What’s Aged the Best?
The direction, practical effects, Dreyfuss, Dillon, child performance, and suburban wonder
In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:25Read transcript
- The film preserves wonder about UFOs while the panel debates whether extraterrestrial visits have occurred.
- Recurring maps, crossroads, and shots of Roy moving against crowds are praised as visual expressions of his inner life. — Chris Ryan
- Melinda Dillon's performance and the mission-control worker who solves the coordinate problem are separate Aged Best choices. — Chris Ryan
- The film's combination of cynicism, wonder, spectacle, and family story is credited with influencing later event filmmakers. — Sean Fennessey
- Motion-control photography, Douglas Trumbull's effects, Bob Baker's marionette, and Spielberg's limited writing credits receive craft praise. — Sean Fennessey
- Gene Siskel's description of the film as a fairy tale for adults is praised as its best concise description.
- Small-town suburban America is praised as a durable setting inherited by later adventure stories. — Sean Fennessey
- The film's refusal to explain the alien compulsion literally is said to keep it timeless. — Sean Fennessey
- Roy's half-face sunburn and Barry's performance are praised as memorable character details. — Sean Fennessey
- Spielberg is reported to have elicited Barry's reactions by slowly opening presents above the camera. — Sean Fennessey
- The giant globe, Devil's Tower plot, numbered youth shirts, and the family's domestic setting receive further period appreciation. — Bill Simmons
- The long Spielberg-Michael Kahn editing partnership is reported to have begun on this film. — Bill Simmons
- Melinda Dillon's 1977 work and her appearances in two famous mashed-potato scenes are praised.