... Unlike the sci-fi films of the 1950's that revolve around UFO's and alien contact on Earth that usually had the aliens being evil and coming to dominate and destroy the Earth,  Mr. Spielberg depicts them as benign and friendly.  The visual effects were first rate in 1977 and are a far cry from today's studio wizardry, they are not hokey and actually hold up well.  The cast all give fine performances including Mr. Dreyfuss, Teri Garr as his beleaguered wife and Melinda Dillon scored a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role as a fellow contactee.  Although the film was not nominated for Best Picture, Mr. Spielberg received his first Best Director nomination and the film won one award for Best Cinematography and a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects.