First Time Watching Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977) IN AWE | Movie Reaction & Commentary

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My first time watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind! This movie defines awe and wonder. A true cinematic masterpiece. I hope you enjoy my reaction & Review!
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Hi, I'm Chris! Welcome to my channel. I react to movies & tv shows hoping to represent what it's really like to experience them for the first time. If you enjoy, you can support me by liking the video, subscribing to the channel, and letting me know your thoughts in the comments.
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Original Movie: Close Encounter of the Third Kind (1977)
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective owners.

[@jdnevesytrof6208]

This is one of the very rare thrillers, if not the most prominent, where there is no actual danger and the real problems come from the people dealing with the mystery and not the mystery itself.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Honestly, yes!

[@DylansPen]

Yes the part of the antagonist was the government which lied and tried to keep everyone out just as in E.T.

[@nuimaleko7]

When i saw it in the theater in '77, the entire theater shook and vibrated while the mother ship turned over. I thought I was having a stroke, but it was one of the best experiences I ever had at the movies,. I always wanted a sequel to this and E.T, but other than the Indian Jones movies, Spielberg does not do sequels.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I love the theater experience, I have no doubt this would have been one of the best ones. To experience the magnitude of the visuals and sound as intended surrounded by people sharing the wonder would have been incredible. I am still torn if I'd want a sequel to this, but I'm leaning towards no, but I'd jump on board only if Spielberg did it.

[@Muckylittleme]

@@CasualNerdReactions Not only that but to experience it nearly 50 years ago long before CGI and realistic special effects being common place. It blew your mind back then on the big screen, sadly something nobody will ever experience again.

[@nonenone3257]

@@CasualNerdReactions, look up Fathom Events. They sponsor limited edition runs of classic films in theaters nationwide. They are associated with Turner Classic Films. Many of the films you've watched have run including this one. Keep an eye out!

[@BubbaCoop]

The Lost World: Jurassic Park was directed by Spielberg.

[@cathyvickers9063]

​@@Muckylittleme The "miniature" Mothership is easily 3 feet in diameter!! Spielberg explained in an interview that he wanted to look like a cross between an oil refinery at night, & a Christmas ornament. Did you know an R2D2 toy is one of the unseen texture attached to the model? (They knew no one would ever see it onscreen. I saw the model on display at the Smithsonian, & made a point of looking... Found it!)

[@douglascampbell9809]

This is even more impressive on the big screen with the theater style sound system.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

If I ever get the chance to see it in theaters, I am taking it!

[@monacaravetta]

@@CasualNerdReactions I highly recommend going to Devils Tower and watching this film at the base, It's an amazing, awe inspiring experience.

[@nealsterling8151]

What a masterwork of a movie! This ladies and gentlemen, is what they used to call sense of wonder. Something movie makers nowadays completely deny it ever existed, because they are unable to create on their own.

[@monacaravetta]

I'm so hungry to feel this way again watching a film.

[@djr6876]

A great movie. I never questioned why Roy would leave his family. His life ,for him, seemed mundane and unfulfilled,and the relationship with his family dysfunctional. A trip to outer space was an adventure he couldn’t pass up,and I might have felt the same in his place.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I don’t think you’re really supposed to question it. My mind just chose a different path 😅

[@deanwalker9605]

Spielberg's shot composition, John Williams' awe inspiring score. An absolute masterclass.

[@fireidar]

The reason they choose Roy was because he wanted to know from a purely human factor, while the other "volunteers" were going for such reason as research, scientific and technological exploration and so on. In essence it was the other volunteers JOB, Roy was there because HE WANTED TO BE THERE.

[@craigharris41]

Actually it was b/c he received the telepathic message. All the people that had on red suits went with them.

[@anyviolet]

24:00 watched this as a kid and for a lot of us this question never occurred to us, at the time. As adults we know now, **of course** any parent wouldn't have left their children in this situation. Steven Spielberg has said that if he'd written this script after he had children, he'd never have had Roy leave. Apparently he had the child's view at the time of only thinking about the wonder and magic of being with friendly (as far as we knew) aliens. Pretty amazing admission IMO.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That is an amazing admission! I can definitely see the mindset of only seeing the wonder of being with the aliens. If I were younger I wouldn't have given it a second thought. Perspectives do change with age and growth.

[@houseofsledge6891]

Although Close Encounters wasn't the actual first film I saw in cinemas as a very young child it IS the first film I have an active memory of seeing in the cinemas as a kid. I had seen a few Disney films in theatres and Star Wars (Episode VI), but I can only remember waiting in line for Star Wars now and not actually sitting in the seats seeing it. Close Encounters was my first favorite movie as a little kid (I loved Star Wars but Close Encounters filled me with wonder and awe about the real world and science and whatnot). Then Grease came out and that became my new fave for a time (Olivia Newton-John was the center of my universe in the 70s, next to ABBA). It was a blast seeing you, as an adult decades later, experience some of the awe I experienced as a 3 year old so long ago. Thank u for sharing this!

