Close Encounters of the Third Kind review

Roy Neary: I know this sounds crazy, but ever since yesterday on the road, I've been seeing this shape. Shaving cream, pillows... Dammit! I know this. I know what this is! This means something. This is important. 

Director: Steven Spielberg
(1977)

When watching a Steven Spielberg film, there are certain expectations, no matter how open minded a viewer you are. He's made many great films in his time, and I was sure that Close Encounters was going to be another addition to his good list. While Close Encounters is a decent film, it doesn’t live up to the standard of this great director’s work, both before and after its 1977 release.

The film follows Roy Neary, a cable worker, husband and father of 3. After witnessing flying spaceships in the night sky, he begins his search to understand what he witnessed, at the neglect of his job and loved ones. Richard Dreyfuss is astonishing as Roy, a likable man, seemingly discontent with his drab suburban lifestyle. Soon after his first extra terrestrial experience, he becomes obsessed with a mountain, trying to understand what it symbolises. He isn’t alone with these experiences, we see Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) drawing the mountain in her artwork; she also shared this bizarre experience with Roy and wants to find answers.

One thing that is a mainstay in Spielberg's films is his frequently excellent cinematography. He really frames his scenes fantastically, and it makes for some interesting visual storytelling. This is seamlessly coupled with some stunning visual effects from the brilliance that is Douglas Trumbull. The first view we get of the alien crafts is a sight to behold, and even in today’s world of CGI, this scene holds up remarkably well. But its nothing compared to what's in store for the climax. The reveal of the mothership is an incredible sight. Its typical Spielberg, every frame drips with magic and wonder, the very same he would apply to E.T just 5 years later.

Roy is a very irresponsible man, though giving him such a title might be pushing it. He’s a big kid at heart and his love for model trains and the film Pinocchio cement this representation. He has a compulsion to figure out the significance of the mountain and his drive to understand the seemingly impossible is certainly interesting, but to neglect his family and job lessens how much we can care about his struggle. What's worse is that his kids are annoying loudmouthed brats and his wife is a total bitch, a poor attempt at making us empathise with him. 

The film is at its best when we witness aspects of suburban life behaving in a strange manner. Record players and TV’s switch on randomly, battery powered torches stop and start erratically and toy cars spin into life. This anonymity gives the first half of Close Encounters a mysterious, almost unsettling vibe, and it’s absolutely engrossing. Events remain sufficiently interesting right up until the final 30 minutes, where we the story is concluded in a fractured and unsatisfying manner. While I admire ambiguity in films, Close Encounters offers plenty of questions, but we get far too little in terms of payoff by the time the credits roll around. For a director so inclined to beat his audience over the head with blatant symbolism and obvious meaning, Close Encounters is happy enough to be frustratingly vague.

By the end, close encounters of the third kind gave me a deflated feeling. It was a fantastic combination of intrigue, thrill and wonder. The answerless ending dulls the entire experience, and the whole experience begins to feel hollow as we stop caring for our protagonist. A film such as this shouldn’t spell everything out to its audience, but a few answers would have gone a long way.

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