E.T (1982)

E.T (1982)

10/10

Starring

Henry Thomas

Robert MacNaughton

Drew Barrymore

Directed by Steven Spielberg

E.T is a movie that deals with a boy’s need for affection, based on the life of Spielberg himself who had long before been wanting to do a mini autobiography about his life with divorced parents and a father that was not there, jumped at the project after the failed Night Skies movie, a subplot from the movie (Night Skies) about an alien who befriends a boy, became the main plot of E.T.

Spielberg who after his parents divorced also had an imaginary alien friend who he ran to for comfort, so taking ideas from his life, like when he used to fake being sick by putting a thermostat close to a light bulb to show high temperature, all these were also incorporated into the movie and portrayed by the protagonist Elliot.

E.T’s memorable moment where he used telekinesis to make him and Elliot fly while he was in the bicycle front basket and Elliot peddling. The scene is one of cinematic prime moments at his time and the scene is used by Spielberg as his production company’s (Amblin) Logo.

The movie’s high point and only strength is the whole plot, which is about a lonely, isolated boy having a connection to an alien who was abandoned here on earth.

The movie plot is about a lonely boy and an Extraterrestrial (E.T), who become friends, and the boy and his siblings must find a way to help E.T get home while hiding him from the government and their mother.

E.T is a critical acclaim movie, with a 98% approval rating on the movie aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, and it can be found on many critic's top movie list. It was also a major box office success, recouping more than 70 times its 10.5 million production cost. As at the time of its release, E.T surpassed Star Wars (George Lucas) as the highest box office earner, a fit that was later surpassed in 1993 by another Spielberg movie Jurassic Park.

The E.T graphics may be low in today’s standard, but the tale is always on a high note, making this movie a must-watch and a DVD collection to own. Spielberg’s E.T is more of a dream, a movie where a little boy has a companion that just loves him and a friendship that breeds sacrifices, is one thing every man wishes for, some people see a spiritual undertone in this movie, due to the length of sacrifice both parties (E.T and Elliot) were willing to go for each other.

The catchphrase in the movie, “E.T Phone home” is never out of season.