E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Writer: Melissa Mathison
Cast: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, K.C. Martel, Sean Frye, C. Thomas Howell
Synopsis:
A lone alien botanist is stranded in a California suburb after his ship leaves without him. The alien is discovered by Elliott (Thomas), a young boy who lives in the area. Elliott befriends the alien and introduces them to his brother Michael (MacNaughton) and his sister Gertie (Barrymore). The alien, who the children have named E.T., forms a strong telepathic bond with Elliott that allows the two to experience each others feelings. The children soon learn that earth is not the safest place for E.T., who is trying to build a transmitter to call his ship so he can return home. However, government agents have become aware of the E.T.'s existence and have begun scouring the neighborhood for the alien.
First Impressions:
My first impression of this movie is that it scared the shit out of me. I was 6 years old and my parents had taken me to see it in the theaters. I was okay up until the scene in the long grass where Elliott sees E.T. for the first time. The way that scene was shot just scared the crap out of me and I remember my parents having to take me out of the movie. I don't know why but that experience stuck with me for a long time, to the point that I refused to watch the film when it came out on video and wanted nothing to do with E.T. (which was hard because in 1982, E.T. was a certified phenomenon). It wasn't until about 25 years later when the studio released the Collector's Edition DVD that I figured I'd finally give it a shot. I have to say, my second viewing experience was much more pleasurable than the first. I thought the film was genuinely good and was vintage Spielberg. While the film no longer terrifies me, it's still not something I go back to very often but as this years marks the movie's 40th anniversary (man, I'm old), I figured it'd be appropriate to review it. So, let's dive right in.
Story/Direction:
"E.T. phone home."
Being a kid's film, there isn't a very involved story in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial but that doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, the film's simplicity is what makes it so good and so enduring. Strip away all the science-fiction adventure stuff and this is really a story about a broken family. Elliott and his siblings are all trying, in their own ways, to cope with the divorce of their parents. Elliott is extremely resentful and misses his father and misses the loss of what he considered a perfect life. That's why he bonds so easily with E.T. He's yearning for a connection with someone. His brother is getting older and wants to spend more time with his friends than his little brother and his mother has to work to keep food on the table. The way Spielberg displays this family dynamic had a real authenticity to it, most likely because Spielberg himself was a child of divorce and I think many of his early movies helped him come to terms with all of the emotions that can be tied to a family splitting up.
Speaking of emotions, I touched on this a bit in my review of Transformers: The Movie, but I have to say that the 80s really was the Golden Age of kids movies. Filmmakers didn't shy away from confronting children with intense emotions and feelings but also provided a sense of wonder and discovery that many modern films lack. It's that depth that also made films, especially this one, resonate with parents and adults as well. Like I mentioned in the earlier review, it's one of the reasons that films of era have stayed relevant even 30 or 40 years later. I'm not talking out of turn saying that there aren't likely many adults that wouldn't be at least somewhat emotionally impacted when seeing E.T. leave at the end of the film. I know I was.
As far as specific plot points go, the film is pretty basic. E.T. gets stranded on earth and needs to call his people for a ride off the planet. The thing I really liked about the way Spielberg tells the story, is that it's all told from the children's point of view and we're not inundated with a bunch of exposition explaining to the audience what's going on and the kids are figuring it all out at the same time we are. Once again, filmmakers back in the day trusted their audience. It's become a running theme on this blog.
Acting/Characters:
Much of the film's primary cast are children and it's always a crap-shoot when it comes to child actors. The thing with kids, however, is that there's very little subtlety in anything they do, so often times its just a matter of getting the young actors to be themselves and not mug too much for the camera. Spielberg was a master at pulling good performances from child actors, especially during this era. As a result, the three principal child actors in the film do a pretty good job settling into their respective tropes.
Henry Thomas plays Elliott as a confused little boy that is still coming to grips with the fact that his father isn't around anymore. As I mentioned above, he's desperate to make a connection with something, which is why the relationship with E.T. is so profound. Thomas plays Elliott as sensitive and more than a bit resentful towards his mom about the way things have gone. It's a pretty good performance.
On the other side of the spectrum is Robert McNaughton's Michael, who is a little older and perhaps a bit more wise in the ways of the world. Michael is more protective of his mother and frequently chastises Michael for upsetting her. Michael is trying to fill the role as the man of the house even though he's still very much a child himself. The dynamic between the two brothers is played very well.
The rest of the cast does a good job, with a very you Drew Barrymore playing Elliott and Michael's younger sister, Gertie. Much of Barrymore's performance comes from either screaming or mimicking the lines of other characters but it still rings true to me. Dee Wallace plays the kids' long-suffering mother, Mary who's just trying to do the best in an unfortunate situation.
Visuals/Action:
For a 40 year old movie, the special effects still hold up pretty well. First of all, the design and execution of E.T. is terrific and the film certainly deserved the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The alien is done exclusively in camera with animatronic and puppetry and he still looks great. There are, of course, some rough spots in the VFX, particularly with come of the green screen shots but much of that is due to modern hi-def TVs than poor visual effects. One of the most interesting things Spielberg does visually with the film is that he shot it at a very low angle. This was done to promote the idea that the audience is seeing this all from a child's point of view. It really is a brilliant bit of filmmaking and it's a shame it didn't catch on more.
There isn't really a lot of action in the film, save for the final act where the kids must escape on bike with E.T. to get him to the area where his ship is going to land. It's a pretty great scene and it includes one of the most iconic shots in cinematic history that became synonymous with Spielberg.
Score/Music:
This is a Steven Spielberg film so, of course, the music was going to be written by the great John Williams. One of the other reasons why I wanted to review this film was because he's gone on record recently that he's going to retire soon. Williams really has written some of the most iconic themes in movie history. Whether it's the opening fanfare for in the Star Wars films, the Raiders March or even the theme for Lost in Space Williams has never really laid out a clunker and he always does quality work. This film is not different and the theme for E.T. ranks up there amongst his best work. Godspeed Mr. Williams and thanks for writing the soundtrack to my childhood.
Final Verdict:
Suffice to say, 46 year old me has a softer view on this film than 6 year old me. In my opinion, it stands as one of the films of the 80s and certainly as one of the best kids films of all time. Young or old, it's definitely worth a watch.
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