Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, François Truffaut, Teri Garr and Bob Balaban.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Synopsis: After a brief encounter with a UFO, the life of family man Roy Deary (Dreyfuss) is turned upside down.

Close Encounters has been described as Spielberg’s passion project, tracing back to him watching meteor showers with his dad as a child, and the awe-inspiring wonder that a youngster would have at such an experience is most certainly brought to the silver screen in his fifth motion picture. Two years after the release of Jaws, both films couldn’t be further apart based on premise alone, but Close Encounters retains arguably the most prominent idea explored two years earlier: a family man trying to do what they believe is the right thing.

Sure, there’s a great contrast in relation to impact suffered by the Brody and Deary families courtesy of Martin and Roy’s actions, but even with these differences, Spielberg effectively presents an unconventional insight as to the consequences of the family man “doing the right thing”. There’s even a fantastic parallel to Jaws with this film’s famous mashed potatoes scene (this post’s header photo), which reminded me of the scene in which Ellen Brody watches her son mimic his despondent father’s every action at the dinner table. That all being said, I can’t imagine Roy Deary being as strong a character if not for the portrayal by Richard Dreyfuss (who persuaded Spielberg to give him this role on the Jaws set), as he instantly perfects what an every-man husband and father is supposed to be in the way he interacts with his wife, Ronnie (Garr) and three children. He also aces the descent into madness in a way that I don’t feel Spielberg’s other choices, Steve McQueen, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and even Jack Nicholson with his experience in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, would’ve been able to better. I love Dreyfuss’ ability to switch from utterly dejected to outright lunacy in his actions and it leads to moments such as his meltdown sitting in the shower and his slinging of everything expect the kitchen sink (because that’s where it all lands) that make this more than just a science-fiction film.

What defines this as one of the essential sci-fi films, of course, are the stunning use of visual effects, supervised by Douglas Trumbull, and the way in which Spielberg teases us by building for the finale with hints that make the reveal of The Mothership even more grand. For example, the film’s opening sequence where Claude Lacombe (Truffaut) and David Laughlin (Balaban) learn of alien abductions from years long gone, we get the first of several uses of headlights appearing in the distance, covered by mist to resemble those of an alien spacecraft. It’s a simple technique, but one that captures our attention from the off, making Deary’s encounter later on – and the rest of the encounters – all the more shocking.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the staggering lighting used during the abduction scene involving Jillian and Barry Guiler. I love how rather than outright showing the UFOs outside the house, instead we simply see the beauty of the orange and blue lighting that comes from them. It’s also a magnificent acting performance from Melinda Dillon, who possesses a brilliant blend of fear and panic over the prospect of losing her son. Released six months after Star Wars, the VFX in Close Encounters holds up just as well. In fact, the only aspect of the film that is truly dated is how the little aliens look when they arrive on Earth, but that isn’t enough to bring this film down.

Spurred on by a John Williams score that, while not on the level of Jaws, Star Wars or many other of the musical pieces he’s created, combines that marvellous five-note piano piece alongside the childlike wonder of “When You Wish Upon a Star”, Close Encounters of the Third Kind shows us that sci-fi films can be just as effective with the story remaining on Earth.

Rating: 4.5/5