The best version available of Steven Spielberg's awe-inspiring they-come-in-peace opus, this edit contains all the good Special Edition inserts (including the UFO shadow and shower scene) but not, thankfully, the inside-the-mothership finale. Yet that big fifth star is denied by a mid-section that drags somewhat even if Richard Dreyfuss cracking up does bring a welcome darkness to the wondrous proceedings - and some obviously painted skylines.
DVD Extras:
Making Of Close Encounters documentary, 1977 featurette Watch The Skies, 14 deleted scenes, trailers, cast and crew filmographies.The list of extras may not be long, but boy is it distinguished. Well, the documentary is at least, running for a mighty 100 minutes and reuniting everyone from Spielberg and all the prinicipal cast members (minus, of course, the late François Truffaut) to FX-god Douglas Trumbull and composer John Williams. The notable exception is producer Julia "You'll Never Eat Lunch In This Town Again" Phillips, but then what did you expect? Bursting with anecdotes and incidental info, it's an absolute joy. The deleted scenes, meanwhile, are interesting but cut for a reason, and the "featurette" is really just a jumped-up trailer.
