Opening

42% The Great Gatsby May 10
39% Peeples May 10
93% Stories We Tell May 10
83% The Painting May 10
—— Assault On Wall Street May 10
42% Aftershock May 10
83% Sightseers May 10
22% No One Lives May 10

Top Box Office

77% Iron Man 3 $174.1M
46% Pain & Gain $7.5M
77% 42 $6.1M
56% Oblivion $5.6M
69% The Croods $4.2M
8% The Big Wedding $3.9M
98% Mud $2.2M
60% Oz the Great and Powerful $2.1M
4% Scary Movie 5 $1.4M
81% The Place Beyond The Pines $1.3M

Coming Soon

90% Star Trek Into Darkness May 16
29% Erased May 17
100% Frances Ha May 17
—— The English Teacher May 17
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Play Trailer

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

tomatometer

98

Average Rating: 9/10
Reviews Counted: 94
Fresh: 92 | Rotten: 2

Playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood, Steven Spielberg's touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old.

95

Average Rating: 8.6/10
Critic Reviews: 20
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 1

Playing as both an exciting sci-fi adventure and a remarkable portrait of childhood, Steven Spielberg's touching tale of a homesick alien remains a piece of movie magic for young and old.

audience

65

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 30,829,699

My Rating

Movie Info

Both a classic movie for kids and a remarkable portrait of childhood, E.T. is a sci-fi adventure that captures that strange moment in youth when the world is a place of mysterious possibilities (some wonderful, some awful), and the universe seems somehow separate from the one inhabited by grown-ups. Henry Thomas plays Elliott, a young boy living with his single mother (Dee Wallace), his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton), and his younger sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore). Elliott often

Oct 22, 2002

Universal Pictures - Official Site External Icon

Cast

ADVERTISEMENT

All Critics (94) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (100) | Rotten (2) | DVD (24)

An appealing film this new one is, with some charm, some glee in the childrens' triumphs, some share in their friendship with E.T.

February 15, 2011 Full Review Source: The New Republic
The New Republic
Top Critic IconTop Critic

More than the work of any other filmmaker, Spielberg's output seems uniquely designed to induce in me this queasy false-memory syndrome.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comments (59)
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

On inherent merit, the movie would not warrant such a highly publicized re-release, but this is one of those films that transcends what's on the screen.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: ReelViews
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A contemporary classic.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Though marred by Spielberg's usual carelessness with narrative points, the film alternates sweetness and sarcasm with enough rhetorical sophistication to be fairly irresistible.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (3)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Although conclusively demonstrating Spielberg's preeminence as the popular artist of his time, E.T. finally seems a less impressive film than Close Encounters.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

among all that corniness, there's a great little movie

October 19, 2012 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures
7M Pictures

Rosie Grier let kids know that it's all right to cry. E.T. gave kids, adults, and aliens no choice in the matter.

October 8, 2012 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

Rosie Grier let kids know that it's all right to cry. E.T. gave kids, adults, and aliens no choice in the matter.

October 8, 2012 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine

...a celebration of kid culture from a time when fun meant riding your bike and playing D&D with your friends.

September 27, 2012 Full Review Source: PopMatters
PopMatters

It makes us believe in magic again even as grizzled, cynical adults.

June 11, 2012 Full Review Source: Mania.com
Mania.com

One of Spielberg's two or three masterpieces, an extremely satisfying sci-fi fable.

July 1, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment (1)
EmanuelLevy.Com

Steven Spielberg at his most pure.

June 16, 2011 Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | Comment (1)
LarsenOnFilm

Spielberg's family classic is still one of the best.

December 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

Spielberg triumphantly succeeds in bringing the magical to the everyday.

March 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

It helped alter the course of sci-fi movies by suggesting that intergalactic aliens might not be monsters but friendly, even loving, creatures. This doesn't make it a masterpiece, but it's fun.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | Comment (1)
Christian Science Monitor

What I see is simply a timeless story about friendship, loss and maturity -- and, perhaps, an idealized America of the kind Hollywood and politicians strive to convince us could really exist.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer
Charlotte Observer

...a bona fide classic that has something to offer moviegoers of all ages.

