Although conclusively demonstrating Spielberg's preeminence as the popular artist of his time, E.T. finally seems a less impressive film than Close Encounters.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Tomatometer
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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.
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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Reviews for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Spielberg triumphantly succeeds in bringing the magical to the everyday.
A masterful evocation of the wonder, the magic and the pressing anxieties of childhood.
Twenty years after smashing box-office records, Steven Spielberg's gentle sci-fi fable returns to screens as vital and accomplished as ever.
Spielberg triumphantly succeeds in bringing the magical to the everyday.
We have yet to recover from his revelation: that there is nothing more real than sitting in your own back yard -- waiting for the unreal to come down, take a handful of candy, and fly you to the moon.
It's the epitome of true cinematic art, a movie that touches you on all levels.
The new effects might not be to your liking, but the strength of the filmmaking, the power of the story and the wonder of E.T. should be more than enough to warmly remind you of the last time an honest film about childhood innocence was made.
If we approach with sympathy and curiosity, we will be rewarded with same. And our souls, not to mention our bicycles, will soar to the heavens.
What’s intact is the film’s powerful yet unmushy message of friendship, unconditional love, helping those in need… geez, what doesn’t this film have that an impressionable kid couldn’t stand to hear?
Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial showed me for the first time in my life the power of movies.
It works because it touches that (uncritical, non-analytical) childlike part of us that we often need to be reminded is still there.
For the most part, however, Spielberg and Mathison have their priorities straight.
Though marred by Spielberg's usual carelessness with narrative points, the film alternates sweetness and sarcasm with enough rhetorical sophistication to be fairly irresistible.
Steven Spielberg's masterful film has lost none of its power to sweep the viewer away in the most 'excellent' late-20th century boy's adventure one could hope for.
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