E.T. (Movie Review)

Nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture, E.T. won four Oscars and took the nation by storm upon its release in 1982. A box office sensation, E.T. formed long, around-the-corner lines of fans waiting to get into theaters and propelled child star Drew Barrymore to superstar status. One of director Steven Spielberg’s greatest triumphs, E.T. supposedly symbolizes and illustrates feelings of loneliness from the Hollywood icon’s youth which resulted from his parents’ divorce. A touching story about spirits from differing worlds, E.T. is fun for the entire family. With an original soundtrack (composed by John Williams and winner of an Academy Award), E.T. is a film that thrills its viewers by every means at its disposal…

While visiting Earth late one evening, a spacecraft carrying a group of alien botanist researchers is startled by the approach an elite government task force. Disappearing in a flash, one of the aliens is left behind. As the task force searches the forest for signs of the creature, he appears inside a young boy’s tool shed in search of food (such as Reese’s Pieces – a product spot way ahead of its time). Discovered by ten-year-old Elliot (Henry Thomas), the extra-terrestrial is nicknamed E.T. and befriends Elliot, his older brother Michael, and his younger sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) – all of whom are suffering as a result of their parents’ impending divorce…

Hiding E.T. in his room, Elliot successfully manages to hide the secret from his mother, while E.T. slowly learns the customs and ways of the earthling. Building a communication device that will allow him to “phone home” for help, E.T. begins to run short on time when he catches a deadly disease and his hiding place is discovered by the government task force, which cares only about its ability to study him and not about his life. With Elliot’s health now intimately connected to E.T., he begins to suffer as well. Can Elliot and his friends come to E.T.’s aid? Will E.T. escape the clutches of his government captors and return home a healthy, smiling alien? The journey to find out is simply magical…

A true blockbuster and a pop culture phenomenon in its time, E.T. continues to bring joy and inspiration to each new generation of children who see it. Like Spielberg’s film The Goonies and the contemporary Harry Potter films, E.T. creates movie magic by unleashing a world of endless imagination where children are the true heroes. In doing so, it unlocks a whole new world of fantasy for the children who watch it…

Easily one of the best 100 films of all time, E.T. is a cinematic masterpiece by any standard of measurement. Spielberg deserves all the praise and accolades he received both then and now. With its widespread, universal appeal and ingenious combination of cinematography and Williams’ inspired musical score, E.T. is a definite must-see film… Don’t overlook it!