Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Movie: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

AFI List #64 on the 1998 list; not included on the 2007 list

My List #45

Starring: Richard Dryfuss

My rating: ˜

Meh. This movie tells the story of Roy Neary, an Indiana electrical lineman, whose life changes after he has an encounter with an unidentified flying object (UFO). In addition, the United States government is also aware of the UFOs as is a team of international scientific researchers.

The story starts with scientists in California finding World War II aircraft, perfectly intact and preserved, but with no sign of the pilots. In Munsie, Indiana, a three-year-old Barry is woken up when his toys start working and playing automatically. He sees something outside and runs out forcing his mom, Jillian, to chase him. Elsewhere, Roy Neary on a deserted road, experiences a close encounter of a UFO and becomes obsessed with UFOs. He meets Jillian and Barry at a "UFO Watch Party". He's also plagued by mental pictures of a strange mountain and he starts to make models of it with anything he can get he hands on. Shaving cream, mashed potatoes, bricks and dirt in the middle of his living room... All of this obsession forces his wife to take their three kids and leave him.

All during this, Barry is abducted by the aliens despite Jillian's effort to keep him on earth (the only creepy part in the movie). They find out that they both are seeing the same mountain. A news report shows them that they are both building and seeing Devi's Tower in Wyoming. They start to travel there only to find that there are a lot of people drawn there. Most are apprehended by the Army but Jillian and Roy and a few others get through the blockade and find the Army has built a landing site and are trying to communicate with the aliens. And that's as far as I'll tell.

It was a rather boring movie for me. I have no interest in aliens and I'm a selective fan of Richard Dreyfuss and he plays Roy Neary. This is a huge cult movie, but I religiously avoid cults so that's just another reason for me to not like this movie. :D But you can all make your own opinions.