E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is one of the most treasured family films of the 1980s, it’s one of the most popular movies in director Steven Spielberg’s extensive filmography and it surpassed the original “Star Wars” to become the highest grossing film of its time. So is it any good?

Of course it is! “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is a movie that is almost impossible to dislike, whilst I don’t love it as much as most people do (mainly because I didn’t grow up with it) and it’s not one of my favourite Spielberg films, I still really like it!

From Henry Thomas to Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore, all of the cast members in “E.T.” give compelling and relatable performances. It’s surprising how good and not-annoying the child actors in “E.T.” are, they act like real children and (usually) don’t scream they’re way through the film.

The plot of “E.T.” is simple but very effective and it’s been used in a whole host of other films in its genre (“The Iron Giant, “Bumblebee” etc.) The relationship between Elliott and his siblings and E.T. is so well fleshed-out, the events of the story perfectly push their relationship forward so that by the end of the film, the audience believe in the children’s friendship with E.T.

Spielberg shot “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” in (mostly) chronological order so that the cast would build a relationship with the E.T. puppet (the puppeteers were kept away from set so that the cast would believe E.T. was a real alien), causing the heavy emotions in the later scenes to feel more natural.

Whilst we’re on the subject of filming, I love the way that almost all of the adults in the first half of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” are only seen from the waist down, which heightens the sense that the audience are watching the story unfold from the children’s point of view.

Finally, one of the most discussed aspects of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” is how emotional it is, the cast and crew did a fantastic job of capturing the deep sadness and joy that are present in “E.T.”

In conclusion, “E.T.” is a great film. It’s an enjoyable and heartfelt story about friendship and childhood that still holds up today. It may lack the tension of “Jaws”, the excitement of “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or the spectacle of “Jurassic Park”, but it’s still a noteworthy Spielberg movie.