With the re-release of E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial to celebrate its 20th anniversary, I thought this would be a perfect time to do a review of this timeless classic.

Before I get into the actual review, I'd like to write a little bit about interviews with the stars and director Steven Spielberg as they reflected on the movie.

Drew Barrymore (Gertie) was only 6 years old when E.T. was being filmed. She believed E.T. was real and would talk to him during breaks in filming. The other actors, as well as Spielberg, think that Drew's attitude toward E.T. helped them cross the line into acting as if he was real, too. An interesting factoid I learned was that Barrymore auditioned for the part of Carol Anne, the little girl in "Poltergeist," which Spielberg produced, but didn't get it. But Spielberg liked her so much he told her he had a better part for her in another movie.

It took 15 technicians to get E.T. to do what he was supposed to do. Spielberg was adamant about not having someone in a suit playing E.T. That's why he insisted on having E.T. be able to raise he neck. However, they soon realized they would need someone in an E.T. suit during his walking scenes.

Henry Thomas (Elliot) was awful in his screen test when he read from the script. But Spielberg liked him so much from another movie he'd seen Thomas in that he gave him another chance, but this time the lines were ad-libbed. Thomas was so convincing that Spielberg said "Kid, you've got the part" without even looking at the screen test.

Spielberg got the idea for this movie by drawing from his own childhood and his parents' divorce. He began thinking about the story of a lonely, confused young boy who befriends a friendly extra-terrestrial. The idea really came together during the filming of another classic, "Raiders of the Lost Ark." One of the other producers said that during breaks in the filming of Raiders, Spielberg would spend all his time talking about E.T. Actually, Poltergeist was supposed to be his next directing project after Raiders. But he was so obsessed with E.T., the directing duties went to Tobe Hooper.

The original title of E.T. was supposed to be "A Boy's Life," because of the focus on the young boy coming of age and learning lessons by way of his friendship with the extra-terrestrial. A little piece of trivia concerning that: The movie showing at the theater in the Spielberg-produced "Gremlins" is "A Boy's Life."

Now, on with the review.

The movie begins with a family of extra-terrestrials exploring a wooded area on Earth. They're frightened by, what we discover later are, government scientists looking for them. The extra-terrestrials leave so fast, they leave one member of the family, E.T., behind.

When 10-year-old Elliot and E.T. get together, Elliot isn't quite sure what to do with him at first. Seeing the things he tries "teaching" E.T. is cute and touching. It shows the viewer life through a 10-year-old's eyes. Elliot's 14-year-old brother(Robert MacNaughton) and 6-year-old sister (Barrymore) are eventually let in on the secret and also try to teach E.T. things about life on Earth.

But E.T. wants to "phone home," and builds a contraption to help him do just that. But before he can get home, the government scientists get into the picture and almost ruin everything.

No need to worry though. Elliot and company triumph over the government in scenes that are simply magical. Writing about them wouldn't do them justice, so I'll just suggest that you see the movie.

Thomas is perfect as the young boy whose best friend is an extra-terrestrial. Dee Wallace-Stone gives a great performance as the mother. Peter Coyote is convincing as the scientist with a heart. C. Thomas Howell has a small role as a friend of Elliot and his brother.

E.T. -- The Extra-Terrestrial is a fantastic movie for almost all ages, however it may be a bit scary for very young children. It's a great story on the surface with some important underlying themes as well.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS