Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

1977Movie137 minEnglish

After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

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Insights

IMDb7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes83%
Metacritic90
Google Users87%
Director: Steven SpielbergGenres: Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery

Plot Summary

Roy Neary, a blue-collar electrician, experiences a close encounter with a UFO, leaving him obsessed with a mysterious mountain formation. As he grapples with his newfound obsession and the disbelief of his family and society, he meets Jillian Guiler, who is also searching for her abducted son. Both are drawn towards Devil's Tower in Wyoming, where they, along with others who have had similar experiences, are meant to meet the extraterrestrial visitors.

Critical Reception

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was a critical and commercial success, widely praised for its groundbreaking special effects, sense of wonder, and Spielberg's masterful direction. It resonated with audiences for its optimistic portrayal of alien contact and its exploration of human curiosity and obsession.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its awe-inspiring visual effects and sense of wonder.
  • Commended for its hopeful and optimistic take on alien encounters.
  • Hailed as a landmark science fiction film with a deeply human story.

Google audience: Viewers praised the film for its sense of awe and wonder, finding the alien encounter sequences both thrilling and emotionally resonant. Many appreciated the film's optimistic portrayal of humanity's first contact with extraterrestrial life and the compelling performances, particularly from Richard Dreyfuss.

Awards & Accolades

Nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Actress (for Melinda Dillon). Won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama.

Fun Fact

The iconic five-note musical motif used to communicate with the aliens was composed by John Williams, and it was developed through collaboration with French composer and filmmaker François Truffaut, who also acted in the film as the leading scientist studying the UFO phenomenon.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

2 reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

I always remember as a child hoping/praying that if extra terrestrials ever did come to visit us, that they wouldn't arrive in America. Think "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) or most other sci-fi stories: the first things they would s...
Ian Beale

Ian Beale

**Do the mashed potato!** Roy Neely is a gas repair man who has a close encounter with an alien craft and begins having strange visions of mashed potatoes, shaving cream and mud mountains. This all leads to Needy's marriage breaking up a...