Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is currently streaming in Australia on BINGE and Foxtel Now, and in the US on YouTube TV and Criterion Channel, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 4,739 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Watch it for Richard Dreyfuss — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. Put it on tonight on BINGE and see for yourself.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The world-building is meticulous, but it is the characters who carry Close Encounters of the Third Kind through its more ambitious moments. After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen. Richard Dreyfuss and François Truffaut lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It was released in 1977. The world-building is meticulous enough to sustain multiple rewatches, with details early on that only make sense later. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Close Encounters of the Third Kind a chance. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Richard Dreyfuss's performance is the anchor the more ambitious moments need. The world-building pays off in ways you will not anticipate on a first watch.