Subject: Retrospective: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

From: Jerry Saravia <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 17:36:09 -0000

E.T. - THE EXTRA - TERRESTRIAL (1982)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
2002 Special Edition version seen on April 13th, 2002
RATING: Three stars and a half

I am not a huge fan of sentimental fantasy movies, but there is still a special
place in my heart for "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial," Steven Spielberg's superb
fantasy movie that is now getting a digitally remastered look and some added
footage. I do not agree with the changes but I will say that seeing it again in
a theatre confirms this as one of Spielberg's finest achievements. A soaring,
spirited, marvelous film that will be remembered for ages, just like its
antecedent, "The Wizard of Oz." 

Living in small-town suburbia, Elliott (Henry Thomas) is the eight year old kid
who discovers an alien outside his house. Slowly but surely he develops a
relationship with the friendly alien who loves Reese's Pieces (the sales of that
candy skyrocketed at the time of the film's release). When Elliott's older
brother, Mike (Robert MacNaughton), and his young sister, Gertie (Drew
Barrymore) discover the alien in Elliott's room, a sense of awe takes over,
unsure of how to react to a strange looking creature with big eyes, an enormous
head and an elongated neck. Naturally, Mom (Dee Wallace) is not told of the
creature staying in their house. 

E.T.'s mission is to get back home after being left stranded on Earth. He tries
to communicate with his kind using phone wires, a saw, a turntable and an
electronic spelling machine. He also learns rather quickly to talk, and is used
to substitute for Gertie during Halloween! Before you know it, the deja vu sets
in when goverment agents are looking for the alien creature to do experiments.
Can Elliott convince the agents that the alien is not out to do harm, that he is
as friendly as your neighborhood dog? 

Spielberg described the film as a "a fairy tale for the 80's," and it is as
magical and entertaining as any of Spielberg's other flights of fancy. What is
most amazing is how incredibly convincing the creature is. Never for a moment is
there an indication that the creature is an animatronic marvel of special
effects. It probably helps that Spielberg wisely avoids showing too much of the
creature. There are often close-ups of its face, its enormous eyelids, and its
gnome-like feet but not too much more to notice how fake all of it is (the same
holds true of Spielberg's "Jaws" where the shark was barely seen). 

Since the film deals with kids, we see the world and E.T. through the kids'
eyes. Every shot is usually from a low angle, and adults are always seen from
such an angle. This includes the terrific sequence in the classroom where
Elliott is able to feel E.T.'s emotional feelings and senses telepathically. In
this sequence, the science teacher's face is not actually shown, only his hands
and arms. With the exception of Elliott's mother, adults are usually seen as a
threat, particularly to Elliott and E.T. 

There is not much more to say about "E.T." that has not been said before. The
special-edition of the film, however, leaves something to be desired. Although
the film looks and sounds as great as it once was, Spielberg ought to learn from
George Lucas how not to meddle with the tried and true. The CGI effects for E.T.
destroy whatever was real about the creature in the first place. I remember best
how the film showed E.T. gliding away from its pursuers in the opening sequence.
Now he jumps up and down, and then appears tired as the spaceship takes off. It
somehow looks more fake than when they used a puppet. Especially appalling is
the deleted bathroom sequence where Elliott takes a bath with E.T. The creature
in this scene looks far too animated as compared to later shots where it is
drunk in the kitchen, bumping into objects and so on. If Spielman wanted to use
CGI, he should have reanimated the creature completely or not bothered at all.

Most upsetting is the final sequence where the government agents chase E.T. and
the kids on bikes with guns. Now the agents carry walkie-talkies, not guns,
thanks to CGI technology. Spielberg has said this is the way the sequence was
always intended. Is he serious? As with most remastered editions of classics,
this results in the deletion of one essential shot. As you may recall, the kids
on bikes are cornered by hundreds of agents, all holding guns. One agent holds a
rifle aimed squarely at E.T. The suspense carries over, as we fear for the kids'
lives. Deleting this shot ruins whatever suspense was initially there. Just
because you can revamp a film with CGI effects doesn't mean you should. 

Okay, and lastly, how about the line delivered by Elliott's mother to Mike? She
tells him not to dress like a terrorist for Halloween. After September 11th,
2001, this line might carry more of a negative connotation than initially but
this is a film from 1982. The word "terrorist" is now replaced with "hippie."
Why would the mother object to him dressing like a hippie? And the terrorist
angle carries weight during the suspenseful chase sequence...but since the
agents do not carry guns. Oh, enough said. 

Despite all deletions and changes, "E.T." is one of Spielberg's finest films,
taking us from our own childhood the dream of what it would be like to have an
alien in your bedroom. Thanks to screenwriter Melissa Mathison, the film brings
us back to our childhood innocence, remembering the dreams and hopes we all had
for a better future. If we can be friendly with an alien from another world, we
can get along with anybody. 

Post any comments, complaints or questions at
http://moviething.com/members/movies/faust/forum.shtml 

For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at
http://moviething.com/members/movies/faust/JATMIndex.shtml

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X-Language: en
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X-RT-TitleID: 1006389
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X-RT-RatingText: 3.5/4