January 6, 2007 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | Comment (1)
Reel Film Reviews

Audience Reviews for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Excellent movie about a boy who finds an alien and tries to help him get home. I cry every time I watch this movie. My favourite scene is the iconic bicycle ride by moonlight. Amazing!
May 26, 2007
thmtsang
Candy Rose

Super Reviewer

If you have not seen this movie at least once, then I must ask you one thing: Why? E.T. is about an alien who is accidentally left on Earth by his spaceship and he befriends a young boy named Elliot who soon discovers him. I want to start by saying that the opening title for the movie is just plain eery. There's a weird and deep sound playing in the background it doesn't really sound like music. Then it just shows these short, dark figures moving around in the dark and isolated forest. I was about 5 or 6 years old the first time I saw this so I was under the assumption that this was some kind of horror movie. As the movie progresses, we're introduced to Elliot and his family. Elliot is played by Henry Thomas and he's really good in his role. Most kid actors usually suck, but Thomas is an exception. Drew Barrymore plays Elliot's little sister and she's the most well-known person in the movie. Yep, despite the success of E.T., most of the actors careers never got boosted and Barrymore was able to move on to other stuff like.....Family Guy? Anyway, I also feel the need to address a scene that scarred me as a child: The scene in the cornfield when Elliot is looking for E.T. in the beggining of the movie. It's a very creepy and tense scene and when the climax of the scene hits, your kids might end up having nightmares. When Elliot and E.T. eventually see eachother properly for the first time, the friendship starts and you immediately buy it. Elliot is the middle child in his family, his parents are divorced and you obviously get the sense that he's a lonely person in need of a companion. If he didn't meet E.T., I'm pretty sure he would become a drug addict. All the scenes with Elliot and E.T. are really well done. They're full of humor, emotion, a strong sense of curiosity and understanding and it makes for a great story of friendship. The special effects for E.T. are also fantastic. I've always preffered puppetry over CGI and this is one of those movies that shows why. It just pisses me off that Steven Spielberg went back and updated the film so that E.T. is a shallow piece of computer animation in the DVD. Not only that, but he also did a lot of stupid shit like digitally replacing all the guns with walkie-talkies. It may seem like I hate CGI, but I don't. I think it's a great and useful tool, but I just hate the people who overuse and abuse it. I'm just glad I own the original VHS copy of this movie. While speaking on technical aspects, I also have to praise the music for the film. John Williams did such an excellent job on creating a memorable score. It's an unforgettable piece of music and it's one of my all time favorite scores. Without spoiling anything, I'm also going to comment on the ending. It's such an emotional scene that always overwhelms me. It perfectly ends the movie and it's one of those things that just makes you sad. E.T. is one of my all time favorite movies and I don't see myself getting bored with it. It's a classic and if you haven't seen it, then find a way to watch it.
January 11, 2012
Tyler Robertson

Super Reviewer

    1. E.T. [uncredited]: E.T. phone home.
    – Submitted by Dutch E (57 days ago)
    1. E.T. [uncredited]: I'll be right here.
    2. Elliott: [tearfully] Bye.
    – Submitted by Brandon M (5 months ago)
    1. Michael: Did you explain school to him?
    2. Elliott: How do you explain school to higher intelligence?
    3. Michael: Maybe he's not that smart. Maybe he's like a worker bee who only knows how to push buttons or something.
    4. Elliott: He is too smart.
    5. Michael: Okay, I just hope we don't wake up on Mars or something surrounded by millions of little squashy guys.
    – Submitted by Typhon Q (8 months ago)
    1. Gertie: I'm not fearing any man! I may not get there with you...
    – Submitted by Jesse K (8 months ago)
    1. Elliott: You could be happy here, I could take care of you. I wouldn't let anybody hurt you. We could grow up together, E.T.
    – Submitted by ethan t (10 months ago)
    1. E.T. [uncredited]: ET... Phone... Home.
    – Submitted by Frazer M (17 months ago)

Discussion Forum

There are no discussion threads for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial yet.

Latest News on E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

October 1, 2012:
Henry Thomas and Kathleen Kennedy Look Back on E.T.
A new interview finds the star and producer reflecting on the Spielberg classic as it heads to...

June 27, 2012:
Five Favorite Films with Bob Balaban
Droll, erudite and extremely affable, Bob Balaban is the kind of guy you could spend hours listening...

June 12, 2012:
The E.T. Sequel That Never Was
IGN revisits the long-abandoned script treatment for "E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears."

Foreign Titles

  • E.T. - Der Außerirdische (DE)
  • E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (UK)
Help | About | Jobs | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Mobile