Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Complete Edition

Absolutely blown away by the work done here.

Having grown up on and watched the different versions of this movie over the past 30 years I can definitely say that this versions feels like the Complete Story.

and to be perfectly frank I take absolutely no issue with it. There is some jumps in visual quality but that is to be expected when working from three different sources and Wraith did an admirable job with it. Audio was perfect - no issues with music or being able to understand the actors when they were speaking.

All the previous fan edits I've watched I've done so in standard definition, but I bought an external blu-ray drive specifically so I could see this cut in HD.

I'm glad I did!

I first saw CE3K on its original release and have been a big fan ever since. The differing versions have always fascinated me and my opinion as to which one was definitive was (a bit like Spielberg's) always changing with time. What really attracted me to Wraith's edit was the restoration of the blazing light finale. This was a crucial aspect of the visual feel of the film and it was very welcome to see it this way on my home cinema screen.

I believe the mark of a great movie is just how often you can re-visit it with satisfaction and this 'Complete Edition' delivers in spades. Technically excellent, Wraith has made the extended experience work and done the story proud. No matter how many times I see it, I'm always amazed at how much new things there are to discover, especially in that highly cinematic final act.

Full marks. Well done, and thanks Wraith.

One of my next stops (when I have three and a half hours to spare!) will be this editor's Roadshow Restoration of John Wayne's 'The Alamo.' I'm not a huge Wayne fan or even a Western fan particularly, but there' something about those old Roadshow presentations that make me wish I could have visited a picture house in the fifties and sixties.