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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

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Average Rating: 9/10
Reviews Counted: 91
Fresh: 89 | 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.

Average Rating: 8.5/10
Critic Reviews: 18
Fresh: 17 | 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.

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

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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

PG, 1 hr. 55 min.

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Kids & Family

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

Written By: Melissa Mathison

In Theaters: Jun 11, 1982 Wide

On DVD: Oct 22, 2002

Universal Pictures

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: New Republic

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Stanley Kauffmann

New Republic

Top 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

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Don McKellar

Village Voice

Top 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

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James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Top Critic

A contemporary classic.

June 4, 2007 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Top 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

| Comment (1)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

[It] may become a children's classic of the space age.

October 24, 2002 Full Review Source: New York Times

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

Top Critic

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

July 1, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment (1)

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Steven Spielberg at his most pure.

June 16, 2011 Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm

| Comment (1)

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

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

December 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Sandie Angulo Chen

Common Sense Media

Spielberg triumphantly succeeds in bringing the magical to the everyday.

March 4, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4

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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)

David Sterritt

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

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Lawrence Toppman

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)

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

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

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Time Out

E.T. is a film I will continue to watch over and over for the rest of my life. It is one I will never grow sick of, no matter how many times I watch it.

November 25, 2005 Full Review Source: Movie Views

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Ryan Cracknell

Movie Views Source: Movie Views

It's a simple beautiful story about loneliness, friendship, and the bittersweet pangs of childhood.

September 30, 2005 Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs

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Scott Nash

Three Movie Buffs

What do Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandburg, Albert Einstein, and E.T. have in common? The eyes, according to Spielberg.

August 14, 2004 Comment (1)

James Plath

Reel.com

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Audience Reviews for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

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classic

December 26, 2006

Jason Spencer

Super Reviewer

Steven Spielberg's ultimate masterpiece. The film manages to convey the importance of friendship, family, and love in a way that is touching without getting overly-sentimental. Everybody from the child actors to the adults give great performances. The special effects work for the character E.T. are so fantastic that

June 13, 2011

Christopher Heim

Super Reviewer

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Quotes

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1. E.T. [uncredited]: ET... Phone... Home.
– Submitted by Frazer M (5 months ago)
1. Elliott: Ouch!
2. E.T. [uncredited]: [E.T.'s finger lights up] oooooooooouuuuuuuuuch! [E.T. heals Elliot's cut on his finger]
– Submitted by Nathan J (6 months ago)
1. Elliott: It was nothing like that, penis-breath!
– Submitted by Robert C (6 months ago)
1. Gertie: He won't hurt you.
– Submitted by Jacob D (8 months ago)
1. E.T. [uncredited]: I'll... be... right... here.
– Submitted by Michael Z (8 months ago)