[@TTM9691]

Awwww, what a great reaction to a great movie! Hey just so you know..... that daze that you're in at the end of that movie? EVERYONE in the theater was walking around that way after the lights came up! All three times I saw it! :D Welcome to the club! Amazing. Yes, the "Director's Cut" is the one I think most of us would recommend, although the "Theatrical Cut" is also fine (there isn't that much difference). As long as you didn't do "The Special Edition"! As far as where alien tropes come from: there definitely were a lot of UFO movies in the 50s, and people went UFO crazy in the 50s and 60s (Spielberg included) so some come from there. But this movie definitely created a bunch, such as "The Mothership". This along with Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" (the guy who did the special effects for that, did this one too! Douglas Trumball)....and "Forbidden Planet" (1954), for me, that's the trio of super dazzling, one-of-a-kind, profound sci-fi space movies with spectacular, groundbreaking special effects. And "Close Encounters" and "2001" leave you with a sense of awe and wonder about the mysteries of the universe. All three are very different, totally distinct movies....but they are all extremely colorful, visual feasts, and mindblowing. 11:14 - Speaking of mindblowing, you say "It looks like a 'Fire In The Sky'". That was the title for what was going to be a sort of sequel, but was repurposed as the horror movie "Poltergeist"! Very wild that you literally said the title! That sequel split into two movies, actually, the other movie being....."E.T.". If you notice, some of the aliens look like E.T. Spielberg intentionally had a variety of aliens, reasoning that we have different races and life forms on Earth, why not on other planets? Anyways, E.T. has been left behind! See how that sort of picks up where "Close Encounters" left off? Most people who saw "E.T". had seen "Close Encounters", so he was a somewhat "familiar" alien, just more up-close. But "E.T." doesn't tell you about Roy, though. Roy's gone forever, in my opinion, he ain't coming back! As far as ditching the family? That is the most 70s thing about the movie; everyone was splitting up and getting a divorce, certainly my parents did and all those argument sequences seemed very familiar, including "I'm taking the kids and I'm splitting!" In a way, it's the ultimate 60s-70s movie.....the aliens come down to basically give the greatest, trippiest, most psychedelic concert ever, drop some people off, and pick Richard Dreyfuss up! And the government is trying to cover it up! lol. Spielberg says he could never write that ending for "Close Encounters" now with Roy leaving the family; he also says in the same exact interview that it's the movie of his own that he'd save above all others. It's a realistic movie, and sometimes life is messy, right? John Williams cites it as the score he's most proud of, and Richard Dreyfuss will talk at length about this movie any chance he gets. Oh man, I could talk about this movie all day long.....I'm just so happy that you saw it, and you found it as special as I (we) always have! I knew you'd love it! This was a great, special reaction!!! Thanks for sharing it with us!!!!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Good to know I picked the right version! The mothership was amazing, such a brilliant mix of curious and cautious. Those other movies sound amazing as well. One day I'll have to check them out. Really a fire in the sky sounds like a great title, but I am glad it ended up becoming E.T. (which I've seen, definitely makes sense) and Poltergeist (which I will be watching soon, although I'm nervous.) The movie definitely represents its time, I don't like that Roy left his family, but it makes the movie that much more interesting and fascinating that it reflects the time period. As you said, life is messy. This is definitely one of his best and I will definitely be looking to see what Richard Dreyfus has to say about it.

[@cupidstunt22]

Before Roy went on the ship, he had already left his family just as they had left him, so there was nothing left but to go. He found happiness.

[@jasontoddman7265]

The thing is, I'm not convinced he deserved that happiness. Seemed to have no f**s left to give about his wife and kids.

[@omega311888]

to be fair, they were having problems to begin with. and honestly, i doubt his wife would accept everything that happened to him. @@jasontoddman7265

[@LA_HA]

​@@jasontoddman7265We have no actual context of their relationship or any such insight, so it seems to me that we the viewers cannot judge on the little we saw. Many of our worst decisions are rooted in the emotional and untrue belief we know more than we actually do and making bad judgements based on those erroneous beliefs. Spielberg doesn't show nor offer explanation as to Why he was chosen. Simply that he was. Everything else is above our pay grade. But, that's just an opinion

[@fday1964]

The possibility of being introduced to some galactic civilization has always struck me as being hopeful.

[@inkfishpete8695]

This is one of the few movies (besides E.T.) that shows an alien civilization as benign.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That's very optimistic, really speaks to who you are as a person.

[@hettbeans]

The UFO rising up behind Roy's truck is one of my favorite shots in all of cinema.

[@stevesheroan4131]

One of my “desert island” movies for sure. When the mothership leaves and John Williams’ score fires up at the end I get chills and nearly well up every time. I like to believe that the aliens picked Roy very specifically and already knew he would be leaving his family anyway. The kiss near the end is really Roy saying goodbye to the only person who understood him at the time, just before he leaves all human contact behind. I think subconsciously Roy knew he was leaving. Just my take obviously.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I've never thought about desert island movies, but this is a contender! Why not take a movie that is engaging, uplifting and leaves you feeling like anything is possible? That's a good perspective. There were plenty of signs that their marriage was in trouble, I just hoped it was a restoration story, that the unbelievable would bring them together. But that isn't the story they were telling. The plotting was very consistent throughout. Thanks for your thoughts.

[@davidlionheart2438]

I just can't comprehend why SO many people simply don't "get" the kiss! It's meaning is so obvious.

[@monacaravetta]

Beautifully said. I totally agree with you.

