After the success that was "Jaws", many eyes were on Steven Spielberg on what his next project would be and if it can make insane amounts of money as his breakout blockbuster. This type of pressure would cause plenty of stress for any filmmaker, which Spielberg was no exception. While his second blockbuster was indeed a success critically and financially, his first sci-fi venture seems to have fallen into a bit of obscurity as the filmmaker's library expands after hit after hit. The story at first seems excellent. After the infamous Flight 19 aircraft suddenly appear in Mexico despite disappearing in 1945, a handful of citizens witness UFO's flying around their rural home as it interferes with electronics and metal objects. Despite the government trying to keep the alien ships out of public eye as they plan to make contact in Wyoming, people such as Roy and Jillian are hopelessly obsessed with both the UFO's and the mountain known as Devils Tower, causing them to travel to the destination to get answers for why they have been fixated on the mountain and the UFO's. The best thing about the story is the sense of mystery and dread, which is well-exemplified by the first two acts of the film. The tone for this long section of the film is almost like a horror/thriller film as the UFO's fly around with no rhyme and reason and abduct Jillian's infant son. It's almost as if audiences were going to get another "Jaws", but with aliens being the horror rather than a killer shark. However, all of this is deflated by the ending as the aliens make contact. The tone suddenly shifts to being whimsical and lighthearted as the mothership continues to play its symphony and the aliens not only reveal themselves, but also release all of the people they abducted as well as taking human volunteers to travel with them. The problem with the ending is that the film doesn't even bother to explain what's happening and how the large group of scientists suddenly know what to do when seeing these aliens. I'm not saying that you need hostile alien invaders or something, but make it far more ambiguous or reasonable. Perhaps the humans trade out their alien prisoners for the abducted humans or something, because the ending is just plain disappointing.
Roy Neary, played by Richard Dreyfuss, is the main human protagonist and one who isn't deserving of being the core relatable character. While Dreyfuss is a great actor at playing this crazed man who is pained to have his world turned upside down from the UFO's, the character makes these awful decisions to not win any sympathy for the viewer as he not only gets his wife and kids to leave him as he trashes the house upon realizing the shape that is Devil's Tower, but he decides to go with the aliens at the end. On top of being irresponsible for leaving his children and wife behind for a potential downwards spiral, he's also inconsistent as he clearly falls in love with the single mother that is Jillian, as he even shares a kiss with her, but still goes with the aliens. You can say that it's not his fault that the aliens have basically put him in a trance and that he's not to blame for losing his family, but it still doesn't make him enjoyable as a character. The odd thing is that the other major character is far more interesting to take Roy's spot as protagonist. Francios Truffaut as Claude Lacombe is enjoyable as the French scientist leading the expedition of making contact with the aliens and offers condolences to the people that were "touched" by the UFO's. It's bizarre seeing the renowned French director in an American production, but he's a talented actor on top of being a fantastic filmmaker. Melinda Dillon as Jillian is perhaps the sympathetic character in the film as she's a single mother who is attempting to protect her infant son from the UFO's. While her personality is on the shallow side, Dillon's performance works at being emotionally invested. There are plenty of side characters such as Lacombe's translator, Jillian's infant son, a crazy farmer who has seen Bigfoot, and Roy's wife and children who are in the right for leaving the crazed Roy behind, but they are minor roles that have not much focus aside from Jillian's son who gets abducted by the aliens for no reason. I could talk about the aliens, but their lack of motives or morality makes it hard to distinguish them as characters. The cast is pretty good with lots of well-acted performances, but Roy as the protagonist tends to be unlikeable and uneven at times.
If there's one thing that's undeniable about the film, it's that Spielberg knows how to direct a film. Referring back to the first two acts of the film, I love the dreary atmosphere he creates by making the alien encounters more suspenseful and horror-like rather than a miracle. Even though he does drop the ball by the end, these sequences and the use of the darkness of night and the ranging colours of the UFO's is riveting. The Oscar-winning cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond is more than well-deserved. From the long takes to the low angles to the sweeping landscape shots of rural America as well as the standout scene in India, Zsigmond makes this film carry the most iconic shots of Spielberg's films. The score by John Williams is a bit of a letdown in regards to the legendary composer as nothing really stands out as a memorable track, aside from the five-note motif that is crucial to communicate with the aliens. Honestly, the best parts of the film audio-wise is when there isn't music as, unlike his collaborations in "Jaws", the lack of a score makes the suspense far more effective. The visual effects still hold up exceptionally well as the miniature models and optical effects really look great in a pre-CGI-infested industry. The aliens however are a mixed bag for various reasons. For one, we didn't need to see the aliens at all in the film as it would hold a sense of mystery about what they look like. Secondly, most of them look really goofy. I love the design of the first alien, but the second and third aliens we see are just completely ridiculous as they are just the typical little green martian design. The group of the small aliens are clearly costumes with freaky faces and the alien that communicates with Lacombe is just so cheesy in how it smiles and befriends Lacombe. Let's just say that "E.T" worked far better in both an alien design, effects and friendly nature. Despite the appearances of the aliens and their designs, the filmmaking is generally as excellent as Spielberg can get.
"Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" is a film that almost reaches its full potential as a sci-fi masterpiece. The premise is great, the tone for the first two acts of the film works at being eerie and suspenseful, all of the acting is pretty good with Dreyfuss, Dillon and Truffaut being stand-outs, Zsigmond's cinematography is fantastic to look upon, the visual effects look good more than forty years later, and Spielberg continues to flex his talent on making suspenseful/horror-esque sequences, especially with the lack of a musical score. However, despite a ton of positives, the film is nowhere near the filmmaker's best works as things start to fall apart by the ending. From the various unanswered questions about what the aliens want and how the scientists are completely understanding of the situation, to the ruined sense of mystery, Roy's character being both unlikeable and inconsistent as a protagonist, William's underwhelming musical score, and the appearance of the aliens being both unnecessary and silly, the film takes a turn for the worst by the ending. Regardless, that doesn't mean that the film itself is bad. In fact, it's still pretty good as an overall film. It's just that the ending holds back the film's true greatness.
Verdict: 7/10. Good film, but the ending keeps it from being one of Spielberg's best. Still worth a watch for excellent filmmaking and amazing sequences of suspense.
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