Within Moral Tests
In Steven Spielberg’s UFO and alien films, officials are rarely portrayed as simple villains. They are often intelligent, organised and, in practical terms, surprisingly effective. Yet they share a deeper limitation: they can manage events better than they can understand them. Across Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T.
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Introduction
This tension matters because Spielberg’s alien encounters function as moral tests. The challenge is not merely whether institutions can contain a crisis. It is whether they can recognise that some encounters require humility, empathy and openness alongside technical expertise. The result is a recurring theme in Spielberg’s UFO cinema: control can organise a response, but it cannot by itself create understanding.
Secrecy in Close Encounters
A government that knows more than the public
Of Spielberg’s alien films, Close Encounters of the Third Kind presents the most elaborate official response. Government scientists have recognised patterns in the UFO phenomenon and are actively preparing for contact. Their efforts are not irrational. They collect evidence worldwide, decode signals and establish a carefully managed landing site at Devils Tower. In practical terms, they are competent administrators of an unprecedented event. [blogs.iu.edu]blogs.iu.eduthe cinematic wonders of close encounters of the third kindThe Cinematic Wonders of Close Encounters of the Third…Mar 24, 2022 — Both Neary and the team of scientists converge on Devils Tower…
Yet their competence depends on secrecy. To clear the area around Devils Tower, authorities fabricate a public emergency, claiming a toxic nerve-gas accident has occurred. The evacuation succeeds, but only because citizens are deliberately deceived. The state can create order, but it does so by withholding truth. [Wikipedia]WikipediaClose Encounters of the Third KindThe US Army evacuates the area around Devils Tower, planting false reports in the media that a train wr…
Spielberg released the film in the aftermath of Watergate, when public distrust of government was unusually high. Contemporary and retrospective commentary has often noted that the film transforms official intervention itself into a source of anxiety. The mystery is not only what the UFOs are doing but also what the authorities are hiding. [Turner Classic Movies]tcm.comTurner Classic MoviesClose Encounters Of The Third KindNo longer just concerned with the true intentions of visitors from outer space, it…
Why secrecy reaches its limit
The irony is that the officials’ plan ultimately succeeds only when control gives way to communication. The climactic encounter is not resolved through containment, surveillance or coercion. Instead, humans and aliens exchange information through music and light.
This moment reveals Spielberg’s central criticism of bureaucratic power. The scientists are necessary because they provide knowledge and coordination. However, their methods alone cannot complete first contact. The encounter requires a willingness to listen rather than merely manage. By the film’s conclusion, the government possesses sophisticated technology and extensive preparation, yet the decisive breakthrough comes through mutual exchange rather than command. [Wikipedia]WikipediaWar of the Worlds (2005 filmWar of the Worlds (2005 film
Quarantine in E.T.
Science without emotional understanding
In E.T., Spielberg shifts from large-scale government secrecy to a more intimate form of institutional control. Once the alien’s existence becomes known, officials respond with quarantine, medical procedures and scientific investigation.
Unlike many science-fiction films, these authorities are not depicted as openly malicious. Their concerns are understandable. An unknown extraterrestrial organism could pose biological risks to both humans and itself. From a public-health perspective, containment is logical.
The problem is that the officials interpret E.T. primarily as a specimen or event. Their procedures reduce a living individual to a scientific problem. The authorities focus on what E.T. is, while Elliott focuses on who E.T. is.
This distinction explains why Spielberg’s critique is not anti-science. The film never suggests that knowledge is bad or that expertise is worthless. Instead, it argues that expertise becomes morally incomplete when it loses sight of personhood. The scientists understand the need for quarantine, but they fail to appreciate the emotional bond between Elliott and E.T. or the alien’s vulnerability as an individual being.
Containment cannot solve the real problem
The sealed suburban house filled with medical equipment represents the peak of institutional control. Every procedure is designed to generate information and reduce uncertainty.
Yet the film’s emotional resolution comes from helping E.T. return home rather than from studying him. The officials can monitor his condition, but they cannot provide the thing he actually needs. Their methods are directed toward preservation and analysis; the deeper solution involves compassion and release.
