Posted December 19, 2007
By jonrobertson

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Was the Widescreen Collector’s Edition not enough? How about the Two-disc collector’s edition? Too bad if you answered yes to either question because the aliens of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” landed for a third time on Nov. 30. Their 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition DVD package comes with three discs, loaded with alternate versions, special features and a scrapbook. “Close Encounters” was Steven Spielberg’s second major box office success. He continued with traits that made “Jaws” a smash. Not Richard Dreyfuss (though who knows?) but a love for the elusive alternative being. The uncertainty of outside forces to humans is a theme that marks Spielberg’s best films (“The Color Purple,” “E.T.”). An absence of it brings horrible things like continuous Dakota Fanning screaming spurts. So what needs three discs? Three versions, it seems. Disc one is the original 1977 theatrical version, while disc two covers a special edition that underwent several editing revisions. A director’s cut marks disc three. Bonus goods include a retrospective, modern and retro documentaries and “A View From Above.” It should be the “ultimate” package it promises to be, unless Spielberg wants us to party in Devil’s Tower, Wyoming when the aliens turn forty.