#science #fiction #ScienceFiction #SciFi #FTW #film #movie #FirstContact #contact #alien #aliens #future #space #SpaceShip #EZ4 #PeaceGas #Garr #Dillon #Truffaut #Dreyfuss #Spielberg

Retro SciFi Film of the Week…

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

When this film came out, its depiction of the aliens seemed very realistic, and it has held up pretty well considering it was released nearly a half-century ago. Most of the special effects (by Douglas Trumbull) still seem real, and the dialogue and narrative still seem plausible. The acting performances and score are world class.

This film marked a change in the depiction of aliens in science fiction. Ever since the broadcast of War of the Worlds in 1938, aliens who came to Earth were almost always shown as aggressive and as conquerors or colonizers. This film, released shortly after the Vietnam War had ended, was different.

As with nearly all films of the time, this 1977 film had significant racial bias in the composition of the cast, so you’ll need to keep that in mind as you watch it. I saw only one black character in the film, a flight controller who had just a few lines in one scene. (Nearly all of Spielberg’s films have racial bias, even those produced well into the 21st century.)

In terms of production quality and story, this is one of the best science fiction films ever made and if you haven’t seen it yet, make a point of seeing this one.