E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662
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 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Quote: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (often referred to as just E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote. It tells the story of Elliott (played by Thomas), a lonely boy who befriends a friendly extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. Elliott and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.
The concept for E.T. was based on an imaginary friend Spielberg created after his parents' divorce in 1960. In 1980, Spielberg met Mathison and developed a new story from the stalled science fiction/horror film project Night Skies. The film was shot from September to December 1981 in California on a budget of US$10.5 million. Unlike most motion pictures, the film was shot in roughly chronological order, to facilitate convincing emotional performances from the young cast.
Released by Universal Pictures, E.T. was a blockbuster, surpassing Star Wars to become the most financially successful film released to that point. Critics acclaimed it as a timeless story of friendship, and it ranks as the greatest science fiction film ever made in a Rotten Tomatoes survey. The film was rereleased in 1985, and then again in 2002 with altered special effects and additional scenes.
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 12:26 pm |
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Star Wars
Indiana Jones IV
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:18 pm Posts: 1638 Location: Alderaan
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F -
Slow ass beginning and didn't start moving until Elliot escaped with E.T. from that place, and even then it was boring. Boring movie. Uninteresting characters. Horrible story. Bad direction. Just plain bad.
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 2:40 pm |
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rusty
rustiphica
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:59 pm Posts: 8687
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I've never actually seen it but people always say how great it is. I've never really even planned on seeing it either.
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 2:44 pm |
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Spidey
Teenage Dream
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:13 pm Posts: 10678
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Never seen it. Maybe I should watch it sometime.
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 3:02 pm |
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Terminator1997
George A. Romero
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:30 pm Posts: 9773 Location: Enjoying a cold pint
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I saw it at the theater when i was 3 and cried at the end.....sniff.....it still chokes me up
A+
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 3:03 pm |
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Andrew
Lover of Bacon
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 7:05 pm Posts: 4197 Location: Sherwood Forest, UK
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I loved ET as a child, it's a great family film and one of the classics from the 80's. I watched it recently though and it has lost some of its magic, but possibly because i'm not a kid anymore!
Everyone should see it though, its one of the best in its genre. I gave it a B+.
_________________ ... and there's something about this city today, like all the colours conspired to overwhelm the grey...
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 5:06 pm |
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MGKC
---------
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:42 pm Posts: 11808 Location: Kansas City, Kansas
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One of my favorite movies of all time. This has incredible character development, and has a lot of emotion in it.
My grade: 91.0 , A-
(#21 on my All-Time list)
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Sat Apr 09, 2005 5:11 pm |
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Maverikk
Award Winning Bastard
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:03 am Posts: 15310 Location: Slumming at KJ
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I have no idea why this film is not something that I like more, since it's directed by my favorite director. Even putting that aside, I actually knew the guy who played E.T. Well, I met him a few times, but my father knew him. Strangely enough, the little 3 foot guy met my dad in the 60's, when he filled in on drums one night for my dad's rock band. He was the first little person I had ever met, and I was not exactly used to towering over an adult. I was just a kid. I asked my dad how on Earth somebody so small could play drums, and he told me that he had special extensions made that allowed him to reach the pedals for the bass drum and hi hat, and the tom toms and symbols were all angled closely so his short arms had no problems. He also drove his own car, which was something to see. Unfortunately, he died not long after E.T. was released.
For some reason, I never loved E.T.. I did love the other movie he was in with Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher called Under the Rainbow, but E.T. just never hooked me.
B-/C+
I have often thought about watching it again, because it was so beloved. If there was ever a chance of being wrong about a movie, it was this one. There have been a few times where the second viewing made it all come together for me, as sometimes, your mood can affect the way you view something. Caddyshack became one of my most beloved comedies (a 3 way tie for #1 on my list), but I wasn't exactly enamoured with it the first time I saw it for some reason. Maybe watching E.T. again would be a similiar experience.
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 8:03 am |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48677 Location: Arlington, VA
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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a very special movie for me. My parents chose never to take me to the movies before the age of 3 (considering all the babies I see now, probably a good idea), and this was the first film I ever saw in a theater.
My love for it has not changed since.
A+
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:07 am |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
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B
Steven Spielberg is by far my favorite director of all time. Howrever, I can't help, but say that this movie is anything, but a masterpiece. It is decent family entertainment, but really not much more. Certainly, it is cute, the ending is touching and overall it never bores you, but I fail to see anything particulary special in this movie.
