Close Encounters is one of those Spielberg movies where you can really feel the magic. It isn't a downer, and it isn't the kind of movie that makes you think about the world's problems. Even the US government seems to have the best intentions when it comes to the aliens. The whole movie wears a little smirk on it's face.  Masterfully done, Encounters has some simple but effective visual effects and a emotional and powerful soundtrack. The casting is good considering it was early in the careers of several of the people involved. Richard Dreyfuss plays his character perfectly. Roy Neary is a regular joe that suddenly is confronted with some life changing events that he can't understand. The messages that he is getting in his head confuse him all the more and Dreyfuss does a perfect job of illustrating that.  The supporting cast turns in good performances as well and really give the impression that you are watching a documentary rather than a work of fiction. The best parts of the movie in my opinion is when they are showing you clips from around the world of different UFO encounters and the research team finding evidence of an alien presence. When they're in the Mongolian desert and they find the freighter Cotopoxi. The same ship that was lost for real in the Bermuda Triangle. It still gives me chills. They slowly pan across and you see a huge ship sitting in the middle of the sand. Oooooh man, great shot.  Bottom Line: This is another one of Spielberg's classics. You must get it on DVD for the multitude of extras that are on the 2 disc set. If you haven't seen it yet and you like either UFO's and/or Spielberg, you won't be disappointed.