Close Encounters of the Third Kind

This is the film in which Spielberg portrays his own inner conflict through the character played by Dreyfuss: fantasising himself as a misunderstood artist, he is in fact a pathological conformist. Hence, after a set of conspiracy-type scenes in which he is pursued by apparently unscrupulous authorities, not only do they turn out to be benign, but Dreyfuss dons a patriotic uniform and becomes a kind of vanguard representative of the government. It is, in a sense, Spielberg's TANNHÄUSER.

Dreyfuss's character is one of the biggest assholes in movie history. He just ABANDONS his 3 kids and wife to go play in space and who knows how long he'll be gone. the little boy was gone for a few few days, then the pilots were gone for 30+ IT'S selfish and what do the government say to his family if anything "Oh he um died". Let's just say he comes back after the 30 years, his wife will be dead and his kids will be all messed up and broken, but he'll come back all: "AW NEAT YOU GUYS."

It's not a brilliant or insightful story, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered, and it's kinda corny. But it so perfectly awakens that childlike sense of awe and marvel. And the fact that the film manages to completely ignore the aliens for over an hour in the middle and yet still command your attention is a testament to Spielberg's storytelling skills (when he's working with the right material). After Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's perhaps his most captivating creation.

There's an alternate version of this movie where he just genuinely loves mashed potatoes.

While watching this film, I was struck by this feeling of mystery and discovery, which makes Close Encounters a more heartfelt movie than other sci-fi classics such as Kubrick's 2001. The movie does lack a good ending, but the rest of film makes up for it. Spielberg brings you closer to ufo's and aliens than any other director who has attempted to do the same, a fair reason why he's still one of the best in the business.