"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is one of Steven Spielberg's best, and most personal films. Though officially designated a sci-fi movie, this is really a wish fulfillment fantasy.

Richard Dreyfuss stars as Roy Neary. Roy Neary is stuck in a dead-end job as an electric linesman and in an unhappy marriage to a frustrated housewife. His three kids are unimaginative, argumentive brats who would rather play goofy golf than watch Pinnocchio. Roy seems to yearn for something more to life. Despite being an adult, he maintains a fascination with electric trains and allows his kids to watch "The Ten Commandments" on TV.

Roy seems to yearn for something more to life, a wish that he receives one night when the power grid goes down. Going out to investigate, he instead encounters a UFO (a close encounter of the second kind for you UFO buffs, it leaves burns on Roy's face). Neary and several other police cars give chase to the UFO until it flies off into the distance.

Meanwhile, in a house in the country, little Barry Guiler awakens to notice his toys coming to life. Seeing a light going down the stairs outside his room, Barry follows it through the kitchen and out the door into the forest. Barry's single mother, Gillian, awakens and noticing her son outside, runs after him. Roy nearly runs over Barry when he runs out into the highway. This will be Roy's first meeting with Barry and Gillian.

As Roy and Gillian struggle to understand their experiences, the U.S. military is being confronted with some mysteries of their own. In the middle of the Mexican desert, several fighter planes, reported missing in 1945 have turned up looking brand new. A U.S. military base in Illinois has picked up several aircraft of unknown origin on their radar. In India, a crowd of people have heard a bizarre, five-note tune from the sky. And at a SETI branch, three sets of numbers,latitude, longitude, and altitude, are being broadcast into their antennae.

Meanwhile back at home, Roy is acting stranger and stranger. He begins to see a strange mountainous shape in mud, pillows, shaving cream, and even his mashed potatoes. He finds himself compelled to make a sculpture of this ship in clay. His behaviour becomes such that his wife and kids leave him. Despite this, he is unable to shake his obsession. What is going on?

Well, in case you don't know, extra-terrestrials are preparing for first contact with humans. They are setting up a meeting place for this exchange to take place at Devil's Tower in Wyoming. They have also selected several lucky humans who are invited to join them at the meeting place. They have implanted in these people a vision of the meeting place.

Steven Spielberg's wonderful film seems to draw upon his own childhood memories. Spielberg has told the story about how when he was a kid, his father got him out of bed one night to see a meteor shower. Seeing himself and others spread out outside watching the sky left a profound effect on Spielberg. When Spielberg was a teenager, Steven's parents would separate and his father would leave the family, much like Roy Neary leaves his family to pursue his dream. It's to Spielberg's credit that we find ourselves sympathizing with a basically irresponsible man. Despite this fact, Close Encounters is almost perfect family entertainment.

Spielberg had always been fascinated by UFOs, and no wonder. Who wouldn't be fascinated by the idea that aliens are visiting us? I sure am. For many people, believing in aliens is easier than believing in God, myself included. The UFO phenomenon has become almost a substitute religion. Just look at certain cultish groups like Space Brothers and George Adamski's contactees.

Close Encounters is a very special film for me. It leaves me feeling good whenever I watch it. It taps into some of my childhood memories when the world was exciting and mysterious. I've always been a dedicated UFO buff as I feel this phenomena is not so easily explained away. Generally, people who see UFOs are not lunatics or cultists, but ordinary people with no particular thoughts on the subject.

The title of the film comes from Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a noted UFO researcher who developed a way to classify UFO sightings. A close encounter of the first kind is when a UFO is seen at close range. A close encounter of the second kind is when a UFO is seen and interacts with the environment in some way (e.g., scorched earth, facial burns, power outages). A close encounter of the third kind is when you actually see the UFO inhabitants. Hynek has a cameo in this film, he's the brown haired bearded fellow with the pipe.

As usual, Spielberg depicts the government in a negative light. The government and U.S. army are determined to keep people like Roy and Gillian from reaching Devil's Tower. The army are depicted as narrow minded people dedicated to carrying out the cover-up, much like the mayor in "Jaws". This is perhaps not surprising, coming after the Vietnam War and Watergate. In real life, the U.S. government is almost as secretive about UFOs as in the movie. They claim they do not investigate UFOs anymore because they are not a threat to national security, yet when you try to gain access to their files, they hold them back on those very same grounds.

The casting of actors is excellent as usual. Richard Dreyfuss is just right as the child-like Roy Neary. Spielberg has referred to Dreyfuss as "my alter ego." Melinda Dillon is very good as concerned mother Gillian, another experiencer. Bright-eyed Cary Guffey gives a surprisingly good performance. Spielberg has always been good with children. Bob Balaban looks intelligent as the cartographer turned interpreter. And French film director Francois Truffaut is great as the humanistic French scientist Claude Lacombe. Casting Francois Truffaut was a stroke of genius on Spielberg's part. There's also a scene stealing bit part by Warren J. Kemmerling who plays a spaced-out UFO watcher. He even claims to have seen Bigfoot!

The special effects hold up remarkably well for a film from the seventies. The final climactic forty minutes at Devil's Tower are a sight to behold. Watching the UFOs flying about immersing us in light and colour, is like the first time you see a fireworks or Christmas lights display as a kid. The scene where the gigantic mother ship hovers above is like staring at a giant chandelier. The wonderful John Williams score perfectly complements the effects. Everybody now knows the famous five note tune which we hear throughout the film.

"Close Encounters" was released the same year as George Lucas' "Star Wars". "Star Wars" is great fun, but I think "Close Encounters" reaches deeper, staying with you a while after you've seen it. Though Spielberg has often been accused of sacrificing characters and story for special effects, I don't think that's accurate here. The characters and story are very well developed, and the special effects are used sparingly until the end. In many ways, I think "Close Encounters" has stood up to the test of time better than "Star Wars" (nothing wrong with Star Wars mind you).

"Close Encounters" is a wonderful, upbeat film that I recommend for anyone who's a UFO buff and who likes fairy tales. Its life affirming message is sure to leave you glowing with peace-on-earth feelings for days on end.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8