45 Years Later: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr
Running time: 138 minutes

Steven Spielberg is a blockbuster filmmaker. He’s the man that brought dinosaurs to life. He redefined the adventure genre. He gave an entire generation an irrationally overpowering fear of sharks. Yet, while Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a movie all about aliens and space and the unknown, this is the iconic director at his more reserved, his more introspective - and, over four decades later, it’s still one of his finest releases as a result. 

Following everyman Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) and single mother Jillian Guiler (Melinda Dillon) as they investigate potential extraterrestrial activity in their home state of Indiana and beyond, this is a sci-fi movie that largely does away with the sci-fi. Sure, there are UFOs and little green(ish) men, but Spielberg spends the vast majority of Close Encounters’ runtime closely interrogating the human characters at its centre, using a big, otherworldly story to tell a tale of very normal people. 

In Neary, audiences are encouraged to root for the epitome of the average Joe, an ordinary guy who is forever longing to achieve something extraordinary. In fact, so desperate is he to break out of the mundanity of his daily life that it almost literally possesses him, driving him into a frenzy until he finds what he’s looking for. It’s a fascinating, unflinching character study that is wrapped inside a surprising package. 

Neary and co are fleshed out by a whip smart script, which brings genuine laughs and creates characters that feel real and relatable. So often with big budget releases today, filmmakers will prioritise spectacle over substance, but Close Encounters is a shining example of how a truly top quality screenplay can make up for a lack of visuals, engaging the viewer in more intelligent, nuanced ways.

Yet when the extraterrestrial element of the story does come into play, it too is uniquely effective, culminating in an epic, almost cathartic finale. As John Williams’ dynamic score blares over the speakers, and those goofy little aliens come sauntering down the ramp of the spaceship, you’re as emotionally drained as the lead characters themselves, the previous two hours’ struggle and strife fully hitting home. 

Although 45 years and countless films have come and gone since this hit the big screen, it is still one of Steven Spielberg’s finest pieces of work. Its decision to do away with flashy set pieces and action-heavy montages, and instead focus on a character-driven plot with slick, meaningful dialogue, is truly impressive, and marks a genuinely one-of-a-kind release for cinema’s most familiar talent.

Did you know? The John Williams score was created before the film was edited. Steven Spielberg edited the film to match the music, a reverse of what is usually done in the film scoring process.