’ Roy Neary as he experiences a life-changing event involving unidentified flying objects. Filmmaker Spielberg, armed with his own screenplay, delivers an epic, ambitious piece of work that effectively captures the viewer’s interest and attention right from the get-go, with the picture’s mysterious yet fascinating opening stretch, which explores several seemingly unconnected (and thoroughly inexplicable) happenings, going a long way towards establishing (and perpetuating) the impressively enthralling atmosphere. It’s clear, too, that Close Encounters of the Third Kind‘s compelling vibe is heightened by its uniformly superb performances, Vilmos Zsigmond’s striking visuals, and smattering of engrossing sequences (eg Roy’s initial encounter with the UFOs, the efforts of several scientists to find the aliens’ landing location, etc), and although the 137 minute runtime admittedly does result in a few lulls (including and especially the buildup to the climax), the movie’s padded-out yet satisfying final act does ensure that the whole thing concludes on a memorable, positive note – which ultimately confirms the film’s place as a justifiably iconic endeavor from Spielberg.

***1/2 out of ****