[@eddietucker7005]

She was the only person who EXPERIENCED and understood what has happened and what will happen to him. The mental connection given to them by the aliens, bound them together. That’s all there was to that kiss. His wife is gone. She left him and went to her sisters. End of that story line. The book doesn’t go any farther with that plot line. If you want to imagine more, Roy is now legally dead according to the government and she gets money from insurance and whatever else they had. She is a single mother and someday she meets her knight in shining armor and lives happily ever after… the oldest boy winds up in prison and the younger brother winds up in therapy for many years to come. How’s that for continuing their story until their end!? ✨😈✨

[@stevesheroan4131]

@@eddietucker7005 Lol. While you’re at it, you may as well make his little girl’s life story ultimately become the basis for a movie called “Requiem for a Dream”. 👺👹

[@CasualNerdReactions]

This movie blew my mind. I've never experienced such awe and wonder in a film before. What are you thoughts on Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Full length reaction to the this movie, Alien all every movie I've reacted to on Patreon: www.patreon.com/casualnerdreactions

[@bizzwag]

The missing pilots is a real story called flight 19 that went missing in the Bermuda triangle. They where flying U.S. Navy Avengers in 1945 the planes have never been found.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

@@bizzwag That's mind boggling. They have to be somewhere! I need to research this, even though you've already made clear there are no answers. lol

[@bizzwag]

@@CasualNerdReactions The scene where the like red jump suit people get on to the spacecraft is supposedly to show the first transfer of the 20 year and back program. But the 20 year and back program is like a myth that people who are so called "in the know" claim is a real program. I have my doubts but i like the story of it.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

@@bizzwag THAT is fascinating. I hadn't heard of that so I googled it. I definitely believe it's a myth based on my two minutes of in depth research, but that makes its inclusion so much more interesting!

[@eliserichardson8814]

Loved this on the pictures when I was young. Been one of my all-time favourites films. The director's cut took pieces from the original theater version. But the ultimate cut has not cuts

[@donovandelaney3171]

Close Encounters was inspired by a real event. Spielberg was told about the event and that became the inspiration behind this movie.

[@Code9]

Not exactly. I remember reading the book "The Making of Close Encounters of the Third Kind". As I recall, the script is sort of an amalgamation of many alleged UFO encounters gathered from over the years. The French researcher (I forget his character's name) is based on real-life UFO researcher, Jacque Vallee. He was (and still is) considered by many to be one of the most thorough researchers in the field of ufology and one of the most insightful in terms of speculating on the "nature" of the UFO question as a global cultural phenomenon. Another real life character in the film was J. Allen Hynek, the guy with the goatee who only makes a brief cameo toward the end of the film. Dr. Hynek, was responsible for having come up with the way to classify UFO sightings as close encounters of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd kind when he served as a special advisor in three of the Government's most celebrated UFO investigations: Project Sign, Project Grudge, and Project Blue Book back in the 1950s. So, between Vallee and Hynek, Spielberg had plenty of informational input about the phenomenon on a global scale. Also, there were several other writers who contributed to the writing of the script.

[@jaymanuel3396]

Just found your channel, it’s awesome! I saw Close Encounters in theaters in 1977 at 10 years old. It was one of the greatest experiences in my life, same with Star Wars, at that time. You didn’t know what to expect, because the trailers and tv ads seemed frightening! I felt the same about Rory. I kept saying, he left his family in a really bad situation. Hopefully, his wife wrote a best selling book! Thanks for the review ❤️

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I’m so glad you’re enjoying my channel, thank you for letting me know! I wish I could have seen both of those in theaters originally. That would have been a truly special experience. Roy’s wife writing a best selling book is now a part of my head cannon.

[@keithbell9348]

I had the same reaction. I was filled with wonder and awe druing the last scenes on top of Devil's Tower. Simply put, it was mind boggling- at least for me the first time I saw it on the big screen. Out of all the early run of films made by Stephen Speilberg, the only 3 that made an indelible impact on me, that grabbed ahold of me and which I "re-experienced" in my mind for days afterwards- Jaws. Poltergeist & this one. Here is why I think CE3Kind did that to me was, not just the special effects- which were revolutionary for the time, but because of the reaction of the characters towards this phenomenon- especially at near the end. Each genuinely reacted in different ways that humams would if they actually experienced, in real life, what these characters did in the movie. Literally what they felt- is what YOU feel watching it the first time. This movie stands out for me, as one of the greatest sci fy movies ever made. Because it was so real, honest and organic in the way it portrayed the human response in the face of the unknown.

[@shirleyduffer2081]

“He got a full tank”🤣🤣🤣🤣 You have gained a subscriber! I saw this a few years back for the 40th anniversary and they featured some behind the scenes and they showed how they filmed the scene with Barry and his toys lighting up and moving around his room. The little boy who plays Barry was not told in advance what would happen so his reaction is genuine! Loved your Alien reaction!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Thanks for subscribing, Shirley! I’m gonna have to rewatch that scene now. I love when actors don’t know what’s about to happen.

[@Kenneth_Usher]

Static electricity is reported phenomena of close encounter of the first kind. Toys move on their own.

[@robertserrato3596]

The guy that was running towards the bathroom was not scared, he just ate a bad burrito.

[@tomyoung9049]

this was one of those mind blowing stories when you first see it. And at the time, those effects also blew us away. I didn't see any other comment about it but, when this came out there was a whole explanation about the name. Close encounter of the first kind is a visual sighting, second kind is physical evidence (marks from the craft landing or even a crashed ship) and an encounter of the third kind is physical contact.

[@mamagucci85]

I saw this movie with my Mom and 4 baby brothers at the drive-in , in a station wagon ! Great memories !

[@wkanost]

I saw this in a theater four times as a 14-15 year old. It was released near the end of 1977. Spielberg based a lot of the UFO sightings and appearance on “accounts” based on eyewitnesses. Take it for what it’s worth. The planes in the beginning were based on a fairly well known (in the 1970s) and often Bermuda Triangle disappearance. It has since been debunked and at least one of the planes was found in 1986 after the space shuttle challenger exploded. They found it while looking for debris off the Florida coastline. It’s a great film though and filled with wonder and one that begs for multiple viewings. There are three versions of the film available on dvd. Check them out!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I didn’t know they found one of the planes! That’s amazing. The film definitely begs repeat viewings and I enjoy seeing different versions of films, thanks for the suggestion.

