Opening

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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

tomatometer

98

Average Rating: 9/10
Reviews Counted: 97
Fresh: 95 | 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: 8.7/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 20 | 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

67

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 32,290,599

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

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All Critics (97) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (95) | Rotten (2) | DVD (24)

It is the kind of film that young people are going to want to see again immediately after they've seen it.

August 4, 2013 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
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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
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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
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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
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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

This is a special, delightful adventure, in which Spielberg manages not only to entertain young children but also reach out to the child in all of us.

August 4, 2013 Full Review Source: Radio Times
Radio Times

You're still gonna need those tissues.

August 4, 2013 Full Review Source: Total Film
Total Film

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial still evokes laughter, tears and that heart-lifting surge of joy only a great movie can bring.

August 4, 2013 Full Review Source: People Magazine
People Magazine

Unchecked goodness has its price, after all, and childhood wonder wouldn't be nearly as sweet if it didn't fade. That may explain the film's appeal. It trapped that feeling, and its sense of possibility, in amber -- then, now, and for any time.

August 4, 2013 Full Review Source: AV Club
AV Club

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

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

...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 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

SO WONDERFUL! It's even sadder and more heartfelt watching this as an adult! The bikes flying is so triumphant, and the sibling loyalty is touching. Henry Thomas is hella amazing, in all his shrieky terror and drunken stupors. I'm surprised he didn't get nominated for an Oscar!
August 10, 2007
aliceinpunderland

Super Reviewer

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

    1. E.T. [uncredited]: E.T. phone home.
    – Submitted by Dutch E (6 months ago)
    1. E.T. [uncredited]: I'll be right here.
    2. Elliott: [tearfully] Bye.
    – Submitted by Brandon M (10 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 (13 months ago)
    1. Gertie: I'm not fearing any man! I may not get there with you...
    – Submitted by Jesse K (13 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 (15 months ago)
    1. E.T. [uncredited]: ET... Phone... Home.
    – Submitted by Frazer M (22 months ago)
View all quotes (20)

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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)
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