Close Encounters of the Third Kind Movie Review

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

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Written by: Steven Spielberg (written by), Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins (additional story, uncredited), Jerry Belson( written by, uncredited), John Hill (additional writing, uncredited)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon
Rated: PG
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Plot
An Indiana electric lineman finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.

Verdict
I like the concepts this presents, generating obsession and compulsion in those that make alien contact. From there we get government coverups and cross country travel, but where this movie really shines is the conclusion. Direct alien contact is made, and that pulls together everything we've seen. The encounter lacks any dialog, and it's not needed. What's happening is completely clear, and it's without the tension that we often see in alien encounters.  Through sound two species communicate.
Watch It.

Review
The title is a reference to direct contact with extraterrestrial beings, a step beyond seeing a UFO which is first kind or observing physical traces, second kind.

A scientist finds thirty year old aircraft in the desert looking brand new. They disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle long ago. That's the introduction to let us know strange occurrences are imminent.

Electrical lineman Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) is called out to investigate the source of widespread electrical outages. Roy has an encounter with something unidentified. His truck cuts off and anything electrical won't operate. All Roy can see is bright lights above him, giving him a sunburn. He tries to follow the object when his truck regains power, but this UFO flies away. He gets his family so they can see, but they're not as excited as Roy.

Richard Dreyfuss plays Roy

With the age of the movie, I wondered if Roy even realized what was happening. He wants answers, but does he even know what to question? Looking into it, UFOs were part of pop-culture as early as the 60s. J. Allen Hynek was a consultant for this film, he was a consultant to the Air Force for UFO studies in the 40s through the 60s.

Roy has this vision of a mountain ever since the incident, and he's not the only one. He becomes obsessed with the shape, sculpting it in mashed potatoes and shaving cream before attempting an even larger model in his living room. His family becomes concerned as his life falls apart. We learn from the concurrent plight of the scientists that the UFOs emitted a five tone musical medley that corresponds to coordinates. That location is Devils Tower in Wyoming, which is a real landmark. That's exactly what Roy has been seeing.

Roy happens to see a commercial for Devils Tower, realizing it's his vision. He's compelled to drive to it, with Jillian (Melinda Dillon) joining him. She and her son also had an encounter. They run through a government blockade en route before being captured. The government has shut down the area, fabricating a reason for evacuation so they could set up a temporary base unbothered. Roy and Jillian are questioned, with the scientists wondering how he knew to come to this location. He has no answers.

Roy and Jillian are released, but they try to scale Devils Tower. In the process they find the military base just before the UFOs return.

There's something to practical effects that ground the visuals. With CGI, an artist can design anything, but it often pales in comparison to props and designs that predate CGI. I like how this doesn't focus on being probed or abducted. It's just an encounter that leads to a compulsion, something unexplainable. It's this urge that helps lead to contact.

The finale of this movie is amazing. The scientists transmit the tones back to the UFOs as a method of communication. This goes back and forth with lights and sounds as first contact occurs. The alien ships release people that have been previously abducted, un-aged.The conclusion really makes this movie, portraying this amazing encounter with aliens.