[@randysmith7045]

I saw it on opening day, in 77. i was 18

[@jackmessick2869]

In 1986 the wreckage of an Avenger was found off the Florida coast during the search for the wreckage of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Aviation archaeologist Jon Myhre raised this wreck from the ocean floor in 1990. He mistakenly believed it was one of the missing planes. In 1991 a treasure-hunting expedition led by Graham Hawkes announced that the wreckage of five Avengers had been discovered off the coast of Florida, but their tail numbers revealed they were not Flight 19. In 2004 a BBC documentary showed Hawkes returning with a new submersible 12 years later and identifying one of the planes by its bureau number (a clearly readable 23990) as a flight lost at sea on October 9, 1943, over two years before Flight 19 (its crew all survived), but he was unable to definitively identify the other planes; the documentary concluded that "Despite the odds, they are just a random collection of accidents that came to rest in the same place 12 miles [19 km] from home."

[@jackmessick2869]

​@@CasualNerdReactions In 1986 the wreckage of an Avenger was found off the Florida coast during the search for the wreckage of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Aviation archaeologist Jon Myhre raised this wreck from the ocean floor in 1990. He mistakenly believed it was one of the missing planes. In 1991 a treasure-hunting expedition led by Graham Hawkes announced that the wreckage of five Avengers had been discovered off the coast of Florida, but their tail numbers revealed they were not Flight 19. In 2004 a BBC documentary showed Hawkes returning with a new submersible 12 years later and identifying one of the planes by its bureau number (a clearly readable 23990) as a flight lost at sea on October 9, 1943, over two years before Flight 19 (its crew all survived), but he was unable to definitively identify the other planes; the documentary concluded that "Despite the odds, they are just a random collection of accidents that came to rest in the same place 12 miles [19 km] from home."

[@geetarbube]

I was seven when I saw this in theaters. I was completely obsessed. I got the 45rpm record and later the soundtrack. I still have my poster. I practiced the “sign language” with friends and we played the tones on our early Casio keyboards years later. I’m 54 now and I’m still enraptured by this film. Same goes for other Spielberg movies of my youth like Jaws, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark with the Master John Williams providing his genius for all of them.

[@Tralman1965]

One of the greatest movies ever made. A true work of art.

[@karlmoles6530]

I also had a fantastic time watching this in the theater. This time with my Dad. This film totally blew my mind. The one two punch of seeing this and Star Wars really turned me into a full-blown dreamer.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Honestly, yes! What an amazing year for movies. So glad you got to experience those both in theaters! What an incredible experience.

[@phelan5387]

The arrival of the mother ship is one of the most spectacular sequences ever captured on film.

[@Bawookles]

Spielberg has said that if he had made the movie now, as a father, he wouldn't have the ending where Roy leaves his family behind. Personally, I love this ending because it is transcendental. The aliens only took Roy, because he was one of the people that they imprinted the message to in his brain, and he came. There MUST be some very important purpose of it, because as we know, they could just take/abduct anyone they wanted to. So Roy is giving up his life on Earth and his family, he is sacrificing that willingly for some grand purpose that he does not yet understand. Something that probably has incredible implications for the human race. I think that's worth it!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That is beautifully said. It is completely left to the imagination so it could be something essential for humanity to continue on or anything. I am certain Roy was only thinking of the WOW that had us all so entranced at the end.

[@Bawookles]

@@CasualNerdReactions True. But I think his obsession with it: "this MEANS something... This is IMPORTANT" to the detriment of even making his family leave him, means he is RIGHT for whatever purpose the aliens have for him. And that he persevered against so many obstacles to get to Devil's Tower, foregoing his family, his job, his own safety, also means he is RIGHT for whatever purpose the aliens have for him. He doesn't know what he is going to when he walks into the Mothership, he doesn't care, he only knows that he must because every part of his being is telling him he must. To me, the movie is also an analogy or metaphor for faith. I'm not a religious person, but what Roy was going through could be described as a kind of religious awe and obsession. And his choice to leave the Earth with the aliens is an ultimate leap of faith.

[@philrob1978]

@@Bawookles I've tried to express this very same interpretation to many, but you've managed to do it in a much more eloquent way than I could - bravo!

[@Bawookles]

@@philrob1978 Thanks, man! I actually think the ending is heroic. Being a hero is all about sacrifice, it's about sacrificing yourself and your own desires for something more important to the greater good. Roy is doing that by walking onto that ship. He's doing it in a state of awe and wonderment, but he knows that whatever it is he's doing, "this is important, this means something". And he's right.

[@philrob1978]

@@Bawookles Without wanting to start an absolute love-in (LOL) I'm totally with you. I know Steven has said much later that he wouldn't necessarily have that happen, but I think that was just to appease certain criticism for certain quarters that had plagued him for a number of years. He should stick to his guns as that is the story he himself wrote, regardless of his future feelings about it. Roy IS the "everyman" character, he is us. An ordinary man place in extraordinary circumstances. (A Spielberg trope if ever there was one). A beautiful performance from Dreyfuss - he should have been Oscar nominated in my opinion. I also feel that, while perhaps not intentionally, it's a massive wake up call to humanity - drop the arrogance, be humble, and realise our place in the universe.

