E.T. gets a makeover and loses some innocence, but we still love him anyway!
Written: Mar 23 '02 (Updated Mar 23 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's still the same old E.T. you know and love!
Cons: Digital enhancement is fascinating, but at the same time, it can be distracting...
The Bottom Line: If you haven't seen E.T., this is your chance! If you have, it looks GREAT on the big screen! Watch for the changes, they get pretty interesting.
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| flamepillar's Full Review: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Anniversary Re-Release... |
What great times these are! I'm just barely old enough to remember movies such as E.T. and Star Wars from when I was a kid. We're a pretty lucky generation in that we had the opportunity four years ago to experience Star Wars on the big screen, and now, to experience E.T. the same way.
Can you think of a movie that has come out in the last 10 years that has even the slightest chance of resurfacing in the theaters 20 years from now? What has really changed, the quality of movies or the public's view of them?
Anyway, not to get all political on ya. What is obvious from the get-go here, is that there are going to be two kinds of people thinking about seeing the "E.T." re-release: Those who have seen it already, and those who haven't. So I say we can do this one of two ways. Then when we're done, we can do it the other way.
If you have never seen "E.T."...
Well hey, here's your chance! Just because people were easier to impress back then does not mean that this is in any way an unimpressive flick, if that's what you're thinking. "E.T." is an absolute legend, and his story promises to be passed through centuries of generations to come.
Here's how it works. Aliens come down to collect samples of life on Earth. One of them gets left behind. He narrowly escapes being caught by a bunch of guys in trucks (That truck wheel that comes in on the left side of the screen still looks mean as ever!). He gets away and finds himself in the hands of Elliott (Henry Thomas), who in turn tells his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and his younger sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), about his new "pet."
The first 2/3 or so of "E.T." centers around the relationship between E.T. and the kids, Elliott in particular. Not only does E.T. develop a strong bond with the kids, but he brings the siblings closer to each other. He has his first words, first clothes, first Reeses Pieces, first beer, etc. It sounds boring, but trust me, it isn't. The movie is all the while leading you on with questions. How far behind are the scientists that are tracking down the alien? Will the kids' mother find out? How is E.T. ever going to get back to his home planet? What is the connection between Elliott and E.T. that is causing Elliott to burp in class just because E.T. is drinking beer back at home? (Yeah, that one's quite a whopper.)
When the kids and E.T. get a plan together for Halloween night, that's when "E.T." kicks into high gear and the real chase begins. The last half hour to 45 minutes of this movie is intense, on a physical and emotional level, sometimes both at once. If you really really really haven't seen it, well, be forewarned; it hits you pretty hard.
We as human beings have this phenomenal ability to feel the feelings of others, whether we know it or not. I like to think of "E.T." as a reminder that we should practice it more often. Especially when it hurts. Not only do you make yourself stronger, but you make the other person feel better and you build with them a bond that is completely unbreakable.
E.T. can shatter the barrier between human and alien. You'd think that shattering the barrier between human and human would be so easy, wouldn't ya?
So what if you HAVE seen the original "E.T."??? (Possible SPOILERS)
Well, first off, congratulations. You have impeccable taste. Now if I had more time, I could divide this further, between those of you who are going so you can see the new scenes they added to the movie, and then those of you who are just going to experience the classic movie on the big screen. I actually wasn't going for the new scenes myself; in fact, half the time, I wasn't even thinking about the fact that I was watching a different version of the movie.
The bathtub scene in particular is probably the most talked-about addition to the movie; yeah, I liked it! It lasted a bit longer than I had expected it to, and it was actually a lot funnier than I thought it would be, too. The scenes before and after it just segued right into and out of it with not so much as a blemish.
Other scenes that were added included an extra scene during Halloween night, when the mother finds Michael & Gertie without Elliott, and demands an explanation. There is an extra shot of E.T. running in the night, and the spaceship flying away overhead. Real heart-grabber, that shot is. Maybe it was just me, but the hospital scenes seemed to go on a lot longer than usual. I thought we would never get to Elliott's little "speech"! I kept wondering how in the world the kids managed to stay calm through all that.
Some of the most obvious things they have done, though, are taken the old scenes and spiced them up. E.T's facial expressions are much more vivid than ever before. When E.T. is fleeing the guys at night in the beginning, in the old version, he just moved in a straight line through the tall grass. In the new version, he is obviously hopping through it. When Elliott is next to E.T. in the hospital, in the old version, his words were obscured by an echoing sort of effect, along with the blips and bleeps of the equipment; well, in the new version, his voice is practically all you can hear, so he's a lot easier to understand. In the one shot of E.T. making the Speak & Spell and umbrella float in front of him, his head moves around a lot more.
I wouldn't be the first (or the hundredth) to say that digital enhancement detracts from a movie's value. But I'd be lying to say that there weren't times, in this case, that it was a little distracting. While E.T.'s expression is indeed more vivid than before, there are moments it looks almost too human. Or too cartoonish. It's not that this is a bad thing, but at the same time, if you're like me and you've seen the movie so many times that you have every facial expression embedded in your mind, the differences can be really obvious; sometimes it just won't look like the same E.T. you've been growing up with all these years.
The close-up shots of E.T. just before he hovers the bike are one such example. In the new version, they enhanced his face so that it looks like he is smiling just before he does it. I do think it is pretty cool what they did; it instills a kind of confidence in E.T. for those parts. But at the same time, it's almost better when he's not confident; when he just stares ahead with those huge eyes and focuses his power, leaving you wondering what he is going to do next (even if you have seen it a hundred times).
I guess I can understand why they removed the "gun scene", but I didn't expect them to take out the entire shot altogether. The way it looks now, they are riding on their bikes, the three increasingly close shots of Elliott's face, then E.T., then they're out of there. They didn't seem half as threatened this time without the gun, which makes it so much less of a big deal that they got away. They could have just run the guys over like they did everybody else. It's like I was saying earlier, it's not that big of a deal that they changed it around, but even the most minor of distractions can have an unexpectedly staggering effect on how you take in a scene.
Overall, though, I'm happy to say that John Williams' score remains intact and sounds absolutely fabulous. The majority of the changes were remarkable; they added a whole new life to the movie. They may have sacrificed some of the mystery and innocence of it in the process, but hey, it's the 21st Century, ya may's well get used to it. E.T. is still E.T. His neck still expands and contracts like a Slinky. He still knows how to throw a baseball. He still points to the sky and says "E.T. home phone." (Seriously, listen close, that's what he says the first time.) His finger still lights up and heals wounds. He still says "I'll be right here." And you still cry.
Recommended:
Yes
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flamepillar
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Member: Timothy Bishop
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