Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr

Several civilian people are drawn to a remote corner of the United States where aliens land in their spaceship and parley with U.S. officials.

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79% liked it

114,110 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

39 critics

PG, 2 hrs. 12 min.

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: November 15, 1977

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DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007

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Stats: 4,645 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,645)


  • September 21, 2009
    It?s a classic but not a huge personal favourite!
  • September 3, 2009
    Spielberg's classic UFO film is the blueprint for the naive, optimistic alien encounter genre. The reason why very few movies after this one even went this direction and rather blew up the White House instead is simply that it can't get any better than this. Starting out wonderfu...( read more)lly mysteriously and disturbing, sometimes even scary, the film soon concentrates on Dreyfuss' character's own approach to the things he saw on the night sky and his visions to culminate in nothing less than the biggest Christmas three ball of movie history. This film simply combines all the asset's of Spielberg's early work and perfectly so. Even the special effects still look pretty good 30 years later. And John Williams' melody went down in pop culture history. A masterpiece.
  • March 20, 2009
    "We are not alone"

    A line worker, after a encounter with UFO's, feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

    REVIEW
    An average guy suddenly finds himself as a "chosen" disciple of somethi...( read more)ng he doesn't understand and sacrifices everything he has in order to find out what it all means. It's the ultimate story of mankind - what will you do, what are you willing to go through in order to find meaning in your life?

    The special effects dazzle, but the story holds up underneath. The disintegration of Neary's family life is staggering - the only inner stability he has is when he stops trying to stifle his borderline psychotic impulses to try and fit into his role in his family. We find out what kind of woman he married, what kind of children he has been raising, what kind of employer he has. The ending is revelatory because it shows that none of these things matter when he follows his instinct.
  • January 29, 2009
    Hard to get the jingle out of your head after watching this one. I was entertained but guess I was expecting more.
  • November 9, 2008
    Spielberg's Spectacular science fiction fantasy. Genius mystery that celebrates the possibility of friendly alien life. The final culmination with the rendezvous with alien creatures is creepy but awe inspiring. Groundbreaking special effects and always great John Williams score...( read more). I really hate Richard Dreyfuss.
  • November 21, 2009
    Clasico eterno! Muy buena.
    Un detallazo que salieran los personajes de Joseph Allen Hynek, y Jacques Valleé.
  • November 17, 2009
    Good movie for the 70's
  • November 13, 2009
    Never liked this film.
  • November 8, 2009
    A brilliant film. One of Spielberg's best.
  • November 7, 2009
    An incrediable film that begs that question is life really out there and if so would it contact us.

Critic Reviews


September 8, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

One of the great moviegoing experiences. full review

View more Close Encounters of the Third Kind reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • Aritosgold
    October 16, 2007
    This is a really good movie for its time.
  • merillupin
    October 3, 2007
    IMDb says 16 May 1976 - February 1977; not sure how accurate that is, of course.
  • dinitagach
    May 30, 2007
    Does anyone know the exact shoot dates for this film? I know it was about a 5 months shoot...

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Close Encounters ... : Watch Free on TV


Close Encounters of the Third Kind Trivia

Close Encounters of the Third Kin... Trivia


  • Richard Dreyfus makes a mountain out of his mashed potatoes?  Answer »
  • Richard Dreyfus is having visions of a mountain in this science fiction movie.  Answer »
  • Name the movie!  Answer »
  • A group of scientific researchers including Lacombe (Truffaut) and Laughlin (Balaban) investigate UFO reports worldwide, and discover a lost squadron of World War II aircraft (see Flight 19) in a Mexican desert  Answer »

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