Steven Spielberg’s 49-Year-Old Classic Must Be Seen In The Next Two Weeks

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Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Steven Spielberg has created many beloved and classic films. His 1975 film, Jaws, is still considered a landmark achievement – a thrilling summer movie that expertly builds suspense and captivates viewers. He’s also known for the Indiana Jones films, which are action-packed adventures and introduced a truly memorable character to Hollywood.

Although Steven Spielberg has directed powerful dramas like Schindler’s List and epic war movies such as Saving Private Ryan, he’s arguably most skilled at science fiction. He’s created some of the greatest sci-fi films ever made, including instant classics like Jurassic Park and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Steven Spielberg has directed several popular science fiction films, including A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report, War of the Worlds, and Ready Player One. He’s consistently brought his imaginative ideas to the screen with great success. However, he first explored the sci-fi genre with his 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon as people who have a close encounter with aliens.

Even after nearly 50 years, this film remains a fantastic example of science fiction and one of Steven Spielberg’s most acclaimed works. It continues to inspire his filmmaking even today, making it as relevant now as it ever was. And with current events, it’s particularly important to watch in the next two weeks.

Why You Should Watch Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Now

With Steven Spielberg returning to science fiction with his upcoming film, Disclosure Day (in theaters June 12th), now is a great time to revisit his earlier work. While all of his sci-fi movies are worth watching, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is especially relevant and should be your first stop.

This was actually Steven Spielberg’s first venture into science fiction. Though he’d hoped to make Close Encounters before Jaws, he needed the financial success of his 1975 hit to get the more costly project made. Close Encounters became his second widely released film and quickly demonstrated how naturally Spielberg’s filmmaking style suited the sci-fi genre.

With Disclosure Day, Spielberg revisits the style of his earlier work, but with a much larger budget and the benefit of decades more filmmaking experience. To fully appreciate his evolution as a director, especially within the science fiction genre, it’s best to watch Close Encounters first to see where he began.

There’s another, unconfirmed theory that might be even more significant. Some people have long suspected that Disclosure Day is a follow-up to Close Encounters, and while it hasn’t been officially confirmed, Emily Blunt, the lead actress in the new film, has hinted at a connection between the two movies.

If the new movie Disclosure Day turns out to be a sequel to the 1977 film Close Encounters, then watching Close Encounters would be highly recommended.

Where To Watch Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Before Disclosure Day

Okay, so if you’re like me and suddenly have a craving to watch Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, you’re going to have a tough time finding it for the next couple of weeks. I’ve checked everywhere, and it’s not streaming on any of the usual services. Plus, I haven’t seen anything about it being added to any of them in June either, which is a bummer.

The easiest way to watch Close Encounters is usually to rent or buy it online. You can rent it for $3.99 on platforms like Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Plex, and Prime Video. If you’d like to own the movie digitally, it costs $14.99 on Prime Video and Fandango At Home, or just $4.99 on Apple TV.

Besides streaming and renting, you can also buy a physical copy of the movie on DVD, Blu-ray, or 4K to own forever. If you already have it on disc, all you need to do is pop it in! However you choose to watch it, make sure to check out (or revisit) Close Encounters of the Third Kind within the next two weeks.

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2026-05-28 16:38