Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Complete Edition

I got a chance to see Wraith's CE3K edit collection and I am very, very impressed. Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi film is a classic and this makes it even more of a wonder. This collection is a fanboy's dream, maximizing the thrill and awe Spielberg's film portrays.

I view CE3k 2-3 times every year as a tradition and have seen practically ever version available. The '77 Theatrical, 1980 Special Edition, every re-release in theaters and even all the home releases including the VHS, laserdisc, DVD, Bluray and recently the 4K release. I try and pick up different things each time. Sometimes they're noticeable and others not. Sure each new restoration brings forth something new, but they're all the same intended versions in the end.

Now with Wraith's presentation, it all comes forth in a fascinating and literally original way. A way that brings extra magic in the mix. I am thrilled to add this into the forefront of my vast cinema experiences. :)

As Roy Neary contemplated ..."This means something. This is important." And in reference to this edit it means even more.

wow, an excellent addition to a real classic. I really enjoyed the work done here!

I found this in MP4 format, so I copied it to a USB stick and played it off my Blu Ray player's USB slot. I projected it on a 100" screen with a 4K projector with a DD7.1 audio setup. It's been long enough I couldn't automatically pick out what Wraith had added back to the film/integrated to the film,. There were a few noticeable frame skips/jumps that I later realized were probably related to lower quality scenes that Wraith added. I think this is a compelling edit of the film, worth the download and if you're a fan (which I am, ever since first seeing it around 1981 or so. My parents did not bring me to see it in theaters unfortunately. That was Star Wars' release year which I DID see in the theaters). This movie engenders a feeling of wonder in me, especially because of some of teh actors involved. Dreyfus really is compelling in his compulsion and the relief and wonder he shows at the end. The extra bits added in didn't seem to make any narrative issues and seemed to be worth it.

My only negatives on this are that the sound mix was lackluster. Not only did I have to push the volume a lot, but there was little in the way of use of the surrounds that I could hear. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't as good as I would have hoped.

Thanks so much to Wraith for all the hard work.

I'll start by saying this is one of my favorite movies of all time.
Even as a kid, I would watch my VHS copy over and over. Then I acquired the DVD copy that had all 3 official versions of the movie and would watch each version in succession to see all the different scenes. Even at that age, I knew how much nicer it would be to have a version that combined all the scenes together and could not understand why one had never been released.
After long waiting, I finally have that version and it's everything I ever wanted.

Thank you Wraith for the fantastic edit!!!

This is a fantastic version of one of my fave films of all time. For years I’ve thought that I remembered scenes incorrectly and probably in the wrong order. This version has corrected my thoughts of premature memory loss thankfully by restoring everything in an almost seamless way.
The quality time and pains that Wraith has gone through to create the brilliant version are quite remarkable. It looks just as good, and in some places a lot better than my UHD official version of the directors cut!
I recommend all CE3K fans to check it out!