_________________The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:09 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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I just looked up over-rated in my dictionary and found a picture of E.T.
This one was a low point even among the many crummy films of Steven Spielberg (e.g.: Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park 1, Hook, and Indiana Jones 3). I never understood how it got such a big BO, though I suspect some form of mass hypnosis...
2 out of 5.
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Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:40 am |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48677 Location: Arlington, VA
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bradley witherberry wrote: I just looked up over-rated in my dictionary and found a picture of E.T.
This one was a low point even among the many crummy films of Steven Spielberg (e.g.: Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park 1, Hook, and Indiana Jones 3). I never understood how it got such a big BO, though I suspect some form of mass hypnosis...
2 out of 5.
I want to cry. Mass hypnosis?
I suspect it's too hard to come to terms with the fact people liked it.
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Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:40 pm |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Libs wrote: I want to cry. Mass hypnosis?
I suspect it's too hard to come to terms with the fact people liked it.
I'm surprised to hear that you've never experienced that type of disconnect between your own personal opinion about a movie and the general public's opinion.
My use of the expression "mass hypnosis" was simply an exaggeration for effect to communicate my own such disconnect... no need to cry.

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Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:37 pm |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48677 Location: Arlington, VA
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bradley witherberry wrote: Libs wrote: I want to cry. Mass hypnosis?
I suspect it's too hard to come to terms with the fact people liked it. I'm surprised to hear that you've never experienced that type of disconnect between your own personal opinion about a movie and the general public's opinion. My use of the expression "mass hypnosis" was simply an exaggeration for effect to communicate my own such disconnect... no need to cry. 
Well, yes, I understand your original point.
...and I'm just being a geek today.
Don't mind me, heh.
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Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:44 pm |
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El Maskado
Arrrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhh!
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 8:17 pm Posts: 21572
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Maverikk wrote: I have no idea why this film is not something that I like more, since it's directed by my favorite director. Even putting that aside, I actually knew the guy who played E.T. Well, I met him a few times, but my father knew him. Strangely enough, the little 3 foot guy met my dad in the 60's, when he filled in on drums one night for my dad's rock band. He was the first little person I had ever met, and I was not exactly used to towering over an adult. I was just a kid. I asked my dad how on Earth somebody so small could play drums, and he told me that he had special extensions made that allowed him to reach the pedals for the bass drum and hi hat, and the tom toms and symbols were all angled closely so his short arms had no problems. He also drove his own car, which was something to see. Unfortunately, he died not long after E.T. was released.
For some reason, I never loved E.T.. I did love the other movie he was in with Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher called Under the Rainbow, but E.T. just never hooked me.
B-/C+
I have often thought about watching it again, because it was so beloved. If there was ever a chance of being wrong about a movie, it was this one. There have been a few times where the second viewing made it all come together for me, as sometimes, your mood can affect the way you view something. Caddyshack became one of my most beloved comedies (a 3 way tie for #1 on my list), but I wasn't exactly enamoured with it the first time I saw it for some reason. Maybe watching E.T. again would be a similiar experience.
Same here, I didnt enjoy it that much. I think my main reason was because I saw movies like Starman, Cocoon and Short Circuit which borrowed quite a bit from ET. I know ET came out first but I didnt quite symphasize with him even though he looked like this big old ugly tortoise
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Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:19 pm |
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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662
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Maverikk wrote: I have no idea why this film is not something that I like more, since it's directed by my favorite director. Even putting that aside, I actually knew the guy who played E.T. Well, I met him a few times, but my father knew him. Strangely enough, the little 3 foot guy met my dad in the 60's, when he filled in on drums one night for my dad's rock band. He was the first little person I had ever met, and I was not exactly used to towering over an adult. I was just a kid. I asked my dad how on Earth somebody so small could play drums, and he told me that he had special extensions made that allowed him to reach the pedals for the bass drum and hi hat, and the tom toms and symbols were all angled closely so his short arms had no problems. He also drove his own car, which was something to see. Unfortunately, he died not long after E.T. was released.
For some reason, I never loved E.T.. I did love the other movie he was in with Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher called Under the Rainbow, but E.T. just never hooked me.
B-/C+
I have often thought about watching it again, because it was so beloved. If there was ever a chance of being wrong about a movie, it was this one. There have been a few times where the second viewing made it all come together for me, as sometimes, your mood can affect the way you view something. Caddyshack became one of my most beloved comedies (a 3 way tie for #1 on my list), but I wasn't exactly enamoured with it the first time I saw it for some reason. Maybe watching E.T. again would be a similiar experience.
