Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Complete Edition

Fantastic edit that brings together all the content of Close Encounters. I never know which version to watch, but now I do.

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.

As CE3K is my all-time favorite film ever, to read about Fan Edits and then to find this “complete” version made me as excited as I was back in the 70’s, every time I climbed through the toilet windows at the cinema to watch it over and over again. We didn’t have a VHS, so I had to get into the cinema to watch this truly amazing film.

I’m so happy that I stumbled across Wraith’s masterpiece of an edit, we finally have the definitive version that this film deserves.

Wraith’s edit just brings it all to life again, every scene that was ever released, and also carefully crafted to provide the big screen “film” effect.

Long story short, Wraith has nailed this seamless edit and I want to thank him for making an old man very happy.

To me this film means something, it’s important and Wraith has expanded my enjoyment of it. Thank you Wraith.

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!!!

Wraith has put together a unifying one stop shop for those for whom this film touches a deep nostalgic note. The grading overall feels like cinema - Like film indeed, and the little fixes made along the way smooth out even the bolted on Special Edition finale. The coalition of all scenes not in common with each release stops you wondering what to expect - "which version were we watching again?". I don't favor the SE ending personally, but it needs to be included here. The grading used to add vibrancy to the closing scenes are very in keeping with 35mm film projection as it looks in an auditorium. In places it was a little bright and grainy for me, but it was the editors passion to emulate his experience in the cinema and it is certainly an improvement on the trend for fogged highlight detail in hi def releases these days. The re-introduction of contrast for this edit was a net gain all round.

The world Speilberg created back then stands up as a world I wish still existed, even if it didn't reflect the real world in the first place - it is the vibe cinema is capable of and brings me back for more, just for the details and cultural references, the timbre and atmosphere.

The inclusion of the workprint is a welcome luxury, but the tidiness and ...well completeness of the Complete Edition makes it a very worthwhile go to.