Its 1977 and we've already seen Star Wars a million times, so what to include? Close Encounters of course.
Specs:
Well over 2 hours; rated PG.
Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:
7.63
More about the film and our reaction to it:
It's interesting to note that this film came out in the same year as Star Wars. In the mid-70s, two major directors started to shape the film industry with their vision of the big-budget summer blockbuster: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. In our family we were vastly familiar with the Star Wars films -- the brainchild(ren) of Lucas, demonstrating his stunning creative mind and sci-fi vision. We were less familiar with Spielberg's work. I have come to believe that Spielberg has a much more sophisticated understanding and a more adult perspective on film, and is clearly the better director.
That said, this movie (Close Encounters) is certainly less suited to families and kids than Star Wars. This is a film for grown ups. And a darn good one at that. As with other films from this era, the action moves slowly and intricately; it is psychological, not just adventure-laden. It is the kind of film that modern kids will fall asleep to (like one of my children did). But that doesn't mean it isn't good, just that you want to know what you're getting in to before showing it to your family.
It tells the story of a small town in which several of the residents have near-alien abductions and start to become obsessed -- in a way they cannot fathom and driving those around them crazy -- with getting even closer to those aliens. In particular, Richard Dreyfuss is on duty as a lineman when an alien spaceship approaches the area. He loses interest in all else (including wife, children and job) and spends his time inexplicably imagining a mountain form. A neighbor woman whose son is the target of the aliens is also drawn to experience more of the aliens. Ultimately, these two, plus a government team doing some cover-up, converge on the locale where the alien ship appears again (Devils Tower in Wyoming).
This is a rather odd plot to try and describe! I realize I am not giving much of the flavor of the film with my synopsis. But, as in the case of many other films, it is not really the plot that wins you over, it is the subtle details of the storytelling. And that's when you really appreciate the genius of Spielberg. He makes this film phenomenal by capturing your interest and emotion and connection to these characters and a fantastic musical score. He sucks you in. By the end, we were all spellbound (even the kid who had fallen asleep early on), and felt transported to a possible reality out there somewhere in Wyoming.
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