Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Complete Edition

I gave both versions a watch and I must say, the work you've done is seriously amazing! The edits between TC, SE, and DC all ebb and flow together beautifully! The unused music cue for the mothership interior sequence fits so much better too! I even saw the SD workprint and it definitely feels like a longer and deeper documentation of the unfolding events in the story! Everything just feels so at home with itself and it's grandiose to see this!

If I do have to voice some critiques/nitpicks it would be that the HD picture feels heavily compressed and the 24fps rate feels stuttered with those slight bumps in between which can hinder the smoothness of the film's look. The other thing is the slight audio bump at the music cue at the start of the mothership interior sequence, as well as several small pops and cracks which can be heard sometimes. Another thing that takes me out of the experience a bit are the small markers indicating which version and whatnot.

Those are the only things I think could've done with some more work for further polish. As a whole however, this film is one of my all-time favorites, and just the ability to experience it in a whole new way gives a spark in my soul I can't even begin to put into words. If you're looking for an edit that not only enhances your viewing of this film, but also COMPLETES it, then this is the edit for you!

If this were to ever receive an update addressing the mentioned problems, I would gladly come back to re-experience this edit again! As it is though, it's a must-watch for those who grew up with this Spielberg classic.

Bravo to Wraith!

We watched the V1.03 LIGHT NU CUE version last night and thoroughly enjoyed it with all of the scenes from the different cuts put into one cut.
Once again wraith has shown he is one of the best at fanedits , fabulous audio and video and the joins from the three cuts were awesome.
i own the 4k collector's edition which includes the 3 versions, but this edit from wraith will be the one i go to as i prefer everything in one place - my favourite spielberg film just got better - thank you

Echoing what everyone else has said, this is a great edit with all available HD scenes put back in nicely (too bad about the SD scenes, but I think it's the right call leaving those to the SD workprint). That being said, perhaps I got an outdated or damaged copy (edit: I watched the v1.03 versions) as I noticed at least a dozen video issues and almost twice that in audio issues. I did redownload and reunpack the files but the issues were still there. They were also all in the same places in both versions.

All of the video errors looked like stuttering, like frames were out of sync for only half a second or so. All of the audio errors seemed to be related to scene/shot changes (the first one I noticed was almost exactly at 33:00, just after the shot of Ronnie's feet walking on the road approaching Roy, when the shot changes to the both of them there is a split second of silence where there shouldn't be). In the last 20 minutes or so there were quite a few audio pops, again during shot changes.

A personal preference of mine, I did not like the small markers in the bottom right corner that denoted which version the current scene was from (SE, DC, TC, AUDIO, etc.). That can be a bit distracting and I think would be better suited to a togglable subtitle file.

All of THAT being said, this is still the version I would prefer watching in the future (I prefer the "no inside of the ship ending") and heartily recommend it. I do love this movie, and the extra bit of time I get to spend with it without having to juggle three editions thanks to this edit is a wonderful thing. I am, though, hoping for an updated version in the future which repairs the errors, which would make this a perfect edit.

I had heard about this fan edit and have been seeking it out. This is how I came to this wonderful site.

My wife and I sat down and watched this glorious movie fully intact! I would have never known this was a fan edit if I didn't already know. Everything is seamless. No disruption in quality and the audio rocks.

Very good job!

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.