An interesting film from the canon of Steven Spielberg's illustrious career.  You can say that this film is an "E.T" for adults.  It is not clear from the start whether to view the visitors as a malevolent or friendly force.  The film introduces us to Roy Neary(Richard Dreyfus) who encounters an alien craft while repairing some downed power lines.  From that moment on he is obsessed with this encounter despite the toll it is taking on his family and his marriage.  We also meet Gillian (Melinda Dillon), a young divorcee whose toddler son has been abducted by the aliens.  The two join forces in attempting to locate these beings despite interference by a seemingly hearltless government beauracracy("E.T." again).  They eventually locate the mothership in Wyoming where there is a major multi-national effort to communicate with the mothership.  The scene in which the technicians use musical notes to communicate with the alien craft is classic.  Not to give anything away, when we do finally see the aliens and the inside of the mothership it is something of a letdown.  I like this film immensely, though I wouldn't exactly call it a great film in the legacy of Spielberg.  It's a nice thrill-ride of a movie and you have to put in perspective that this film came at the beginning of Spielberg's career before he evolved into possibly our greatest director.