By the 1970s and 1980s, the genre underwent a massive transformation driven by the blockbuster era and advancements in practical effects. Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
As special effects matured and the Apollo moon landings brought space closer to home, the 1970s and 1980s fundamentally transformed the genre. Audiences shifted from looking at grainy black-and-white saucers to experiencing immersive, awe-inspiring first contacts and visceral deep-space terror. amazing+ufo+and+alien+films+1951+to+2024+mp