Studio executives summary / pitch
|
| Ordinary
Joe is changed by UFO close encounters of the 1, 2 and then dramatically lit 3rd
kind... We can make the first one on a budget and add in the special effects in
later editions... |
Short plot
summary |
|
(There
are a number of versions of this movie, the original 1977 release is different
to the version seen on TV these days. This review was on the version seen on TV
in January 2003.) War
planes, and then a ship, are discovered in the middle of a desert. How did they
get there? Our
hero, Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfus), while out in his truck, is 'encountered' by
a UFO which switches off his engine. It then flies off. Later that night he sees
UFO's flying overhead. When
Roy returns home he has a sun tan on one side of his face... his young family
don't believe him and he starts acting strangely. |
Rating |
| General
Viewing: Includes moments of lax parenting, gas masks, dead animals/birds, and
indoor landscaping. |
What our
panel of critics thought |
|
"Richard
Dreyfus acts strangely and then sanely with equal gusto." "Tiny
tot Barry should be taken away from his mother, she clearly has no idea of how
to manage her child." "A
UFO lovers dream of a movie - however the thing that annoys most is that a Frenchman
(speaking in French!) plays such a pivotal role - this is completely unbelievable.
I want my money back!" "This
is not the version I saw at the pictures in 1977. I remember the ending well:
a small white van came down from the sky and one single alien came out with a
lit match." |
Please tell me the ending
|
| Tiny
tot, Barry Guiler, goes missing, and this time for good. His mother, Gillian,
and Roy, start to obsess over a tall rock type structure: she draws it, he builds
it in his living room (the family have since left him). TV
news show the rock and it draws everyone to it. But when our heroes get there
security is tight, and animals seem to be dying. Our heroes put on gas masks and
break through the road blocks. They climb the rock and behind it they find a landing
strip. A
UFO makes contact and returns personnel (who have not aged) from the plane and
ship seen at the beginning of the movie - Barry also walks out into the arms of
his mother. Roy
decides to go back with the aliens and he is last seen entering the ship. |
Justify
this movie's existence in the classic strand. From
theVoiceof Reason.com's critic, Veritable Cornucopia |
| Oh,
sheer hysteria from Mr Dreyfus, and, perchance, a French man who is not an oaf...
A spell binding motion picture of the out there
kind. However, after a moment or two of rock building in the living room, his
hysteria is adaptable so as not to screw up the plot too much... A
borderline classic. To be quite honest I preferred Twister which bares many resemblance's
to this movie even though it is not about UFO's at all. The
child acting is very impressive and the spectacle of the ending memorable. If
you saw this movie when they brought it out in 1977 and have not seen it since,
have another look: they've finished it now and it is much more impressive. |
What snack should I eat while watching this movie?
|
| Rock
shaped (but bite size) chocolates. |
If
I were to watch this on DVD how best should I sit? |
|
With your children
securely fastened. |
Could this
movie be improved with more acrobatics? |
|
There are few
stunts in this movie, and little running. A few fist fights (or at least some
back flips) would help, especially with the aliens at the end. |
How French
is this film? |
|
This is the
surprise of watching this movie again. That the expert, Claude Lacombe, is French
(played by François Truffaut no less) is one thing, but that he speaks
in French through translation at times is unthinkable in a Hollywood movie today...
Clearly an attempt to telegraph the multi-linguistic paradigm of interstellar
communication, but a shock none the less. Probably filmed during a short thaw
in French-US relations. |
Would your
pets enjoy this movie? |
|
Burrowing
pets will be in their element, especially during the improbable 'building a
mound of earth in the living room' bit - strictly enforce the wiping your
feet when you come back into the house rule for the next year... Cats
could get frustrated at the amateur climbing skills around the rock face, especially
when they hide from helicopters flying overhead by laying flat on the ground even
though they are wearing stripy tops... expect kitty tuts throughout. Dogs
could be more enthusiastic than usual on their next walk, hoping for a UFO to
chase - keep a firm grip on the lead with both hands at all times. |
What can I take from this movie to make me a better person?
|
| The
rock formation which drives everyone wild is basically a very tall, brown Uluru
(Airs Rock, Australia) - many people who have been to Uluru claim a form of unspeakable
otherworldliness. Ya ha ha hargh... (behind
you) |
Estimate number of minutes of screaming in this motion picture. |
| 6
minutes. |
How much would
you pay for a copy of this movie in goods? |
|
A small animatronic
alien (big head, bluish-silky skinned, bandy legs, big eyes.) |
How much technobabble is in this movie? |
|
Thankfully there
isn't much, it's more just a strange not sure
why we're doing this kind of thing... No diagrams. Just a strange
uneasiness throughout. |
Other comments
|
| Always
high up in movie top 100's, this movie is a bit of a disappointment. The acting
is a little over-shouty, and the madness in the main character miraculously clears
up when the plot needs it. The child actors are superb however, and the special
effects good. The
5-bar melody, used for contact, is now part of the music of world movie culture,
however the hand signals that went with it have been conveniently forgotten, apart
from by a few of the older TV game show hosts... Not
a terrible movie, but no longer an all time great either. If over-exuberant-shouty
acting peppered with plot improbabilities annoys, give this movie a miss. |
Date of Review |
| January
21st 2003. |