Review 365: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, Elliott introduces E.T., as the alien is dubbed, to his brother, Michael (Robert McNaughton) and his little sister, Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and the children decide to keep its existence a secret from their mother Mary (Dee Wallace). Soon, however, E.T. falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliott and E.T. - as well as a race to get him home.
The plot can be described in just one single solitary word: Wonderful. The reason it's so touching is because the relationship between Elliott and E.T. is so well crafted and written. Both of these characters have a lot in common despite being different spices.
Both Elliot and E.T. are lonely individuals who need a friend - Elliot is the middle child in a family of three children and is looked down upon by his tow siblings, Michael and Gertie and doesn't really have that many people whom he can confide in.
Of all the films that Steven Spielberg has made in his long and illustrious career, E. T. has got to be the one that's closest to his heart.
There are parts of this movie that feel almost autobiographical:
Spielberg drew the overall story from his own parents divorce. Other
references to the filmmakers childhood include a scene where Elliot
fakes an illness by holding a thermometer to his bedside light while at
the same time covering his face with a heating pad which was a trick frequently employed by a young Spielberg.
Michael picking on Elliot echoes Spielberg's teasing of his younger sisters and Michael's evolution to tormentor to protector reflects how Spielberg had to take care of his sisters after their father left.
Michael picking on Elliot echoes Spielberg's teasing of his younger sisters and Michael's evolution to tormentor to protector reflects how Spielberg had to take care of his sisters after their father left.
Friendship: Throughout the film, Elliott (whose name begins with an "E" and ends with a "T") and E.T. are shown to be from wildly different worlds and their bond is love, loyalty, teamwork and compassion. Ultimately, Elliott has to let E.T. go not just so so he can grow up but so he can return home and keep on living.
E.T. has been unintentionally left behind by his family on a visit to Earth and he has no one whom he can turn to - until he meets Elliot.
Through their loneliness, these two characters are drawn together and bond together and share each others thoughts and feelings making for an incredibly touching and iconic friendship and that's the primary theme of E.T.: Friendship.
Through their loneliness, these two characters are drawn together and bond together and share each others thoughts and feelings making for an incredibly touching and iconic friendship and that's the primary theme of E.T.: Friendship.
Because of how much Spielberg has drawn from his childhood, we get a touching and relatable portrait of childhood and the pro for all of Spielberg's inspiration means the film doesn't preach about the subject or talks down to us and makes it feel like a lecture. Spielberg shows us childhood through characters, dialogue and actions, Elliot is the middle child but lonely and looked down upon by his two siblings, the family engages in family activities such having dinner, Michael picks on Elliot like an older brother does - they do things a normal family would do, which makes the movie all the more relatable and accessible to audiences. Children can relate to it because it's happening to them right now and adults can relate to it because they went through the same phase when they were younger.
E.T. is also a story about growing up but it's also about holding on to our childhood as we grow up; Elliot is trying to help E.T., who is technically an imaginary friend, to get home but at the same time he doesn't want to leave. This is an allegory for childhood, we all must grow up eventually but that doesn't mean we have to loose our childlike qualities like curiosity, optimism and a love for fantasy. Rather than stunting us, they can uplift us as people.
Steven Spielberg's direction is seamless, the cinematography is beautiful; making great use of shadow to give an sense of mystery and the unknown in the 80s surban home and the use of fog and difused light give an almost dream like quality, the score by John Williams is wonderfully touching, the flying scenes where E.T. makes Elliot's bike fly are astonishing, the scenery is breathtaking, the special effects are superb for the time this movie was made and for the most part hold up today, the make up and creature design for E.T. is so striking, the chase scenes at the end are exciting and expertly staged, the setting is so natural and comforting - there's something about a typical suburban home that makes you feel safe from harm and the ending is heartbreaking.
The acting is terrific, Henry Thomas is so natural and likeable as Elliot, he's a child who wants to play but he's forced to remain in the real world to carry out the mundane tasks. His confinement to reality and exclusion from fantasy is As the middle child, he's caught in the middle of his siblings, Michael and Gertie's states. He's too old to play dress up with his sister yet at the same time he's young enough to pushback against the burgening adulthood of his brother. He's growing up but he doesn't want to. Thomas beautifully conveys the emotion of having a secret that you want to share with the world.
