Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Steven Spielberg · 1977 · Film
It redefined first contact cinema by focusing on the wonder, awe, and individual human obsession leading up to a benevolent encounter with aliens.
What it is
Ordinary people are drawn by an inexplicable force to a remote location for a monumental first contact with benevolent extraterrestrial intelligence. It evokes wonder and awe in the face of the unknown, focusing on human obsession and communication.
Craft in this work
↑Inherited from(2)
Spielberg's film builds upon the 'benevolent alien visitor' trope seen in 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' but shifts the focus to human wonder, awe, and the individual's journey towards contact.
Spielberg's film builds upon the 'benevolent alien visitor' trope and echoes the sense of profound mystery from Clarke's works, such as 'Childhood's End'.
Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" explores the wonder and awe of benevolent alien first contact, a theme previously explored by Arthur C. Clarke in "Childhood's End" with its portrayal of benevolent alien custodianship.