Close Encounters of the Third Kind1977

58/100 I've heard a lot about this film, but perhaps because of its influence, or perhaps just because it wasn't my cup of tea, I found the film boring for a good portion of its runtime and rather formulaic for the rest. Now don't get me wrong, there's more to like about this film than there is to hate. I do particularly like the effects, this film works as a great showcase for them. The UFOs are very realistic, showing why I prefer prefer practical effects. The tall, slender alien near the end was also executed very well, as was the alien that signs to the humans. However, even here, there is the occasional flop, especially in the child-sized aliens, with fake-looking masks that become visible the second they stop being silhouettes, showing why Spielberg chose to hide them. Of course, a Spielberg movie's going to have some flashes of style, but even he can't hide how boring this movie is. The main problem I have is with the second act, which causes the movie to drag on way too long. As a result of this, the thrilling suspense of the first act is lost as the movie instead trudges through its middle. The climax is also very good, but it's also tainted by the fact that at this point, it feels like the movie should've ended a while ago. As for the characters, they're executed decently. Most of them feel like broad archetypes, being the scientist who has the solution but is ignored by everyone, the military man who just wants to attack something, the hero everyone thinks is crazy until he's proven right and his pseudo-love interest. These characters aren't bad, but it's hard to care for any of them much. The most I got out of it was seeing Richard Dreyfuss' character and recognizing him as Richard Dreyfuss. His seniority also helped save that particular character through his acting skills. This is a very uneven movie, not bad by any means, but far too dull for far too long. I can see why this became a classic, but in the end, it just wasn't my thing.