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

From: Robin Clifford <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 18:54:53 -0000

"E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial"

Twenty years ago a film legend was born with the story of a little alien
left stranded, alone, on Earth. His friendship with a young boy and an
overwhelming need to "phone home" touched the hearts of millions around the
world. Now, it's time to dust off the legend, spruce it up a bit and
capture the hearts of millions more in the anniversary release of Steven
Spielberg's "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial."

I attended an advance screening of the 20th anniversary reissue of "E.T."
and was struck by several things. One is that Steven Spielberg established
himself as the master of manipulation with this opus as he plucked our
heartstrings with the sentimentality of a friendship between a little boy
and a diminutive alien. The helmer also has a knack of putting a sinister
tone to the story, even when there is no actual menace - the faceless men
swarming around the darkened woods, flashlights poking beams in all
directions, hunting down the frightened, stranded E.T.; or, the invasion
into Elliott's home by more faceless government guys dressed in space
suits. These are disturbing elements that place a dark edge on the
otherwise light and charming adventure tale, even if, in the end, the
actions turn benign.

Seeing this flick again, so many years later, also shows that the things
that captured our hearts two decades ago still apply today. While I may
scorn the rank manipulation of sentimentality endemic in many Spielberg
films, I believe, again, in E.T. Not once did it come to mind that the
little guy is anything other than real. His reintroduction to a whole new
audience of kids will revive this marketing concern - a good thing, too,
since Laura's stuffed E.T. toy gave up the ghost years ago - and, I'm sure,
the box office takes around the world are going to be huge.

The other thing about "E.T." that I had forgotten about is the caliber of
the acting of the kids starring in the film. Henry Thomas, as young
Elliott, is outstanding as he, initially, is the only one who believes in
the little creature. When his eyes fill with tears over the fate of his
friend from another planet, I got all choked up, too, over what is
happening to little E.T.
Six-year old (at the time) Drew Barrymore is wonderful as Elliott's little
sister Gertie. Her innocent denials of Elliott's escapades with his alien
buddy or her dealings with the little critter himself are the comic relief
through much of the film. Robert MacNaughton, as Elliott and Gertie's elder
sibling Mike, is dead on as the older brother who, initially, puts up with
his little brother's fantasy imaginings about aliens but becomes a firm
ally when the truth is told. The adults in this fantasy adventure - mainly
limited to Dee Wallace Stone as the kids' mom and Peter Coyote as the
initially sinister government guy who, really, has a heart - don't fare as
well as their younger costars.

The reissue of "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial," as one expects, has
additional footage and changes/updates to the existing film and, overall,
it works. E.T.'s first encounter with the "sinister" men in the woods is
given a bit more realism to the little guy's escape as he hops, rather than
glides (as in the original), to safety. In a politically correct move,
Spielberg and the crew at Industrial Light and Magic replace the guns of
the swarming Feds, in the climactic chase, with walkie-talkies. This PC
move may piss off the purists but in my mind works far better than guys
toting guns to take some little kids into custody. One addition I do
question is the insert of a scene as mom tries to find Elliott during
Halloween. The added scene provides some amusing notes, particularly by
Drew Barrymore, but looks like a cross between "Wild In the Streets," "The
Crow" and footage of the siege at Attica State Prison. Overall, though, the
changes and additions help smooth out some problems with the original
rather than seem simply tacked on.

Bringing back "E.T." to the big screen, decades after its first release,
and "fixing" the problems that bothered the director turns out to be a big
plus. A whole new generation of kids will have the chance to see the magic
of the lovable title character and, despite the fact that film technology
has grown in leaps and bounds, the "old-fashioned" puppeteering still works
and you do believe in the little guy. I give it an A-.

For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com

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X-Language: en
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X-RT-RatingText: A-