[@northshore1000]

I appreciate that you were left uneasy in that Roy seemed to happily leave his family. It has always bothered me, too.

[@petergaynes9201]

LOL That side by side shot of you and the little kid around the 3:00 minute mark - he looks like he could be you at that young age.

[@bigorange2082]

“Fire in the sky.” Lol. That movie scared the heck out of me.

[@davidnorman4786]

This was the first movie that I saw at the theater multiple times. We went three times, which in the 70's was unheard of (although my mother did see Saturday Night Fever three times). This, along with Star Wars and Superman, marked a change in movies. Suddenly, the special effects made things REAL and the quality increased dramatically. We just were not seeing this stuff before.

[@markdodson6453]

I was lucky enough to see Close Encounters on opening night at the theater in Dallas -- the Medallion -- where Spielberg previewed all his movies, including Close Encounters. I was thirteen years old and, while we had all just had our minds blown by Star Wars six months earlier, it was Close Encounters that truly changed me. More, I had already been obsessed with John Williams since The Towering Inferno and Jaws, and like those two albums, I pretty much melted my Close Encounters record playing it non-stop.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That's amazing! It's hard to believe to such iconic (yet very different) films came out the same year. I can only imagine being at the premiere. It must have been absolutely jaw dropping.

[@TTM9691]

Mark, I got CHILLS reading this. Opening night, wow. I saw it soon after, I was only 8, but the same exact story: I had seen "Star Wars" six months earlier and loved it.....but, as you say, it was "Close Encounters" that truly changed me. The feeling of awe when the lights came up.....everyone in a happy daze. The most incredible experience I ever had in a movie theater. Thanks so much for your detailed comment, it really brought back the time period for me. So does the movie itself! My mom packed us kids up and split, too! lol. Everybody's mom and dad were splitting up! Brilliant.

[@OneThousandHomoDJs]

3:00 -- fun fact.....that little scene with Barry was shot by having two crewmembers offscreen, near the camera. One popped out of a box wearing a gorilla mask, another popped out of a box wearing a clown mask. He then took the mask off and smiled at Barry, who recognized him.

[@karlmoles6530]

You just got another Subscriber.

[@Mantikal]

"Why are they all dressed in shiny red uniforms?" - cause Disco was really big back then.

[@davesilkstone6912]

The guy playing the synthesizer in the mothership encounter scene was actually the engingeer that was sent to install the instrument.

[@mostlyharmless1]

I like how he didn't mess around with keeping you in suspense with the aliens, just shows you ships right out the gate.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Yes! That was amazing. AND he still surprised us when we saw the mothership. I was so in AWE.

[@lara314]

Great pick. This is my fave Spielberg film. Funny you mentioned "Fire in the Sky" because that's another alien abduction film.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Really? I had no idea. Is it any good? I may add it to my potential reaction list, just because of the name.

[@lara314]

@@CasualNerdReactions It's not iconic like Close Encounters but pretty good (solid performances and cinematography) and based on a true story.

[@monacaravetta]

I always wished they made a sequel about Barry and his wonderfully innocent relationship with the beings.

[@tulinfirenze1990]

"It looks like a fire in the sky". Interesting terminology. ; )

[@sharonh9239]

Another good movie! Fire in the sky

[@jeffmcdonald5901]

I remember the scene just before Barry's abduction the ominous animated clouds in the sky were mind-boggling to me and indeed it turns out that while this effect is seen more than in this film - they are all more recent than this. This was a process that Steven came up with himself where they had a fish aquarium full of water and filmed paint being poured into it from an oblique angle in slow motion.

[@WereMike]

One of my Top 5 movies of all time. So many solid performances. And the way Spielberg builds the mystery and impact until the final conclusion is masterful. Such a fantastic (and haunting) film.

[@Curraghmore]

Imagine how cool this was in 1977. The same year of the Star Wars debut!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Honestly, if I could pick a year to be able to go to the theater that’s the one. I would see those both today if they were in theaters.

[@jaymanuel3396]

@@CasualNerdReactions - 1978 was also great for Superman, Halloween and Invasion of the Body Snatchers! 1979 for Alien, The Brood, Kramer vs Kramer, The Warriors and The Jerk.

[@MGR1900]

Wouldn’t replace that year as a kid for all this technology today.

[@Steve-gc5nt]

And Smokey and the Bandit 🤠

[@MGR1900]

I’m from Indiana. When the scene came up where it says “Muncie, Indiana” on the lower right, I remember everyone in the theater clapping. It was at that movement that I realized this was more than just a movie.

[@monacaravetta]

Five years ago I fulfilled a bucket list dream of watching CE3K at the base of Devil's Tower in the summer. One of the best experiences of my life. I was 12 again. :)

[@coxmosia1]

Always love your reactions. They're so genuine and natural.

[@cjmacq-vg8um]

"why do they have a doggie door? do they even have a dog?" that line alone is worthy of a sub. merry chritmas. and may all homes be equiped with x-mas doggie doors in the future!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Haha welcome to the channel!

[@vickenator]

This was a good one! My own dad took our family on a road trip out West in the early '80s and made sure we stopped at Devil's Tower. Perhaps he was drawn to it, mysteriously... 🤣

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Or perhaps he’d seen this movie? 🤔 I definitely wanna visit now!

[@vickenator]

@@CasualNerdReactions Yep, he'd definitely seen it by that point. He was a big John Williams fan too. Thanks for posting your reaction! Melinda Dillon was so iconic as Ralphie's mom in A Christmas Story and it was nice to see her in a more dramatic role here. Two Oscar noms for her -- for this role as well as Absence of Malice!

[@moonlitegram]

I think you nailed it when you said its about making you feel that sense of awe and wonder that an alien visitation would entail. And I'm also perfectly fine with the movie ending where it does and not really needing to know more. Sometimes the long running narratives that explore every aspect that a story could possibly contain wind up diluting the core emotions and themes that a movie like this can bring. On a side note, I'm not sure if you keep up with the comments on some of your older reactions like this one. But if you do, there's a movie called 5-25-77 that (sort of) recently came out. (It was actually filmed from 2004-2006, then finally released in limited run in 2017 and then rereleased on streaming and in a limited run again in 2022). But in it there's a scene where they show them filming how they created the clouds and light effects in this film. Its also a fairly unique and fun movie on its own and is worth checking out, especially if you really dig movies. Would love to see you react to it, but regardless I definitely recommend checking it out on your own anyways.

[@queegs73]

The beauty of this Spielberg movie is he lets the viewer’s imagination determine what happens to Roy. Just like the kid abduction scene, we are treated to lights and sounds, but we never see the UFOs until they are leaving. At the movie’s end we are left to our imagination as what happens to Roy? There was no sequel which is nice. Why ruin it. But that’s exactly what the studio tried to do. Since this was the first films from Spielberg they basically said he’d get funding for his next film if he filmed an extra extended scene of Roy INSIDE the UFO. So he did. That’s why you see different versions out there. In my opinion he didn’t need to do that. But hey, he wanted to get the funding for his next film. Interesting factoid. Dr J. Allen Hynek, the UFO researcher on Project Blue Book for the govt was a consultant on this movie. How much was based on his UFO/Alien research knowledge? We’ll never know. But he also makes a quick cameo in the movie at the final end encounter scene.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I am so glad I found the interview where Spielberg definitively said the directors cut was his preferred version, because if I’d have seen inside the spaceship I think I’d have felt a certain way. I was actually content when I thought we wouldn’t see the aliens. 🤣 Thanks for the comment!

[@workonesabs]

I saw this in cinema when I was 7 years old, it changed my thinking forever....amen.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I wish I’d have had this movie when I was a kid. I don’t recall having a cinematic experience like that.

[@maxxxmodelz4061]

This film, along with Star Wars in 1977 was groundbreaking. Many of the "alien" tropes you see in this film existed since at least the 1950s, but they weren't well known in the mainstream until this film became a huge success. This movie really turned up the volume to 10 as far as alien abduction mythos was concerned.

[@GrisouIII]

Watching this as a kid, I remember thinking « Yeah, go be rude to the aliens and leave your family alone. »

[@TTM9691]

One more time, with feeling: GREAT reaction. Your face at the very, very end said it all. Believe me, we know how you feel!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

This really means so much. I'm trying my best to edit these in such a way as to really capture that feeling of watching a movie for the first time. That's why I watch reaction videos, I want to relive my experience through someone else. Hopefully, I can do that for others. :)

[@TTM9691]

@@CasualNerdReactions You have been completely successful, in all of your reaction videos, and especially this one! Like I said.....you were EXACTLY like I was - and everyone else in the theater seemed to be - when I first saw it. It was amazing, uncanny, and beautiful to watch!

[@deanwalker9605]

When I saw this at the cinema in 77, I was 10 years old. When the aliens came out at the end, I ran to the toilets in complete and utter terror!

[@Mantikal]

I remember when this came out and I was in the theater watching this , when those lights that pulled up behind his truck start going up, the audience lost it. Noooooo!!!! Also, in the beginning of the film, when the Mexican solders greet the Americans in the Sonora Desert, in Spanish, the stocky solder says "we saw something come down from the sky. It was extremely beautiful and yet extremely terrifying" - had to be talking about the mother-ship.

[@bigorange2082]

There’s an R2D2 on the Mother Ship’s hull. Spielberg and Lucas did this all the time for each other.

[@jamesalexander5623]

And you can see it on the model at the Smithsonian!

[@deckofcards87]

I'm in love with this movie and 'E.T.' Spielberg was at his most powerful in the late 70s and early 80s

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Both great films! I've definitely enjoyed the Spielberg movies I've seen and I can't wait to check out more from this time period.

[@jeffmcdonald5901]

I never thought of the food in the kitchen in Barry's initial scene as the aliens raiding the kitchen. If you pay attention, the only things that seem to be affected by the aliens are magnetic things, so I assume that the door to the fridge flew open and the grates within which hold all the food also flew around, therefore throwing around their contents. Seconds later in the scene where Barry looks off-camera and smiles, he was too young to be able to take the cue to do that, so to make it more natural and spontaneous, Steven himself dressed up in a gorilla costume off-camera to make him smile.

[@artvankampen8993]

So much fun watching this with you! I very much remember watching this in the theater. There was a really long line to get in and we didn’t get in until the part where he is stopped at the train tracks with his truck. Very hard to find a seat, it was so dark in the theater until the light lit up over the truck. Great year to be a kid with this and Star Wars coming out.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Yes, that might be the year I would pick if I could go back in movie history. For those two alone.

[@artvankampen8993]

@@CasualNerdReactions Yes!

[@psychoween]

John Williams is a musical genius. He had to come up with which 5 musical notes would be the language of communication for the entire story to work. Wow! That is responsibility!

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I couldn’t agree more! And to pull it off with such perfection!!

