Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Watching this with my young sons I realised how basic the effects must look to them having so far grown up in the CGI age. All the same I think they enjoyed it and I certainly enjoyed watching it again and not just for nostalgic reasons. The industry owes so much to these Spielberg blockbusters. They are referenced again and again. It is easy for me to recall the wonder that we once felt at Close Encounters, ET, Raiders, Jurassic Park and others.

I have always loved the way Close Encounters builds up to its climax with the mysterious sounds and the shape of Devil’s Peak. Richard Dreyfuss is also one of my favourite actors, often underrated and here also he works hard at a convincing performance of a man obsessed, which is largely overlooked in the bigger picture.

We watched the original presentation (1978) and not the later (1980) Special Edition. I would now quite like to revisit that version as well.