E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

1982 Fantasy

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 seems lonely and out of sorts, lost in his own world. One day, while looking for something in the back yard, he senses something mysterious in the woods watching him. And he's right: an alien spacecraft on a scientific mission mistakenly left behind an aging botanist who isn't sure how to get home. Eventually Elliott puts his fears aside and makes contact with the "little squashy guy," perhaps the least threatening alien invader ever to hit a movie screen. As Elliott tries to keep the alien under wraps and help him figure out a way to get home, he discovers that the creature can communicate with him telepathically. Soon they begin to learn from each other, and Elliott becomes braver and less threatened by life. E.T. rigs up a communication device from junk he finds around the house, but no one knows if he'll be rescued before a group of government scientists gets hold of him. In 2002, Steven Spielberg re-released E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in a revised edition, with several deleted scenes restored and digitally refurbished special effects. more..

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace,Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton,Drew Barrymore

Reviews

  • Watching E.T now, in an era dominated by cold, loud special-effects-laden extravaganzas, one is struck less by its lavish grandeur than by its intimacy and precision.

    Dana Stevens - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • Seeing E.T. again reminds us of how much we've remained the same, how gratified we still are by a film that connects so beautifully to our sense of wonder and joy.

    Kenneth Turan - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • This movie made my heart glad. It is filled with innocence, hope, and good cheer. It is also wickedly funny and exciting as hell.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • In E.T., Spielberg proved a herald of the age when moviegoers would make full-time friends with fantasy, but his most special effect was taking us into ourselves.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • A sophisticatedly sappy masterpiece that bucked the prevailing Hollywood vision of aliens as nasty invaders and recast them as friendly collectibles for children.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

    Academy Awards (1983)

  • Best DVD Classic Film Release

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2003)

  • Best Edited Feature Film

    American Cinema Editors (1983)

     
  • Best Foreign Language Film

    Awards of the Japanese Academy (1983)

  • Best Score

    BAFTA Awards (1983)