[@jeffmcdonald5901]

The special effects in this film were done by Douglas Trumbull, who also did the spacy psychedelic scene toward the end of 2001 A Space Odyssey and you can kinda tell. Once you know, you can kinda see the similarity between those insane lights and the spaceships here.

[@joeldf6859]

I saw this in the theaters back in '77. I had just turned 12. Probably around the time of watching Star Wars for the 5th or 6th time by then. Both movies awed me. Very different movies, but I've always loved both. I always rationalized Roy leaving his family as a result of some kind of thought that was somehow implanted during the earlier encounters. As Lacombe says "they were compelled to come here". if the family can't deal... well... I mean, as a father now, I get it, but I also still remember the wonder this film brings.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

It’s a credit to the film that the wonder overpowers all the rest. Maybe it is understandable why he would choose to go.

[@cathyvickers9063]

This movie took phenomena which had been documented around the world, & put them in this movie! The aliens are inviting specific people & implanting either A) a specific melody or B) a specific image. The image is a real place. I love the way the puzzle pieces come together in the end! Btw, the short aliens are children in costumes; the tall alien is a puppet! They're based on the Grays, the aliens seen by witnesses around the world. Two types had been reported: tall & slim; & the short, big-headed ones. I don't know if you're aware, but UFO sightings are real, alien sightings are real; & the depicted aliens are based on innumerable eyewitness reports & drawings. I even saw a UFO, once. Still trying to find out what I could've seen... Been looking at images for decades!

[@sharonh9239]

The mother ship played the first few notes of Jaws

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That’s awesome! I didn’t even notice.

[@davesilkstone6912]

Steven Speilberg later said that he filmed Close Encounters when he was quite young and the family aspect didn't come to mind, but it would have been one of the things he would have changed in the film had he made it when he was older.

[@JosephHuntelvisnspiders]

Anyone noticed that Williams sticks a wee 'Jaws' theme in at the end of the 'music communication' scene

[@erikarabie]

The mothership had anti-collision lights 😂

[@laurab68707]

Great reaction. This was an amazing movie then and now. I still love watching it. I saw it when it came out in the theater. Was in total awe. Can't wait for your reaction to Rear Window.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I am still kind of getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Such an amazing movie. I'm really excited to watch another Alfred Hitchcock film!

[@ChrisMaxfieldActs]

24:00 Absent or family-abandoning fathers have been a Spielberg speciality his whole career. His dad divorced his mom when he was a young teen, and more or less disappeared from his life. If your father were to abandon you, wouldn't you want it to be for the most amazing reason? This is also Spielberg's only original screenplay.

[@mr.salvatorejpluchino8467]

HEY 👋 HIS WIFE LEFT HIM GLOVES 🧤 ARE OFF 😂😂😂😂

[@MaceyMichael]

There was a continuation written by Rainer M. Schröder. His novel tells Roy Nearys continuing adventures traveling along with these aliens to other worlds. There is no return to earth. This book was printed 1979 and as far as I know it was published in German only.

[@jeffmcdonald5901]

The reason there were 2 different types of aliens was Steven wanted to portray them as having different races just like us. The long spider-legged one that appears first was from one race of the same aliens from the child ones and the final one.

[@louhillen8254]

I was 11 when this came out. Hard to put into words the effect this film had on me when I left the cinema ❤

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I need to watch this one again, very few films have left me in such a state as this one.

[@donaldgilbert6739]

Great reaction my friend!

[@jeffbassin630]

Great movie and loved your review!

[@christopheryochum3602]

All good questions you raise. When I first started watching movies with reactors, I'd get annoyed that they'd sit and question everything. Like, just be quiet and watch. But, after seeing a movie dozens of times, the situations set up by the director wear on me, and I relate more to the reactor. For instance, all the stuff from the frig all smashed on the floor? Roy building the mountain inside the house, but not doing it with a wheelbarrow; instead throwing it in the kitchen window? Multiple shots of Barry somehow opening a door or leaving the house or standing in front of the fireplace; and, in each case, where's Jillian? What's she doing? Then, when he scuttles out the doggie door, she looks off into the distance long enough so he's irretrievable? Oh, and good comment about the doggie door. I never even thought of that. The guys messing up that expensive globe when they could've just picked it up and walked it over? They could've run their fingers down the globe without removing it from the office. Roy driving against traffic without looking out the windshield because he's looking at a map? Countless more. It's why watching a lot of movies works really well the first time, but, when watching repeatedly, you start seeing the same things the director set up so each scene would be more DRAMATIC. Oh, don't get me wrong; I like this movie and still need to get it on Blu-ray because I love to watch it. I just kind of let the forced-dramatic scenes, in which people do stupid things, go in one ear and out the other because all movies have it to some degree. Good reaction. Again, I don't know if I've told you this, but it's nice to watch you just enjoy the movie without making faces and jokes. A ton of reactors out there do that and I can't sit through it. Wasn't that mothership jaw-dropping? I'll tellya what...you think the movie's awe-inspiring? We got to see it in theaters when we were kids. You'd sit there with your lower jaw burrowed into a ditch it dug into the floor because the thing on the screen is 50-feet wide! It's just a shame so many reactors watch movies on relatively small monitors :) Cheers!

[@teresaluz975]

This is my favorite Spielberg movie. The music conversation between the humans and the aliens was amazing, it makes cry every time. Loved your reaction. Edit: the kiss they shared is not romantic, it's just to show human connection. He didn't cheat his wife. He left a family he didn't belong to.

