Blu-Ray Review: Close Encounters O.T.T.K

1977 was a simpler time, a time before the internet, mobile phones, surveillance cameras, identity cards and there was no fear that your personal details would be lost by Barry the delivery man.  A time when a talentless junkie singer doesn’t make the news every time she performs live (and doesn’t name check her criminal husband), and the world wasn’t quite as obsessed with who was doing what to/with whom and with whoever’s wife.

In that year moviegoers were treated to what would become two science fiction classics, Star Wars from George Lucas, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind from Steven Spielberg.
Like most people, I’ve seen Star Wars more times than I care to recall, but Close Encounters is a different story.  I have only seen the film once, at Christmas when it was shown on TV, and I didn’t pay that much attention to it then.  My only recollection of the entire film was “the bit everyone remembers” – the aliens landing at the ending.  I think after thirty years we can do without the spoiler warning, don’t you?

It’s been released on VHS and DVD on multiple occasions, and now for the 30th anniversary we see this “Ultimate Edition” Blu-ray.  Perhaps more importantly, Close Encounters is the first of Steven Spielberg’s movies to appear on a high definition disc.  Spielberg has always been a strong supporter of the Blu-ray format, even having enough Hollywood clout to exclude his own movies from the recent Paramount/HD DVD deal.  So what do you get for your money?

Well for a start you get all three versions of the movie.  The 1977 Theatrical Cut, the 1980 Special Edition (some new scenes, some original scenes trimmed and the addition of footage of the inside of the space ship after Richard Dreyfuss enters at the movies climax) and the 1997 Director’s Cut (some scene restoration and the axing of the onboard ship footage that Spielberg only shot to get the financing for the Special Edition).  All three versions are on the first of the two Blu-ray discs in this package, available via seamless branching.

I can’t recall how many times I thought “why haven’t I seen this before?” to myself whilst watching Close Encounters.  Better late than never I suppose, but if, like me, you have never seen Close Encounters properly, the plot goes thus:

Richard Dreyfuss plays Roy Neary, your average middle-American husband and father.  Neary is very much your Average Joe thrust into a bizarre situation.  Despite his strange and deluded behaviour that alienates his family and friends, you are with him every step of the way.

When Neary is sent out to investigate a massive power outage, he experiences a “close encounter” with three alien space ships.  But he is not alone; a group of fellow John & Jane Q. Citizens are also drawn to the same place at the same time.
Without spoiling the rest of the plot for the seven other people on the planet who have been oblivious to the movies charms, what follows is pure science fiction gold, as our hero fights to keep his private life in check, whilst all the time being drawn towards an image that has been ingrained into his (and several of his co-would-be abductees) brain.

Needless to say, Close Encounters is still a powerhouse of a movie to this day.  The special effects are pretty impressive even in these days of OTT CG extravaganzas.  It is also a textbook display of how to blend story, narrative and special effects.  This is very much a story about hope, faith and above all, people.  While many people (like me as a child) only remember the final half hour when the aliens finally show up and play a tune for everyone, there is also an hour and three quarters of story that tells of a time when people were open to new ideas, rather than fearing them.

There is a wonderful sense of childlike wonder that permeates every minute of Close Encounters.  This is no Independence Day, the aliens are friendly and despite the military involvement, there is never any suggestion that the visitors may be hostile in any way.  Like I said, simpler times (although they still had an unhealthy amount of product placement, even back then).

Audio Visual
Close Encounters is presented in 1080p and is encoded (as per usual) in MPEG4, and for a thirty year old movie it looks pretty damn impressive!  Colours are incredibly vibrant, and the movies all important climax is particularly worthy of note.

Of course, there’s no way a thirty year old movie is going to look as good as your average shot on digital extravaganza of 2007, but I can’t see how it could possibly look any better.  The movie is particularly grainy in a number of shots, especially the desert scenes at the very beginning.  As with many movies of this era, the picture tends to be a little soft and shadowy in places, but on the whole it looks amazing.

The night scenes in particular look stunning, when Neary first encounters the craft, the abduction of Barry from his mothers house and the climax all blend pitch black with bold and bright colours, with no hint of colour bleeding I could detect on my new Samsung LCD.

This isn’t a “knock it out of the park” demo disc, you do get plenty of grain and dirt on the picture at times, but considering its age what you get here is a Blu-ray transfer that truly shines, and makes it worthwhile buying the movie yet again.  But this time it’s the final one…Honestly.  Right Stephen?  Move on and remaster the Indiana Jones trilogy ready for a Blu-ray box set including the new movie in time for Christmas 2008 (and you know its coming).

Sound-wise you get TWO HD audio tracks, one Dolby TrueHD and one DTS-HD.  Both do an outstanding job, and your subwoofer and speakers will get a serious pounding when the ships start to appear towards the end of the movie.

Dialogue is always crisp and clear, and John Williams score never overwhelms.  Once again we must remember that this film (like myself) is getting on a bit.  I have to steal a quote from HD Digests review of the disc, saying that the wall of sound you get with newer titles isn’t present here, and ambient sounds are functional without being particularly awe inspiring.

But the end…oh the end, it’s a true audio treat.  Warn your neighbours before cranking up this one.

Bonus Features
Any disc with Ultimate stamped on the box must do its damndest to live up to such a bold claim, and I’m happy to report Close Encounters certainly does.

The bonus features are all contained on a second BD and while there is sadly no commentary from the director, you do get the following:
Three documentaries including a feature-length offering from the 1997 20th anniversary laserdisc (this is how documentaries should be, plenty of chat and an absolute must watch for fans of the movie).  There’s also a short piece from 1977 as well as an all-new interview with Spielberg (which is also presented in 1080i MPEG2 versus the older materials 480i).

There are seven deleted scenes that are worth watching (some aren’t included in any version of the film) but the archive quality is terrible.

Then we come to the Blu-ray exclusive content, which is an exhaustive amount of stills which cover every possible aspect of the movie from conception to completion.  Production drawings, photos, draft movie posters.  You name it, it’s here!

Finally you get three trailers for each version of the film, all remastered in HD as well as an information track called A View From Above, which tells you at certain points in the film which scenes have been added, removed or trimmed depending on which version you are watching.

Summing Up
Close Encounters was a really nice surprise for me.  A classic movie, whose charms seem to have avoided me for the last twenty five years, and packs a poignant message.  It looks and sounds great, has a wealth of bonus features and the packaging also contains a 64-page booklet packed with photos, and a movie poster that reverses to reveal the changes that exist between each movie.

This is a great first HD release for Spielberg, a bonus for the Blu-ray format and one that is worthy of its “Ultimate” tag.  I look forward to future Spielberg classics, particular ones involving a certain archaeologist…

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