Close Encounters of the Third Kind Review
One of the best feelings as a film fan is getting to check a classic off your movie bucket list. Whether we like to admit it or not, we’re all guilty of having some glaring omissions in our viewing history. For me, Close Encounters of the Third Kind was at the top of that pile. It not only comes from the master himself, Steve Spielberg, but it’s also one of his most talked about films, hailed as a science fiction masterpiece whose influence on modern-day cinema is undeniable.
That’s one of the coolest things about the industry. After 40 years, there are still new generations of fans discovering it, watching it with the same awe and wonder as people did in 1977. Once a film like Close Encounters of the Third Kind reaches that status, it can never be dethroned.
However, it also doesn’t guarantee that it will hit everyone the same. All movies are cemented as classics for a reason. Watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind, you can’t deny the craftsmanship. It’s filmmaking at its absolute best. It’s commendable how well Spielberg is able to firmly place his own, unique stamp on it. Whether it be the jaw dropping visuals of the black, starry sky, the John Williams score, or the pure ambition of it, the film is marked with the childlike sense of adventure and curiosity for which Spielberg is so beloved. The opening shot in the desert, mixed with William’s crescendoing score feels like something straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. From a technical side, it’s almost flawless.
The story, on the other hand, doesn’t always resonate with everyone the same. It’s the same for any film held in such high regard. For me, it doesn’t work as well as a lot of Spielberg’s other classics. The problem lies in Richard Dreyfuss’ character. By the time the movie opens, he is a man that has completely given up on his family. He has no interest in them and this automatically makes him an unlikable protagonist. Sometimes, a choice like that can work. For example, in Nightcrawler there’s not many redeeming qualities in Jake Gyllenhaal’s character but you’re stilled gripped from start to finish. It’s not any easy thing to pin point but for some reason that doesn’t happen with Dreyfuss. It’s the journey of a selfish, obsessive man who leaves his family without much thought. For that reason, I didn’t find myself caring about his quest for discovery and that’s the main crux of the movie.
A lot of people have recently complained that Spielberg has become to accustomed to the happy ending. He doesn’t know how to close a film anymore whether it be the train scene in Bridge of Spies or Watergate scene in The Post. I don’t disagree with the criticism but I found it funny that in something like Close Encounters of the Third Kind(where you don’t get that), I was yearning for Dreyfuss to reunite with his family.
The film met all my expectations in the sense of how impressive it is. It’s clear Spielberg used it as a statement to establish himself as a Hollywood legend. Although I didn’t connect with the story as much as I had hoped, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a filmmaking feat that is sure to continue living on throughout the ages.