Agreed.
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Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:22 pm |
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baumer72
Mod Team Leader
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:00 pm Posts: 7087 Location: Crystal Lake
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One of the best films ever made and experienced, 14 May 2002
Author: Dan Grant ( dan.grant@bell.ca) from Toronto, Ontario
Everyone gets lost in nostalgia from time to time. Many of us vividly recall the days when the most important thing you had to do that afternoon was find a place to stay cool or to make sure that all of your friends were willing to go on whatever adventure you wanted to embark on. For me, those days were the years between 1980 and 1987. At this time I was between the ages of 8 and 15. This was a time when some of the greatest movies were ever made for a teenaged boy. The genesis of film was started in my life with films like First Blood, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, The Goonies, Back To The Future and of course E.T.
Being that movies were such an intricate part of my young life and these experiences shaped me into the man that I am today, it is easy to recall with reverence the entire experience that went with those films. E.T. is a rare film however, because it is an experience that just gets better with age.
There was a theater in Windsor Ontario, where I spent my youth called the Vanity, located on Oullette Street, right near Wyandotte. This one theater was the place to be when the blockbsuters arrived. It was a one celled theater that managed to flourish in a time which pre-dated multi plexes with arcades and Pizza Hut's.
When the sequel to Star Wars arrived, the Vanity proudly played it. Same with Raiders and it's sequels and of course E.T. E.T. was a film that me and my best friend Gary had to see because it was Spielberg. Even though we were ten years old, we knew that Spielberg had given us great films like Jaws, Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark. I am not sure if it is normal at the age of ten but we rushed out to see E.T. because we knew who directed it. What a phenom this tiny film turned out to be and what a life changing experience the whole film was.
When you are ten and you see a movie with your best friend who watches the A-Team and Conan the Barbarian with you, you expect a certain reaction from him. After all, this same friend enjoys playing football at lunch and enjoys inflicting pain in a barbaric pasttime called the "The Tripping Game", therefore you don't expect a film to affect you and your macho friend the way E.T. did. When you are ten, you go to the movies to see things like lightsabre duels and heroes with bullwhips being lowered into the Well of the Souls and maybe the occasional breast shot. What you don't expect is a film to manipulate your emotional realm thh way E.T. did and still does. Most of my friends who saw E.T. bawled their eyes out at the age of ten. I, for some unexplainable reason did not. I loved the film but it wouldn't be for another six years that I cried in my first film. That was She's Having A Baby when Kate Bush sang Woman's Work and made me sob uncontrollably as I watched Kevin Bacon lose his unborn child. Some things can't be explained.
E.T. became one of my favourite films and I saw it again on its re-release in 1985, bought the poster, purchased the movie on VHS and told everyone who would listen that E.T. got robbed at the 82 Oscars when it lost every major category to (snicker snicker) Gandhi. There have been some Oscar travesties but this ( along with Annie Hall defeating Star Wars and Cuckoo's Nest beating Jaws ) had to be up there as one of the most ridiculous snubs ever. I was peeved. What a joke. But all of the cranky and derelict academy members seethed with contempt and jealousy because they couldn't accept the fact that a man this young could really be this much of a genius. In fact he made the rest of the folks in Hollywood look young compared to himself.
As the years passed I became a film lover, a movie buff and I tried to see any and every film out there. And I did. It's not that E.T. became an after-thought, it's just that it became one of those films that just sat it my collection and wasn't utilized often enough. When I made my revised top 25 list, E.T. would always hover around number 20. That is not an indictment of the quality of E.T., it's just that my tastes became more garnered to horror films and the sheer brilliance of E.T. was stored in the catacombs of my mind. That all changed on March 24th, 2002. This is ironic because my wife and I had the whole day planned. We were going to see E.T. at the theater and then come home and watch the 24 hour Oscar-a-thon. And in a year when an inferior film like A Beautiful Mind takes top honours from the much more ambitious and deserving Lord of the Rings, it reminded me of 20 years ago. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Seeing E.T. after a 17 year hiatus was nothing short of uplifting. My excitement was gushing and when John Williams' ever recognizable score reverberated over the sound system, I was hooked and it felt like I was ten all over again. I also noticed that the audience was an eclectic mix of young kids, 30 somethings like myself and the elderly. All of us were there because we either wanted to experience it for the first time or because we wanted to feel what it was like that first time we saw it 20 years ago.
