Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Francois Truffaut

Director: Steven Spielberg

Summary: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is an extraordinary film about a man named Roy Neary who becomes obsessed with meeting extraterrestrials after encountering a UFO on an abandoned road one night. Against the wishes of his wife and children, Neary, along with another witness to the sighting, travels to a mysterious mountain where the government has built a landing strip hoping to attract the aliens.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is Steven Spielberg's extraordinary film about a man named Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) who becomes obsessed with meeting extraterrestrials after encountering a UFO on an abandoned road one night. Against the wishes of his wife (Teri Garr) and children, Neary, along with another witness to the sighting (Melinda Dillon), travels to a mysterious mountain where the government has built a landing strip hoping to attract the aliens. Director François Truffaut co-stars as Claude Lacombe, one of the organizers of the project. Spielberg hoped to follow up the huge success of JAWS with a low-budget film that would be an easy shoot, but, thanks in part to the complicated special effects, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS quickly snowballed into being an expensive endeavour but a commercial and artistic success. No one who has seen the film has ever looked at a plate of mashed potatoes the same way again.

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The first Steven Spielberg film to arrive on a high definition format, there’s something fittingly comprehensive about the Blu-ray release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind that befits such a strong, high-profile disc.

The reason for that is that three different cuts of Close Encounters are presented in this terrific set; there’s the original cinematic version that debuted in 1977, the different cut that surfaced in the 80s, and Spielberg’s final take on the film from the late 90s. It’s arguable that each of the three has its highs and lows, and there’s something fascinating about comparing the trio too.

As for the film itself? Close Encounters is the terrific tale of Richard Dreyfuss’ Roy Neary, who discovers a UFO in the middle of the night. Co-starring Teri Garr, Francois Truffaut and Melinda Dillon, the film then follows the attempt to bring the aliens to Earth, and--coupled with terrific special effects, particularly for the era--Close Encounters is rightly regarded as a deserved classic.

The Blu-ray release is also spectacular, partly for the comprehensive nature of the package, but also down to the gleaming audio and picture quality. It may not be the highest profile Spielberg movie, and there’s certainly a deep back catalogue calling out for the high-definition treatment. But don’t let that blind you: Close Encounters is an absolute treat, and this is the best way outside of a cinema to enjoy it. --Jon Foster

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region B
Special Features:	Steven Spielberg - 30 Years of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS featurette, Storyboard to storyboard comparison, Photo gallery, Making of documentary, 1977 Watch The Skies featurette, Deleted scenes, Editor's fact track
Year:	1977
Release Date:	December 3, 2007
Runtime:	132 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	S B R 26501
Keywords:	Close, English, General, Encounters, Third, Kind, Fiction, Science
Genre:	Science Fiction