Close Encounters of the Third Kind poster
Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Roger Ebert's review

Close Encounters of the Third Kind The Rewatchables

Ebert's four-star reviews of the original and 1980 cuts are quoted before his and Siskel's responses are revisited.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:12Read transcript
  • Roger Ebert is reported to have awarded four stars to both the original release and the 1980 revised cut.
  • The quoted revised review calls the new version better and asks why Spielberg did not make the original version this good.
  • Ebert and Siskel are recalled as admiring the film while saying its middle section drags.
  • The panel argues that this pacing complaint now feels minor beside the film's lasting meaning and visual achievement.