Robert McNaughton is also terrific as Michael, he starts off as the typical older brother who likes to take the Micky out of Elliot, doesn't pay him much attention and plays football with his friends, but when he meets E.T. he decides to help Elliot get him home, in doing so he grows closer to Elliot and becomes sort of a fatherly figure to Elliot.
Drew Barrymore is just charming as Gertie, she's mischievous and sarcastic all the typical little sister things, which Barrymore portrays with such charm and innocence. She's also initially terified of E.T. when Elliot introduces her to him, but over time grows attached to him and treats him like a member of the family which is so touching.
E.T. is also a story about growing up but it's also about holding on to our childhood as we grow up; Elliot is trying to help E.T., who is technically an imaginary friend, to get home but at the same time he doesn't want to leave. This is an allegory for childhood, we all must grow up eventually but that doesn't mean we have to loose our childlike qualities like curiosity, optimism and a love for fantasy. Rather than stunting us, they can uplift us as people.
Steven Spielberg's direction is seamless, the cinematography is beautiful; making great use of shadow to give an sense of mystery and the unknown in the 80s surban home and the use of fog and difused light give an almost dream like quality, the score by John Williams is wonderfully touching, the flying scenes where E.T. makes Elliot's bike fly are astonishing, the scenery is breathtaking, the special effects are superb for the time this movie was made and for the most part hold up today, the make up and creature design for E.T. is so striking, the chase scenes at the end are exciting and expertly staged, the setting is so natural and comforting - there's something about a typical suburban home that makes you feel safe from harm and the ending is heartbreaking.
The acting is terrific, Henry Thomas is so natural and likeable as Elliot, he's a child who wants to play but he's forced to remain in the real world to carry out the mundane tasks. His confinement to reality and exclusion from fantasy is As the middle child, he's caught in the middle of his siblings, Michael and Gertie's states. He's too old to play dress up with his sister yet at the same time he's young enough to pushback against the burgening adulthood of his brother. He's growing up but he doesn't want to. Thomas beautifully conveys the emotion of having a secret that you want to share with the world.
Robert McNaughton is also terrific as Michael, he starts off as the typical older brother who likes to take the Micky out of Elliot, doesn't pay him much attention and plays football with his friends, but when he meets E.T. he decides to help Elliot get him home, in doing so he grows closer to Elliot and becomes sort of a fatherly figure to Elliot.
Drew Barrymore is just charming as Gertie, she's mischievous and sarcastic all the typical little sister things, which Barrymore portrays with such charm and innocence. She's also initially terified of E.T. when Elliot introduces her to him, but over time grows attached to him and treats him like a member of the family which is so touching.
E.T. is fascinated by the human world around him and deeply curious about Elliott's life. He may be an alien from some other planet but he's ernest and empathetic To Elliott, E.T. represents that magical, imaginary friend, a caregiver, a sibling and a parental figure all rolled into one. He represents childhood surviving maturity.
Dee Walace is perfect as Mary, Elliot's mum, she's mostly oblivious to E.T. existance but it's not because she's ignorant, because E.T. is technically an imaginary friend, she can't see him and when Elliot mentions him, she nearly passes him off as Elliot's imaginary friend of. For the rest movie, she's a normal single mum, she loves her children, but sometimes being a mum is tough, having to look after Elliot and his siblings on her due to her being divorced, love her children, tell them off... She goes about it like a normal human being.
Dee Walace is perfect as Mary, Elliot's mum, she's mostly oblivious to E.T. existance but it's not because she's ignorant, because E.T. is technically an imaginary friend, she can't see him and when Elliot mentions him, she nearly passes him off as Elliot's imaginary friend of. For the rest movie, she's a normal single mum, she loves her children, but sometimes being a mum is tough, having to look after Elliot and his siblings on her due to her being divorced, love her children, tell them off... She goes about it like a normal human being.
Peter Coyote has probably the most intriguing character in the film playing the character known only as "Keys" it feels like he's the villain of the film by default. His job conflicts with Elliott and his siblings goals but he otherwise remains a fairly sympathetic and reasonable person. Keys is meant to represent adulthood emphasised by his jangling, symbolic keys designed to access all those forbidden places children aren’t allowed.
E.T. is a wonderful sic fi film for the whole family - as well as a timeless classic, 5/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
E.T. is a wonderful sic fi film for the whole family - as well as a timeless classic, 5/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
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