Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Academy Award × 1·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
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.
What critics thought
One of the most acclaimed science fiction films ever made, Close Encounters earns near-universal praise for its awe-inspiring climax and Spielberg's ability to ground cosmic wonder in everyday American life — though a handful of critics found the middle section sluggish before the payoff arrives. The film's blend of fantasy, humor, and spiritual ambition is what separates it from genre peers, even if some felt it lacked the human warmth of its contemporaries.
“the last 30 minutes are among the most marvelous things I've ever seen on the screen”
Roger Ebert·Sneak Previews
“This is one of the peerless moments in movie history—spiritually reassuring, magical, and funny at the same time.”
Pauline Kael·The New Yorker
“the best—the most elaborate‐1950's science fiction movie ever made, a work that borrows its narrative shape and its concerns from those earlier films, but enhances them with what looks like the latest developments in movie and space technology.”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
“lacks the warmth and humanity”
Variety
Genres
Drama, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorSteven Spielberg
StarringRichard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban
ComposerJohn Williams
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Academy Award × 1·National Film Registry
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.
What critics thought
One of the most acclaimed science fiction films ever made, Close Encounters earns near-universal praise for its awe-inspiring climax and Spielberg's ability to ground cosmic wonder in everyday American life — though a handful of critics found the middle section sluggish before the payoff arrives. The film's blend of fantasy, humor, and spiritual ambition is what separates it from genre peers, even if some felt it lacked the human warmth of its contemporaries.
“the last 30 minutes are among the most marvelous things I've ever seen on the screen”
Roger Ebert·Sneak Previews
“This is one of the peerless moments in movie history—spiritually reassuring, magical, and funny at the same time.”
Pauline Kael·The New Yorker
“the best—the most elaborate‐1950's science fiction movie ever made, a work that borrows its narrative shape and its concerns from those earlier films, but enhances them with what looks like the latest developments in movie and space technology.”
Vincent Canby·The New York Times
“lacks the warmth and humanity”
Variety
Genres
Drama, Sci-Fi
Cast & Crew
DirectorSteven Spielberg
StarringRichard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban
ComposerJohn Williams
Rent/Purchase