Spielberg therefore treats quarantine as necessary but incomplete. The authorities are capable of protecting life, but they struggle to recognise that protection can become another form of captivity when understanding is absent.
Military limits in War of the Worlds
Power without answers
War of the Worlds presents Spielberg’s bleakest view of institutional capability. Unlike the visitors in Close Encounters or E.T., the aliens are openly hostile. The military response is therefore justified from the outset.
The film repeatedly shows soldiers attempting to resist the invasion with overwhelming force. Tanks, aircraft and infantry are mobilised against the tripods. The military is not paralysed by bureaucracy or cowardice; it acts decisively. Yet decisive action proves ineffective because the invaders possess capabilities beyond human expectations. [Spy Culture]spyculture.comSpy Culture How the US Military Rewrote War of the WorldsSpy CultureHow the US Military Rewrote War of the WorldsOctober 9, 2022 — 24 Oct 2022 — Steven Spielberg's 2005 alien invasion adventure…
Spielberg deliberately places viewers alongside ordinary civilians rather than commanders or policymakers. Instead of watching strategy unfold from a control centre, audiences experience confusion, rumours and fragmented information. The effect is to emphasise how little control institutions actually possess once events exceed their assumptions. [ScreenHub Entertainment]screenhub.blogScreen Hub Entertainment A Look Back at Spielberg's 'War of the WorldsScreenHub EntertainmentA Look Back at Spielberg's 'War of the Worlds'September 17, 2024 — 17 Sept 2024 — The original story and most of i…
The collapse of the control model
The film’s most important insight is that official power fails not because authorities are incompetent but because the situation itself is beyond mastery.
Military force remains useful within familiar conditions. Against the tripods, however, superior organisation and weaponry cannot guarantee success. Human institutions encounter an adversary operating outside the framework they understand.
Spielberg has connected the film to fears about terrorism and collective panic, stressing the dangers created by mass fear and mob behaviour. In this context, War of the Worlds becomes a study of what happens when societies discover that their normal systems of protection are no longer reliable. [We Minored in Film]weminoredinfilm.comrevisiting spielbergs war of the worlds the 9 11 parable is strong in this oneWe Minored in FilmRevisiting Spielberg's War of the Worlds: The 9/11 Parable…12 Apr 2018 — As Spielberg told Richard Schickel in Steve…
The eventual defeat of the aliens comes through biological processes rather than military victory. Humanity survives, but not because officials successfully controlled the crisis. Survival emerges from forces outside anyone’s command. This conclusion reinforces a recurring Spielberg theme: the universe is larger and less manageable than institutions assume.
Why Control Fails in Spielberg’s Alien Films
Across these films, Spielberg does not reject governance, science or military organisation. His officials are frequently skilled, dedicated and rational. The problem is not incompetence. The problem is overconfidence in systems designed for predictable challenges.
Each film presents a different version of the same lesson:
- In Close Encounters, secrecy organises contact but cannot create understanding.
- In E.T., scientific management protects life but cannot recognise its emotional meaning.
- In War of the Worlds, military power responds forcefully but cannot dominate the unknown.
Viewed together, these stories suggest that alien encounters expose the boundaries of human authority. Governments can evacuate towns, establish quarantines and deploy armies. What they cannot guarantee is comprehension. Spielberg’s officials succeed when they acknowledge that limitation and fail when they assume control is equivalent to wisdom.
Within Spielberg’s broader treatment of UFOs and extraterrestrials, this is the deeper moral test. The unknown does not simply challenge human technology. It challenges the belief that every problem can be solved through management alone. Humility, in Spielberg’s universe, is not the opposite of expertise. It is the quality that allows expertise to recognise its own limits.
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Further Reading
Books and field guides related to Official Control Lim 7 Cc 81 E. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience
Hynek created the close-encounter framework that inspired Spielberg's film title and served as an adviser on the movie.
Passport to Magonia
One of the most influential books on UFO culture and the mystery-oriented approach echoed in Spielberg's work.
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Endnotes
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Source: blogs.iu.edu
Title: the cinematic wonders of close encounters of the third kind
Link: https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/2022/03/24/the-cinematic-wonders-of-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/Source snippet
The Cinematic Wonders of Close Encounters of the Third...Mar 24, 2022 — Both Neary and the team of scientists converge on Devils Tower...
