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Movies / On DVD / E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

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Reviews Counted:88

Fresh:86

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.9/10

Consensus: A piece of movie magic that touches hearts both young and old.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:Jun 11, 1982 Wide

Synopsis: The 2002 rerelease of E.T., which marks 20 years since the film's 1982 debut, includes never before seen footage, enhanced visual effects, and a new remastered soundtrack. E.T. THE... The 2002 rerelease of E.T., which marks 20 years since the film's 1982 debut, includes never before seen footage, enhanced visual effects, and a new remastered soundtrack. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL is Steven Spielberg's warmhearted classic delight for both children and adults. It tells the story of an alien creature, E.T., mistakenly left behind on Earth. When a young boy, Elliott (Henry Thomas), finds E.T. and hides him in his home, both their worlds are changed forever. E.T. teaches Elliott and his two siblings (Drew Barrymore and Robert MacNaughton), whose parents have recently separated, about caring and love while the children protect E.T. from the malevolent world of grown-ups. Elliott and E.T. become so close that they share emotions; as E.T. becomes ill, so does Elliott. The children end up going on a fabulous adventure trying to help E.T. find a way back to his home planet. The movie was originally going to be based on a story idea by director John Sayles, but after he removed himself from the project, screenwriter Melissa Mathison (Harrison Ford's wife) took over the script and made it her own. John Williams's beautiful soundtrack became forever linked to E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. [More]

Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace Stone, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote

Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace Stone, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote

Director: Steven Spielberg

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Melissa Mathison
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
Composer: John Williams
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Release:

Dec 30, 2008

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Reviews for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
03/31/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Spielberg triumphantly succeeds in bringing the magical to the everyday.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/04/08
Channel 4 Film

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

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment 17 Comments
06/04/07
Don McKellar
Don McKellar
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon 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.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
06/04/07
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A contemporary classic.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
06/04/07
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
06/04/07
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

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

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/04/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
06/04/07
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

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

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
01/06/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

This enchanting fable displays Spielberg's masterful craftsmanship as well as his belief in religious mythology.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/21/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top 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.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
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.

Full Review Source: Movie Views | comment Comment
11/25/05
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views

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

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
09/30/05
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

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

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
08/14/04
James Plath
James Plath
Reel.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Mediasharx | comment Comment
06/02/04
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Mediasharx

Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extraterrestrial touches the heart, engages the senses, and playfully challenges us to cavort with its allusive meanings.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
02/04/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

What E.T. does so well is to capture that moment in life when childhood seems to be slipping away.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
12/31/03
Moira MacDonald
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times

The OOOOOs and Ahhhhhhhhs are contagious, the cheering as Elliot, Michael and their friends take to the air as they're being chased by the Feds will still raise a cheer.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
11/07/03
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

Now that's entertainment.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

The simple truth is, no other movie has the same power to unite audiences in wonder and fulfilment.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
04/13/03
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic
 
 
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