Close Encounters of the Third Kind [Blu-ray] [1977]

Steven spielberg makes some hi quality masterpieces. This classic film is timeless. A movie the family can enjoy!

4K HDR transfer is great. Dolby Atmos is stunning.

This is one of my favorite films of all time. I have the Anniversary edition on BluRay, it has all three films as does this 4K version. The 4K version has a slight edge over the BluRay version because of the color saturation, but that’s as far as the advantage goes. The film is fantastic but there are scenes that the focus isn’t great and the aspect ratio really gives the edges of the movie a weird curved effect that was probably due to the lens on the camera. The 4K version seems to make this a little overstated since we are getting more resolution to see it with. The reason I am only giving the 4K version a slight edge over BluRay is because the film grain is so much a part of the look of this movie that the enhanced resolution doesn’t do that much to improve picture quality. I will admit the HDR offered on the 4K version is what makes this movie as good as it’s ever going to get. As of writing this review I’ve had the disc for about three weeks and had attempted to get the digital copies of the film since day one. I had put in the code like I have done on all my films and I was pleased to see the three versions of the film would be downloaded, but when I finished the process it only gave me the Director’s Cut of the film. I checked to see if there was a menu when you open the film to pick which movie to watch but that isn’t the case. The Movies Anywhere and VUDU sites showed all three versions of the film and they only gave me access to one. I have put in a ticket to see if I can get this resolved but so far it’s been escalated twice by VUDU, but no correction yet. So, if you have the BluRay version of the film that had been remastered and offers all three versions of the film, I don’t recommend spending the money on this 4K BluRay. However, if you don’t already have it, the HDR give a definite edge and is worth the slightly higher cost to get 4K version if you are deciding between 4K or BluRay.

The visual effects are still stunning, the performances from Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon are still great, John Williams' score is still beautiful, Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography is still top-notch, it's still overall a one-of-a-kind experience. This 40th Anniversary release does include all 3 versions of the film (both on disc as well as with its Digital Copy code) along with 2 great new featurettes: a retrospective featuring interviews with J.J. Abrams and Denis Villeneuve and a look at Spielberg's home movies that he made during production. If only I could afford a 4K player because I can only imagine how stunning it must look in 4K Ultra HD, but as it stands, this is a great release and if you don't have the film in your collection already, this is a must-own!

Fantastic 4K transfer of a classic Spielberg film. Colors are sharp, especially all the spaceship lights and the upgraded sound makes the infamous John Williams soundtrack practically sound like a live orchestra in your room.

When it comes to anniversary editions of movies there are few that honors the itself with either giving it an excellent case with additional features or a collection of a franchise with bonus feature not found in other versions. Close Encounters of the third kind deliver it's 40th anniversary by not only including the original theatrical version of the movie but also the director's cut version of the movie and the special edition version of the movie as well. all three version of the movie both in Blu-ray and digital with additional features, behind the scenes, storyboard comparisons and much more all in one reasonably affordable price. If you haven't seen this movie yet or if you want to buy this movie but waited for this moment, I highly recommend buying this 40th anniversary edition of Close Encounters.

Such a classic film. One of Steven Spielberg's finest.

Better than I hoped, 4K transfer looked crisp and sound was chest thumping through my SVS subwoofers! A must have for fans of the classic!