Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Movie, 1977, The '70s, Set in Devils Tower
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is #4 of 35 in release order and #4 of 35 in chronological order in the Steven Spielberg.
The story
After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind recap
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) follows an Indiana power lineman whose UFO sighting sends him on an obsessive path to a meeting with aliens. Steven Spielberg wrote and directed it. Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) is out investigating a blackout when lights sweep over his truck and burn half his face. The same night, young Barry Guiler (Cary Guffey) runs out after the craft, followed by his mother Jillian (Melinda Dillon). Both Roy and Jillian become haunted by an image of a flat-topped mountain, and Roy sculpts it in shaving cream and mashed potatoes before building it in his living room, driving his wife Ronnie (Teri Garr) to leave with their children. Meanwhile, French scientist Claude Lacombe (François Truffaut) tracks lost planes and ships turning up across the world and a five-note signal from space. Aliens take Barry from his home. Close Encounters follows Jaws and precedes 1941 in Spielberg's career.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind ending explained
Close Encounters of the Third Kind ends with Roy boarding the alien mothership at Devils Tower in Wyoming. The army fakes a nerve gas spill to clear the area, but Roy and Jillian slip through and reach a secret landing site, where scientists greet the ship by playing the five-note tune. The mothership releases pilots and others taken decades ago, Barry among them. Lacombe chooses Roy to join a team of volunteers, and the ship lifts off with him. Spielberg released a Special Edition in 1980 showing the ship's interior, which the 1998 director's cut removed.
Post-credits scenes
No. Close Encounters has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is streaming on Peacock, YouTube (free), and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.6/10, Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Where it fits
Cast
- Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary
- François Truffaut as Claude Lacombe
- Teri Garr as Ronnie Neary
- Melinda Dillon as Jillian Guiler
- Bob Balaban as David Laughlin
- J. Patrick McNamara as Project Leader
- Warren J. Kemmerling as Wild Bill
- Roberts Blossom as Farmer
- Phil Dodds as ARP Musician
- Cary Guffey as Barry Guiler
- Shawn Bishop as Brad Neary
- Adrienne Campbell as Sylvia Neary
Directed by Steven Spielberg.