Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Director's Cut
By Kit Macdonald
Steven Spielberg truly perfected his already fantastic sci-fi drama Close Encounters of the Third Kind when he returned to it more than two decades after its original release in 1977. The Director's Cut, which hit screens in 1998, is unquestionably the most finely balanced rendering of the movie – it takes the best elements of the original release and the 1980 Special Edition, while careful re-editing enhances the pacing and restores scenes that deepens the character development and makes the atmosphere richer and more textured.
The focus of many of these improvements is the emotional journey of Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), blue-collar worker in Indiana whose life is transformed after witnessing a mysterious UFO, the obsession he develops with the event and the effects on his family. A timeless masterpiece that allowed Spielberg to fully express the vision of curiosity and awe that's driven all of his best work.