[@FredtheDorfDorfman1985]

The reason Roy lost his job was better explained in the extended director’s cut which is way better than the theatrical version. As the blackout was progressing, Roy’s boss at the power plant called to have him come in on emergency duty, to which his wife said “oh no, Roy can’t go anywhere at night without me…” Roy made it in to the power plant, and his boss told him he needed him to go take care of a specific task that was very important, high responsibility, “don’t let me down!” Since Roy is terrible at navigating at night without his wife, he’s already running late to the task trying to find his way. Once he has his encounter of the second kind, seeing, and being affected by, a UFO, he forgets all about his task, followed the spacecraft, then went home and took his family to go watch for them. He let his boss down during a complete blackout, so his boss was less than pleased with him. He didn’t even want to hear Roy’s voice on the phone to fire him.

[@garyjohnson806]

When i saw this at the cinema in 77 i was in awe. Spectacular movie. Great reaction.

[@robertserrato3596]

I have close encounters the movie where they show Roy inside of the spaceship. The special effects are fantastic.

[@wv1138]

The ambiguous ending puzzled me when I first saw this. Many years later I decided that was the point.. each of us can write or own ending/meaning

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Love that! Sometimes that is the case- other times I think it’s at least possible they just didn’t write an ending. 😉

[@justjohnny05]

john williams said this was his favorite composition out of all he's done for movies i agree

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Truly an impressive statement!

[@rabooey]

Thank you for being the only "movie reactor" I've ever seen talk about dude just up and leave his wife and kids. I find it's both hilarious and sad at the same time. Hilarious because of the "When You Wish Upon a Star" musical reference, sad because his kids lost their father.

[@user-zb6lw3ik4v]

I was proud to say I thought the movie when it first came out in 1977. There are three versions of this movie.: the original theatrical version, the directors cut, which you watched, and then there is the special edition where we actually see the inside of the mothership when Roy goes in. I like to watch the Directors cut headshot that they’re going into devils power I switch desk and watch the special edition.. sadly Melinda Dillon, who played Jillian passed away last year. She was also the mom in a Christmas story.

[@Steve-gc5nt]

One of the greatest movies ever.

[@rcmorl6390]

"Ice cream" "come in through the door" The dancing mailboxes (theres a spoof where they sing too, and the mash potatoe this means something mounrain, self starting toys, become a cross culture thing...endlessly spoofed, referenced and quoted

[@mikezilla1986]

The man with the pipe at the end is J. Allen Hynek. True to life UFO investigator who worked with the Military on UFO’s under 3 projects; Sign, Grudge, Blue Book. Also the founder of C.U.F.O.S. Sadly he passed away the year I was born 86 but, his partner in research is still alive Jacques Vallee.

[@AnthonyL0401]

7:40 What I got from this movie is that the draw to new life form was a combination between a seeker's personality and directions from the aliens that caused those people to compulsively seek out the aliens... beyond all reason, beyond earthly institutions such as marriage and family, etc...

[@mikejankowski6321]

I have always thought of this as a perfect "feel good" movie. It didn't need a sequel.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I agree! E.T. is the closest I’d ever want. Please don’t ever explain what happened next.

[@paulpodolka7306]

Classic!!!!!!!

[@Rokurokubi83]

Hollywood wouldn’t be the same without John Williams, the man is an absolute icon.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I couldn't agree more!

[@larrybell726]

Not sure if you noticed but near the end, when the aliens were leading him towards the ship, the music that was playing had the tune “when you wish upon a star”

[@CasualNerdReactions]

I didn’t, no! That’s really cool.

[@kingscorpion7346]

in the extended version it shows Roy entering the ship, and what happens is that he gets transformed into one of them. then he comes back out, and is the one that signs with the French scientist and smiles, then leaves with them.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

Thanks for sharing! Wow. Personally, I'm gonna go ahead and move that back into the deleted scenes because I definitely don't know how to even process that, lol.

[@tonymoyer2817]

One of my top ten movies. Thanks for sharing.

[@wickamo]

One of my favorite films of all time and yes the Directors cut is right in my opinion. The toy monkey was must a common toy back then. Yes a lot of movie tropes did come from this movie but Spielberg did get a lot of ideas from peoples real life UFO sighting reports. Cops ran off the road because they weren't watching the road cuz they were focused on the impossible UFO's instead obviously. His job fired him because he sound like a crazy person, banged up his work truck, and didn't do the job they sent him out to do. "Did they take the little boy?"....you're killing me here Chris....YOU JUST WATCHED THEM TAKE HIM! LOL. So part of this man's journey is for the viewer to see how this extremely remarkable and unusual experience has effected him to the point that all rational impulses are overwritten by this unnatural urge to follow this calling by the aliens. The believe the kiss at the end is because he knows he might not be coming back and she was the only person he was able to share this life changing event with because she knew what he was going through. The red suits are people, scientists, engineers, officials, etc. that the group had selected to be potential visitors to the mother ship...but they chose Roy to go with them. As far as his family, they had already abandoned him and this is his real calling... so to hell with them...LOL.

[@michaelnemo7629]

Check out the extended ending where you see inside the ship. Awesome.

[@robertserrato3596]

When the music tones start to slow down at the end it sounds like the theme from Jaws. I thought an alien shark was going to come out.

[@agresticumbra]

I’ve seen it who knows how many times, and in 2017, me and my family took a road trip to Wyoming, to watch Close Encounters st the base of Devil’s Tower for the 40th anniversary of the film.

[@CasualNerdReactions]

That must have been an amazing experience!