E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Whilst visiting Earth an Alien is accidentally left behind and strikes up a friendship with a young boy.

The story centres around E.T. and his relationship with three children in a family where the parents are divorced and the father is not around. Much has been written about how autobiographical the movie is about Spielberg's own childhood and lots of unique little moments along these lines are captured in the most cinematic way possible. In fact some of the strongest scenes involve simple interaction between the family and their friends. These are not idealised Hollywood versions of families, but natural slices of suburban life that always feel real.

E.T.'s arrival and the events that follow help to fill the emptiness in the heart of the youngest son Elliott and they soon form a psychic bond together. Peace, tolerance and communication are explored constantly as we see visuals and hear dialogue connected to these themes throughout the movie.

We see everything from E.T.'s perspective and share his experience as an alien visitor in a strange world. Nothing is explained, because what we see with our own eyes tells us everything we need to know. In fact the visuals are so powerful there was very little I had to explain to my three year old companion as she watched it with me.

Everything builds towards a spectacular climax, which is one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history. Again very little is said as this wonderfully emotional sequence very efficiently breaks our hearts.

I didn't care much for E.T. during the 80s. I think it's because I was conditioned from a very young age by more violent and action orientated movies. Also, my mother was quite enthusiastic about it which back then could scrape the cool off most things. It was not until I was pushing forty with a three year old daughter that my perspective changed forever.

Well done Mr Spielberg, probably your finest moment.

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL was one of those films that everybody took for granted as a child in the 1980s. Everybody had seen it, everybody loved it, everybody could reference it with the other kids knowing what they were talking about. Finding myself less than impressed than Steven Spielberg's overt sentimentalism, I wondered how I'd find it as an adult...

Well, I needn't have worried, because E.T. still hits the mark. Yes, it's mawkish and rather dated, but I think that's all part of the fun. This is the classic kid's film of the 1980s, in which the adults are portrayed as either out of touch or the enemy; it's the kids who have to band together to fight for justice, and the template works very well here.

Inevitably, the character of E.T. himself is what makes this film. The Carlo Rambaldi special effects still stand the test of time and the voice mannerisms are just right. Henry Thomas has a tough role, acting against an non-human for the most part, but he excels in the part and the frog scene is still excellent. Drew Barrymore is very effective too. E.T. is certainly a film that still manages to tug at the heartstrings with all of the increasing drama and that poignant ending, and I love it just as much as I always did.

There's honestly nothing bad I can say about this movie. I loved ET when I was a little child and now at 39 I still love the movie!! Everytime I watch this MOVIE it makes me feel like a little kid again. It's very entertaining sweet and cool. Still there is one thing I have to mention. Steven Spielberg brought out a special DVD version of this movie. Which is called ET the special edition. It's still the same fabulous movie we all know. They just improved on 12% of the special effects and also included a never-before-seen fun and interesting scene where you learn ET can breathe underwater. It is an absolute must buy if you are a big fan of this movie. I will love this movie till the day I die. I always wished Spielberg had made a very emotional and cool sequel.

The first time I saw E.T was at the age of 12 and I cried. Really cried. Six years later, I still cry at it. The ability of this film to pull emotions out of you is unlike most films we see today.

As many of the users have said, this is a film made for children and it achieves this brilliantly.

I do feel as well that it targets adults, returnign them to their innocence. The time of our lives when mothing was impossible and everything had goodness in it. In modern times it is all too often seen that children are desperate to become adults and lose their innocence far too quickly. This story in which S.S developed helps adults to return to that time.

I would give this film 11/10. Anyone who feels that it is not heart warming and emotional, I think have been watching a totally different film!!!!!

Today when I was at my house alone, looking through my DVDs, trying to figure out which movie I should see for entertainment. I saw E.T and I hadn't seen it for nearly 3-4 years ago. I seen the film ever since I was 4 years old, so I wondering if I would still enjoy it when I'm an adult. As I was watching the film, I had this rush of nostalgia running through me, I was remembering the times when I was a kid with my family. The film didn't at all feel to childish to me, I was actually having a lot of fun, like I used to when I was a kid. This film has not aged at all since 30 years ago. This film is a truly timeless film, and will always be remembered. This is one of the best Steven Spielberg films. (And that is no easy task) A Timeless Classic 10/10