# Close Encounters of the Third Kind really isn't that good **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-really-isnt-that-good/615477 "2012-03-11T19:25:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 2
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-really-isnt-that-good/615477/2 "2012-03-11T19:48:56Z")
At the time, the special effects were nothing short of astonishing. I can look at them now and see the flaws, but back then they were cutting edge. And it really is not suited for TV - any TV, no matter how large. It was made for the theater, and I can assure you that when the Mothership comes in _in the theater_, it really is an awe-inspiring thing. There are particular scenes that just stand out as being particularly good scenes on their own. [The bit with the flight controllers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW10xCub3Kg), with the technical talk and the over-lapping dialog is a classic of the type. Obviously, I can’t forget I’ve seen the film and see it with your perspective. But I do think it’s in that class of films like Citizen Kane that need, and deserve, to be seen in a theater to fully appreciate. For a recent example, people who watched _The Hurt Locker_ at home sometimes report being unimpressed. But when I saw it in [a state-of-the-art theater with 4k projection, 11 channel sound and a bass shaker mounted under my seat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mainstreet_Theater#Re-Opening), I walked out of the film literally **stunned**. It’s hard to come up with a comparison, but with some films, seeing them at home on a TV instead of seeing them in a theater is like comparing masturbation to sex. Enjoyable enough, but nowhere near as satisfying. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-really-isnt-that-good/615477)._