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Source: Wikipedia
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_KindSource snippet
Close Encounters of the Third KindThe US Army evacuates the area around Devils Tower, planting false reports in the media that a train wr...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: War of the Worlds (2005 film)
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Worlds_%282005_film%29 -
Source: screenhub.blog
Title: Screen Hub Entertainment A Look Back at Spielberg’s ‘War of the Worlds’
Link: https://screenhub.blog/2024/09/17/a-look-back-at-spielbergs-war-of-the-worlds-screenhub-entertainment/Source snippet
ScreenHub EntertainmentA Look Back at Spielberg's 'War of the Worlds'September 17, 2024 — 17 Sept 2024 — The original story and most of i...
Published: September 17, 2024
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Source: spyculture.com
Title: Spy Culture How the US Military Rewrote War of the Worlds
Link: https://www.spyculture.com/how-the-us-military-rewrote-war-of-the-worlds/Source snippet
Spy CultureHow the US Military Rewrote War of the WorldsOctober 9, 2022 — 24 Oct 2022 — Steven Spielberg's 2005 alien invasion adventure...
Published: October 9, 2022
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Source: weminoredinfilm.com
Title: revisiting spielbergs war of the worlds the 9 11 parable is strong in this one
Link: https://weminoredinfilm.com/2018/04/12/revisiting-spielbergs-war-of-the-worlds-the-9-11-parable-is-strong-in-this-one/Source snippet
We Minored in FilmRevisiting Spielberg's War of the Worlds: The 9/11 Parable...12 Apr 2018 — As Spielberg told Richard Schickel in Steve...
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Source: movie-locations.com
Link: https://movie-locations.com/movies/c/Close-Encounters-Of-The-Third-Kind.phpSource snippet
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind | 1977The big evacuation scene filmed at Bay Minette over the Mobile and Tensaw Rivers, 30 miles north...
Additional References
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Source: researchgate.net
Link: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318354252_Alien_Invasions_and_Identity_Crisis_Steven_Spielberg%27s_The_War_of_the_Worlds_2005Source snippet
Alien Invasions and Identity Crisis: Steven Spielberg's The...2 May 2026 — The present analysis will attempt to illustrate how threats t...
Published: May 2026
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Source: tcm.com
Link: https://www.tcm.com/articles/18629/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-close-encounters-of-the-third-kindSource snippet
Turner Classic MoviesClose Encounters Of The Third KindNo longer just concerned with the true intentions of visitors from outer space, it...
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/galacticgals/posts/744714095034751/ -
Source: academia.edu
Link: https://www.academia.edu/71610224/Alien_Invasions_and_Identity_Crisis_Steven_Spielberg_s_The_War_of_the_Worlds_2005_Source snippet
terrorism and war that ultimately resolves the horrible events it represents: Its...
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Source: intermountainhistories.org
Link: https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/226Source snippet
Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Devils Tower...The film tells the story of several individuals' experiences with extra-terrestri...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/18yws41/theory_close_encounter_of_the_third_kind_was/Source snippet
reveal one of the most intriguing plots in the entire narrative.Read more...
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Source: rheaven.blogspot.com
Link: https://rheaven.blogspot.com/2013/08/close-encounters-of-third-kind.htmlSource snippet
Close Encounters of the Third KindAug 2, 2013 — Spielberg really uses the environment around Devils Tower to great effect...
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Source: reddit.com
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/1f3nrfm/what_is_the_point_of_close_encounters_of_the/Source snippet
, terrifying is going on a Devil's Tower. There's also the...
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Source: theguardian.com
Title: war of the worlds remake amazon prime
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/06/war-of-the-worlds-remake-amazon-primeSource snippet
How did a new War of the Worlds movie get a 0% critical...6 Aug 2025 — Unlike past “screenlife” movies like Unfriended, War of the World...
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Source: themerica.org
Title: close encounters of the themed kind
Link: https://www.themerica.org/blog/2018/01/14/close-encounters-of-the-themed-kindSource snippet
14 Jan 2018 — The government has chased everyone away with a cover story that a train wreck has released toxic nerve gas. Those who have...
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