One of my biggest annoyances will all subsequent posters for Close Encounters of the Third Kind is that they have been reworked from the ambiguous starry road design of the original to a blatant spoiler of the film’s climax. I’m sure those that have seen the film are familiar with it – it’s on the home video release covers, rerelease posters, and even on the damn DVD menu! As one of my favorite films, I implore: if you haven’t seen the movie, please try and ignore all media prior to your first viewing! It’ll be worth it!
With that said, when I first saw Close Encounters as a kid, I couldn’t help but notice a huge close up of a McDonald’s sign early in the film. It may have been the first time that I really took notice of product placement in a movie. I always imagined that the empty road on the original poster actually led to something much more otherworldly – a 6-piece order of McNuggets, perhaps?