I think I liked E.T. when I was ten but this time around I developed a deep level of respect for it. E.T. is simply one of the finest films ever made and if you have not seen the film in the theater then you have no idea what you are missing. Everything about this film is perfect, and there really aren't many films around I can say that about. Even some of my personal favourites have moments of weakness but not E.T. There has never really been another movie that has offered the experience that E.T. does. And when I said that I didn't shed a tear while watching E.T., that has all changed. I think there were about five moments in E.T. that had me holding back the tears. You can analyze the film, psychologically deconstruct it and tell me that the reason the film works so well is because of the feeling of loneliness and comradery and I will agree with you. But I don't really care about that. What it comes down to is that E.T. is a film that will touch you in a way that no other film before could do and no other film after it can. 1982 was a different time for film and it was a different time as a civilization. And E.T. encompassed all of that. If I had to make my revised top 25 list, E.T. would be number 2, right behind Jaws and ahead of JFK, Halloween, American Beauty and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
If you have not seen E.T. at the theaters since 1985, please I urge you, go see it again. It is a film experience that is indefeasible. It is also a film that should be looked upon as a paradigm for which all movies should try to emulate. There is a reason that films like E.T. and Star Wars and Raiders make the money they do. And there is also a reason they stay firmly planted in our memories. That is because they mean something and they stand for something. Those are the qualities in film that transcend time and they transcend the generations.
10 out of 10----What more can be said?
_________________ Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
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Fri Apr 15, 2005 9:21 am |
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jb007
Veteran
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:47 pm Posts: 3917 Location: Las Vegas
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baumer72, well written post. =D> and I agree.
A
_________________ Dr. RajKumar 4/24/1929 - 4/12/2006 The Greatest Actor Ever. Thanks for The Best Cinematic Memories of My Life.
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Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:49 pm |
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movies35
Forum General
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 1:53 pm Posts: 8627 Location: Syracuse, NY
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It really is an amazing film. I watched it as a kid all the time on video, I saw it in theater's for it's 20th anniversery and now own it on DVD. I like to watch it every now and then. ET is a must for anybody.
10/10 (A+)
_________________ Top 10 Films of 2016
1. La La Land 2. Other People 3. Nocturnal Animals 4. Swiss Army Man 5. Manchester by the Sea 6. The Edge of Seventeen 7. Sing Street 8. Indignation 9. The Lobster 10. Hell or High Water
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Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:01 pm |
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baumer72
Mod Team Leader
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:00 pm Posts: 7087 Location: Crystal Lake
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jb007 wrote: baumer72, well written post. =D> and I agree.
A
thank you. \:D/
_________________ Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
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Sat May 07, 2005 9:03 am |
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Riggs
We had our time together
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:36 am Posts: 13299 Location: Vienna
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One of the most overrated movies ever. C-
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Sat May 07, 2005 9:36 am |
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baumer72
Mod Team Leader
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:00 pm Posts: 7087 Location: Crystal Lake
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I think to truly appreciate E.T., you have to have a little understanding of the tiem that it was released and the power it had over all of us then. ET brings a tear to my eye every time I see it. The feelings of loneliness and iscolation are so omnipotent in the film and the message conveyed here is one of the strongest in my days of watching film.
_________________ Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
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Sat May 07, 2005 9:38 am |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48677 Location: Arlington, VA
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baumer72 wrote: I think to truly appreciate E.T., you have to have a little understanding of the tiem that it was released and the power it had over all of us then. ET brings a tear to my eye every time I see it. The feelings of loneliness and iscolation are so omnipotent in the film and the message conveyed here is one of the strongest in my days of watching film.
Yeah, as I said in my earlier post, this film is dear to me because it's the first one I saw in a movie theater.
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Sat May 07, 2005 9:41 am |
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baumer72
Mod Team Leader
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:00 pm Posts: 7087 Location: Crystal Lake
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It's pretty close to mine as well. In 82 I was 10 years old, and that was about when I started going to the movies. What a magical experience.
_________________ Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
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Sat May 07, 2005 9:43 am |
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BacktotheFuture
I'm Batman
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:53 pm Posts: 5554 Location: Long Island
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Only a true movie fan can appreciate E.T. The humor, the story, the sad moments. Until I watched it again last night I never realized how truly beautiful the movie was. It is now definitley one of my all-time favorites from Spielberg. E.T. himself is one of the best characters in cinematic history. Elliot is a bit of an over-actor sometimes, but he does great in the emotional scenes.
A+
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Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:51 pm |
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