Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is rated PG:

Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is a power lineman sent out to investigate an unusual energy drain that is causing massive blackouts across the city. Driving along the back roads of Indiana, he witnesses low-flying UFOs that flood his truck in a brilliant light. His close encounter (of a third kind) leaves him not only with an oddly burned face but an unexplainable obsession for a particular shape.

His wife, Ronnie (Teri Garr) can't understand this new compulsion. To her, Neary is fast losing his grip on reality and causing a rift in their marriage. Yet despite her pleas and threats, her husband continues watching the sky until a near accident draws him into the company of Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) another extra-terrestrial observer. Traveling together, these two unlikely companions follow their intuitions into the wastelands of Wyoming in search of answers about life forms from outer space.

Of course the director, Steven Spielberg, still leaves a few questions for the audience. For instance, after seeing how massive the Mother-ship is, how could anyone looking at the night sky have missed it? Or the aliens--they seem nice enough when you meet them, so why did they cause such chaos while trying to contact the humans? Parents may also wonder if the movie will be too uncomfortable for their younger children after noting the number of profanities that work their way into this script and the inclusion of several intense scenes (most notably the abduction of a 3-year-old boy).

Debuting in 1977, the same year as George Lucas' Star Wars, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind is an earthly version of interaction with space life and includes some equally impressive special effects as the Lucas film, despite the fact that Spielberg was saddled with budget restraints and scheduling problems which forced him to eliminate several shoots from the first version of this movie. He later received funding and studio space from Columbia and filmed the additional scenes that were included in his Close Encounters Of The Third Kind-Special Edition version that released in 1980. No matter which version you may see, Spielberg does give his viewers an imaginative encounter with extra-terrestrial life forms and the inspiration to follow you dreams where they take you.

Studio: (pictures (c)1977 Columbia Pictures).

Overall: B
After encountering an alien space ship, a man driven by an unexplained feeling leaves his family to find answers in the Wyoming desert.

Violence: B-
Pilots talk about a near hit with a UFO while flying, child witnesses toys and household objects coming to life during an alien encounter, man sees UFO overhead, child on road nearly gets hit by car, car crashes through guard rail, extended and more intense scene of aliens trying to enter house, young child abducted by aliens, mom threatens to hit child, man steals objects from his neighbor, man thrown from slow moving car, military personnel have guns and use sleeping gas during evacuation operation, car drives through roadblocks, dead animals shown along roadside, people escape from military helicopter and hide from soldiers.

Sexual Content: A-
Kissing between married couple, man shown in boxer shorts and t-shirt, kiss between unmarried couple.

Language: A
Includes at least 9 mild profanities, 3 moderate profanities and 6 terms of Deity used as expletives.

Alcohol / Drug Use: A-
Smoking is seen among secondary characters.

For a detailed explanation of how content determines grades, click here

In this film Spielberg promotes the idea of following your dreams. One scene even includes several musical bars from the Disney theme song, “When You Wish Upon a Star.” What was the price Neary paid to pursue his dream? What did it cost his family? Do you think that it was worth it?

On September 24, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt declared Devil’s Tower the first national monument of the United States. You can find more information on this interesting Wyoming landmark at http://www.all-abroad.com/stories/devil2.htm

For other science fiction movies, check out Superman, another alien life form that comes to Earth, or George Lucas’ most recent Star Wars film, Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

While we haven’t had a chance to review the DVD edition of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (The Collector’s Edition), we offer the following information for your convenience.

DVD Release Information:

• Studio: Columbia/Tristar Studios
• Theatrical release date: November 16, 1977
• DVD release date: May 29, 2001
• Runtime: 137 minutes
• Package type: Keep case
• Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 aspect ratio
• DVD encoding: Region 1
• Available audio tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French, Spanish.
• Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai.

• Feature Length Making-of Documentary
• 1977 Featurette Watching the Skies
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• Production Notes
• 11 deleted scenes.
• 2 discs.