Michael: Maybe it was an iguana.
Elliot: It was NO iguana.
Michael: You know how they say there are alligators in the sewers?
Gertie: Alligators in the sewers.
Mary: All we're trying to say is, maybe you just probably imagined it.
Elliot: I couldn't have imagined it!
Michael: Maybe it was a pervert or a deformed kid or something.
Gertie: A deformed kid.
Michael: Maybe an elf or a leprechaun?
Elliot: It was nothing like that, penis-breath!
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-.
By : Robin Clifford
Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
Rating: 0
The years have not dimmed the awe, the spectacle nor the heart from this wonderful classic.
Save for one added scene, and some enhanced special effects that give E.T. more personality, this masterpiece is the same touching feature that brought tears to millions of eyes back in 1982.
I doubt any warm-blooded individual can watch this film's finale - especially the moment when E.T. touches young Elliott's forehead and says, "I'll be right here." - without unashamedly weeping.
The decades have not siphoned the emotional potency brewed by Melissa Mathison's script, Steven Spielberg's direction and John Williams' soaring musical score.
Spielberg had admitted his attachment to E.T., calling it his most personal film, his catharsis for finally being able to deal with his parents divorce and the feelings of abandonment caused by the departure of his father.
And these elements are very much in evidence in E.T. Elliott, the middle child, lives with his older brother, Mike, younger sister, Gertie, and their now-separated mother. Elliott misses his father terribly.
The story of E.T. is so well known that repeating any of it is unnecessary.
So, let's look at what has been added and technologically updated. The added scene features E.T. and Elliott in the bathroom with E.T. fooling around with a tube of toothpaste then relaxing underwater in the bathtub. It doesn't really add much to the film, except to show more of the bonding between the boy and his alien.
Computer graphics have made E.T. more expressive, especially around the eyes and mouth. He seems more emotionally in tune with the children around him.
Computer magic also was used in the final chase sequence to transform shotguns the government agents were holding into walkie-talkies. Purists may object, but I'd rather see grownups carrying communication devices when chasing youngsters than guns.
One of the strangest aspects of looking back on E.T. is watching Drew Barrymore. She is so cute and precocious, a real charmer, and it is evident even at such a young age that the camera adores her.
And you forget how fine a performance young Henry Thomas gave. He tugs at your heart as he fights to keep then help his new-found friend.
E.T. always will be a treasure. You can re-release it 20 years or 100 years from now and it will continue to wrap you in a warm, cozy, emotional vise. It's the epitome of true cinematic art, a movie that touches you on all levels.
Welcome home, E.T.
By : Bob Bloom
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