Spielberg | 1977 | USA
First watch – my final Spielberg blind spot addressed, and I now feel adequately prepared for Disclosure Day. Some of the photography here is breathtaking, including the shot above (and the one below). I find it much more interesting when the existence of aliens is just taken as given (rather than teased) and so the story can instead focus on how people react to their existence. He perfects this trick with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
This is the least “Spielberg-y” of his movies, playing more like a straightforward thriller. The extent to which you enjoy his later signatures of backlighting and, shall we say, “mom stuff” will colour that conclusion but the layers are all still here. If anything, he trusts his audience more to connect the dots.
As a filmic artifact, it’s ceasessly compelling. The Girl joined me on the couch for the third act and we mused that old school special effect shots are in many ways much more interesting than so much CGI and the use thereof to render unreal realities in a photo-accurate manner. I don’t mind being made aware that I’m watching a movie. Especially if it’s a good one like this.
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