Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Let me tell you a brief story I once heard in a sermon. That story involved a visitor, a visitor who descended from the heavens. He came and brought joy to the lives of many. Teaching the importance of love and healing the sick and the wounded. He died, but he was raised up again, for a time, before he ascended back to the heavens from whence he came. His name was, E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, I loved that little guy.

That sermon was given by the good reverend of the first church of Springfield, but it's an observation that has been made in more places than just the world of classic yellow sitcoms. However while there are definite parallels between the story of E.T and that of Jesus himself, Spielberg has remembered what this should be used for. With E.T he has directed a funny, emotionally moving family movie, with a little point for the observant to find interesting. What he never does is try to ram this observation down your throat in an attempt to show off his amazing intellect in the way The Wachowski Brothers like to (I don't care how unrelated it is, Wachowski bashing is fun!)

What Spielberg succeeded at with E.T though was to craft a finely crafted film, that was genuinely good for the entire family. It had humour which the children would like to grasp, but this humour was never so sickeningly patronizing that it put the parents off. Quite the contrary, E.T was a film with a surprising amount of emotional depth, a film which had the ability to keep adults gripped and give their children an equal, if not larger emotional reaction. This was the reason I got excited when they first decided to re-release E.T, because, and call me sadistic if you like, I could not wait to see my younger brother cry.

The reason that this works is in certain cast members who have really molded my childhood memories of E.T. How does the ever talented Dee Wallace-Stone nailing the frustrations, confusions and worries of Eliiot's mom sound? Not good enough? How about, Henry Thomas shouting at the screen, and making the bond with the Alien believable? Still not good enough? I know!!! A young Drew Barrymore making one of the only cuter than cute children who wasn't annoying. Little Gertie could melt even the hardest of stone hearts, and warm up even the coldest blooded monsters. Such a cute look, such a sweet nature, such a good example of Spielberg's perfect eye for child casting. Everybody say after me, "Awwwwe." Ahem!

Of course the main draw character comes from the little guy himself, and that is where the problem comes in with the 20th Anniversary Edition. Spielberg's cinematography is as good as it always was, it still features a classic score by John Williams, but unfortunately CGI E.T is not a good thing. It's not a bad CGI effect by any shot, in fact his new expressive face is much more emotional. It's just that the CGI lacks the solid look of the puppet model, it draws you out of the previously gripping scenes, and it's been included in even the old scenes.

That's the only major problem, but it is enough to cost the film a star so it's a very bad problem. The new scenes are OK, not bad but not good either. If they hadn't removed the puppet E.T then I wouldn't complain about them at all. Even the infamous, replacing guns with walkie talkies is not the horrible crime people claim. In fact I can see Spielberg's reasoning, because using guns to chase down a group of 10 year olds was kind of dumb. It's just hard not to laugh when someone aims their walkie talkie at a car before opening the door.

At the end of the day though, it's still a great film, but I'll take the original version any day.

This has been my entry into the Lean-N-Mean write-off

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD