Movie Review – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
“He is afraid. He is totally alone. He is 3 million light years from home.”
At some point in our childhood we’ve all had some sort of imaginary friend, whether it was somebody invisible or in the form of a stuffed animal or other state.
We’ve also probably envisioned ourselves being in danger and rising up to become the hero of the story. Sometimes more of those stories would be running through my head instead of paying closer attention to the teachers back in elementary school.
The classic 1982 science-fiction movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial tells a story of a peaceful alien who becomes marooned on Earth. The alien befriends a young boy and the two of them learn about each other’s lives. In the end it’s the young boy who saves the alien from government officials and helps him return to his spaceship so he can return home.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was directed by award-winning director Steven Spielberg, and the film was released back in 1982. John Williams composed the movie’s score and won an Academy Award for his musical creation. Henry Thomas plays the role of Elliott, a ten-year-old boy who discovers the alien and becomes his friend. Robert MacNaughton has the role of Michael, Elliott’s older brother whose interests mainly include being with his friends and learning to drive a car. Drew Barrymore plays the role of Gertie, Elliott and Michael’s five-year-old mischievous sister who eventually loves the alien. Dee Wallace plays the role of Mary, the children’s recently divorced mother who struggles with taking care of the house and raising the children. Peter Coyote has the role of “Keys,” a mysterious government official who tracks the alien and later reveals that he’s always had a fascination with aliens.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial begins with alien beings making a landing one night in northern California. The aliens are actually botanists and very interested in the plant life here on Earth. A brief scene inside of their spaceship shows plants that they’ve collected from other worlds.
One of the aliens wanders away in the forest while admiring the plants and redwood trees. Suddenly, trucks appear and government officials emerge, including one tracker (Peter Coyote) only identified by the keys attached to his belt. The aliens’ hearts glow red as they alert each other to the danger. The lone alien panics and flees through the forest, running back to the spaceship before it flies away. He’s too late and the spaceship is forced to leave the area, marooning the alien on Earth. The agents watch the spaceship fly away. A brief rustling sound nearby suggests that not all of the aliens left the planet.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
In the nearby town, ten-year-old Elliott (Henry Thomas) wants to play the role-playing game with his older brother, Michael (Robert MacNaughton), and his friends. Elliott is ridiculed by the teenagers and they have him go outside to wait for the pizza delivery guy. He does so but when returning to the house, Elliott hears a strange noise out in the tool shed. He rolls a baseball into the shed and is terrified when the ball is tossed back out to him. Elliott accidentally steps onto the pizza when running back into the house.
Inside the house, Elliott tells everybody that there’s a monster out in the shed. Naturally, the teenagers make fun of him before grabbing kitchen knives, against the wishes of Mary (Dee Wallace), Elliott and Michael’s mother, and they go outside to investigate. The tool shed is deserted and the boys’ pizza is destroyed. Michael spots mysterious footprints in the dirt and believes that coyotes are back in town.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
Elliott heads back outside that night after Michael’s friends have left. He spots more footprints in the dirt and follows them into the corn field. He quickly discovers the alien and both him and the alien are terrified of each other. The alien runs away and flees into the forest.
The next day Elliott has gotten over his fear of the alien and wants to find him again. He heads into the forest and uses Reese’s Pieces candy to lure the creature back to his house. While in the woods, Elliott spots “Keys” as the man continues to investigate the alien landing from the previous night.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
That night Elliott waits outside for the alien to return. Sure enough, the alien has followed the candy trail back to Elliott’s house. The boy uses more of the candy to bring the alien not only into the house but into his bedroom. Both Elliott and the alien have gotten over the initial shock and fear of each other. The alien begins mimicking Elliott’s hand movements and they learn to communicate with each other. Meanwhile, “Keys” spots the Reese’s Pieces candy in the forest and moves his tracking team into the nearby town.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
The next morning Elliott fakes an illness so he can stay home with the alien the next day. His mother falls for the act and lets him stay home by himself. Once his mother leaves with Michael and Gertie, Elliott continues from last night and begins showing the curious little alien his bedroom.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
Later that day, Michael and Gertie (Drew Barrymore) return home with their mom. Elliott first introduces Michael to the alien and then Gertie suddenly pops into the bedroom. She’s terrified and screams at the alien which causes Michael to panic and knock over some shelves hanging on the wall. Elliott has them all hide in his closet as his mother enters the room to check on Elliott.
Once his mother leaves, Elliott goes into the closet to check on the alien. By now Michael and Gertie have gotten over the shock and are very curious about the creature. Elliott claims that the alien belongs to him and he’s going to keep him. They decide to keep the alien a secret from their mother.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
Later that evening, Elliott, Michael and Gertie are trying to figure out where the alien is from. Elliott shows the alien a globe, and the alien uses a few balls on a picture of a solar system. He then uses his telekinetic powers to make the balls levitate and revolve around each other. It’s clear to the kids that the alien is definitely not from this planet.
Gertie gives the alien a gift of flowers in a small pot. When the alien is later reading an A-B-C book, he uses his powers to make the flowers bloom. These flowers would later act as a symbol of the alien’s health, and they would deteriorate and appear to die with him.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
Elliott cannot fake his way through another illness, so the alien is left alone at home while everybody heads to school. The alien continues exploring the house and the refrigerator, sampling more Earth food. He drinks a cold beer from the refrigerator and becomes slightly intoxicated.
At school, Elliott is in class and starts showing signs of being drunk. He belches out loud and shows more signs of intoxication. A little bit later his science class is going to dissect frogs. Elliott stares at his frog and seems to be in deep thought, as if he’s communicating with it or another creature.
At home, the alien watches television while reading a Buck Rogers comic strip in the newspaper. The alien learns about telephones and the comic gives him the idea of calling his home planet for help. While thinking about calling for help, Elliott receives that same thought in his mind, thinking that it’s the voice of the frog. Elliott quickly frees his frog and the rest of the frogs in the classroom, saving them from death and dissection. The frogs are saved but Elliott is sent to the principal’s office.
Mary and Gertie return home only to have Mary receive a phone call about Elliott’s behavior. She leaves the five-year-old girl home alone (back when it was socially acceptable for parents to do so for brief periods of time) to get Elliott from school. While she’s gone, Gertie learns to read and spell while watching Sesame Street, and the alien mimics her. He quickly learns how to talk and say basic words and phrases.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
Elliott returns home and discovers that Gertie has dressed the alien as a woman. He’s angry at his sister but that anger quickly vanishes when the alien begins talking to Elliott. He’s dubbed himself as “E.T.” and that becomes his new name. E.T. communicates that he wants to build a phone so that he can call his home.
Using a Speak & Spell toy as the main part of the machine, Elliott helps E.T. construct his phone that night. Elliott injures his finger on a saw blade, and E.T. uses his magic touch to heal Elliott’s injury. During this time Michael notices that Elliott begins acting more erratic and refers to him and E.T. as “we.”
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
The next night is Halloween. Elliott and Michael disguise E.T. as a ghost and pretend that he’s really their sister Gertie, who is off hiding from their mother. It’s all a ploy to sneak E.T. out of the house and take him and their special phone out into the forest. Elliott and Michael make it to the edge of the neighborhood, and then Elliott heads into the forest with E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
Elliott places E.T. in the basket on the front of his bicycle to ride him into the forest. At one point the road is too bumpy for riding, but E.T. uses his powers to keep pushing the bike forward. He makes the bike jump off a cliff and fly through the air in a classic cinematic sequence of events. The landing is a bit rough and Elliott crashes into a bush.
At home, Mary becomes increasingly worried that her kids haven’t returned yet from trick or treating. She heads out and finds Michael and Gertie, but Elliott is still missing. While she was out searching for her kids, government agents enter and make a sweep of the house, looking for signs of the alien. “Keys” had tracked the alien there and he knows that the family is hiding him. They leave the house but keep it under surveillance.
In the forest, Elliott helps E.T. construct the intergalactic phone. It starts working but there’s no response from E.T.’s home planet. The two of them spend all night waiting for a response.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
The next morning Elliott wakes in the forest and E.T. is gone. Elliott returns home just as his mother is making a missing persons statement to the police. She’s thrilled that her son has returned despite him not feeling well.
Elliott has Michael search the forest and bring back E.T. He agrees to do so and finds E.T. lying in a small stream. The little alien has lost most of his color and appears to be on the edge of dying. He’s still alive and Michael brings him back home. Back at the house, Mary enters the bathroom and finds Elliott and the dying alien. She panics and the horror is compounded when government agents wearing space suits enter her home.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
The house is sealed with heavy plastic and quarantined. Elliott and E.T. are placed in separate containment units while their health is monitored. Elliott quickly recovers as E.T.’s health deteriorates. The medical team tries to help the alien but he appears to die. The flowers by him are also dead. The scientists place the alien’s body in a cold transport unit and prepare to ship him away for further analysis.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
“Keys” stops and has a chat with Elliott, telling him that he did a great job taking care of the alien. He also reveals that he’s always wanted to see an alien since he was a little boy. The talk raises Elliott’s spirits, but the boy still wants to take a few moments to say good-bye to his friend. It’s a tearful moment as Elliott sees E.T.’s dead body. Just as he turns away for the last time the transport unit begins glowing red.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
E.T. is alive!
Elliott is elated as his alien friend suddenly comes back to life. The flowers in the pot are also blooming again. E.T. tells Elliott that he received a signal from his home planet and the spaceship is returning. Michael is also thrilled about E.T. when Elliott tells him what happened. Now they need to escape from the government agents and take E.T. into the forest to meet the spaceship.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
The getaway starts when Michael and Elliott steal the transport van once E.T.’s body is loaded. Michael tells his friends to meet them at the playground with their bicycles. He then drives away as the government agents scramble for their cars. Elliott detaches a plastic tube and sends two agents tumbling in the street.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
They arrive at the playground and Michael’s friends meet E.T. They’re all in shock when seeing the alien, but that wears off as the government agents arrive on scene. Elliott carries E.T. on his bike and the rest of them follow in support as they’re once again chased by the police. The gang rides through a neighborhood under construction and use the steep hills to escape from the police cars.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
It looks like the boys are in the clear but it’s really a trap. People try to grab them and the police have a roadblock just down the street. Just when they start to lose hope, E.T. uses his magic powers to lift all five of the bikes into the air and carries them safely into the forest. The safely land and wait for the spaceship to arrive.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – (c) Universal Pictures
The spaceship lands and it’s time for everybody to say good-bye to the friendly alien. When it’s her turn, Gertie gives E.T. the small pot of flowers as a gift. Elliott is saddened by E.T.’s departure, and E.T. lets him know that he’ll always be there with him, pointing to Elliott’s forehead. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ends with E.T. flying away in his spaceship, returning to his home planet.
So is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial a good movie?
This isn’t just a good movie. E.T. is a great film and a terrific experience for the whole family. This is a classic story about a boy befriending a creature (how many of us have made friends with a stray animal?), learning differences in culture, and facing danger when helping the creature return to its home.
E.T. is not only a classic film but one of the top films of the 1980s. This movie is filled with memorable moments from the flying bikes to the aliens with the glowing hearts to the Reese’s Pieces candy. And of course, one cannot forget the masterpiece music score composed by the legend himself John Williams.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – original movie trailer
It’s hard to point out the flaws in a film such as E.T. Sure, there are a couple of cheesy moments, but for the most part this movie works. It’s a great story from start to finish. My favorite parts are the beginning scenes leading to E.T.’s abandonment on Earth and then the escape sequence and ending.
Part of E.T.‘s charm is that the film takes place in a world not nearly as politically correct as today’s society. Some examples include:
- The beginning of the film has one of Michael’s teenage friends smoking while they play their role-playing game.
- The teenagers then use kitchen knives to investigate Elliott’s “monster” sighting in the tool shed.
- Elliot’s science class uses sharp knives to dissect frogs (at least, that’s what’s about to happen until Elliott frees the frogs). How many schools these days allow for the dissection of living creatures, let alone doing so while only ten years old? A ten-year-old being allowed to handle a sharp knife in school?
- Mary allows five-year-old Gertie to be home alone while she has to go pick up Elliott at school.
- The police officers threaten to use guns against the bike riders near the end of the film. This scene was altered in the 2002 20th anniversary version of the film, with the guns being digitally replaced with walkie-talkies. This altering of the movie received a lot of criticism, especially since the scene was altered for political correctness.
Fans of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial should check out the E.T. Adventure ride at Universal Studios Florida.
The E.T. Adventure is hosted by Steven Spielberg and takes us further into the world of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. We learn in a preshow that E.T.’s home planet, the Green World, is dying and needs E.T.’s magic touch to survive. We’re to use bicycles and bring E.T. back home so he can help his friends.
The ride vehicles are groups of bicycles attached to a small platform that’s suspended from the ceiling. We ride through the forest until government agents spot us. The chase is on as pickup trucks and police cars try to trap us. Just when it looks like we’re trapped, E.T. uses his magic powers to make our bikes fly through the air. We fly over the city and then travel in space to the Green World.
Upon arriving on the alien planet, E.T. quickly uses his magic touch to heal his friends. The planet is saved and the aliens celebrate in a massive party. At the end of the ride, E.T. says good-bye to each of us and lets us know that he’ll always be with us.
E.T. – “E.T. phone home.”
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Elliott – “He’s a man from outer space and we’re taking him to his spaceship.”
Greg – “Well, can’t he just beam up?”
Elliott – “This is *reality*, Greg.”
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E.T. – [E.T. and Elliott embrace each other, then E.T. puts his glowing finger to Elliott’s forehead] “I’ll… be… right… here.”