I just want to take a few minutes to talk about one of my personal favorite films of all time. And as far as Spielberg films are considered it is my favorite. But firstly I want to get out of the way the flaws of the film, every film has them, even films I hold to high regard. Honestly, it's hard to find any flaws since this is a nearly perfect film in every aspect. You can't criticize the visuals since it was made in the 1980s, but I think the performances by the kids other than Thomas, Barrymore, and MacNaughton could have used some work, of course featuring also a young C. Thomas Howell, but it's not terrible. Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about what makes this film so special and timeless. Firstly, Steven Spielberg's direction as always is masterful, especially when it came to getting the best possible performances out of the main characters, and the main characters are children. Spielberg always knows how to capture that childlike innocence in a film without being sappy, and it's wonderfully displayed here. Secondly, the main kids themselves who are the heart, soul, and blood flow of this movie each with groundbreaking performances especially by Henry Thomas as Elliott, and a cute and young Drew Barrymore as Gertie. Robert MacNaughton sort of serves as the middle man, being conflicted with the ways of an adult but still preserves that childlike wonder when he too meets ET. Thirdly, the master himself John Williams proved yet again why is one of the greatest musicians of all time. After musical hits from Jaws, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, he comes in here and gives arguably his best score before or after. He himself made you believe a boy and alien on a bicycle can fly. And without Williams music that bicycle scene with Elliott and ET flying across the moon wouldn't be anywhere near as iconic. Or the chase scene with the police wouldn't feel as intense without his music. And lastly but certainly not least, ET himself. It is a outstanding job on the creators of this magnificent alien. A bunch of people collaborated to make him including sound designers, makeup artists, costume artists, Spielberg, and many many others and together they made him as believable as you could possibly make him during that time. His voice is provided by Pat Welsh, and Debra Winger also contributed heavily to the character. I also don't want to forget the adult actors involved including Dee Wallace, and Peter Coyote, they too do a great job serving as a lense from an adults point of view of the film and the situations within. Overall, this is a film that should never be touched, Spielberg struck gold with this film and he recognizes that. Many films afterwards that deal with a friendship between a boy and another otherworldly being or animal have to owe it to this film. As the friendship between Elliott and ET is a friendship that people will look back on as one of the greatest. And the film itself should be considered one of the greatest films of all time. As a result this film easily gets a 10/10.

Spielberg's direction and Melissa Mathison's script never lose sight of the realistic, low center of gravity world of childhood, in which such marvelous adventures happen every day. Captivating, endearingly optimistic and magical at times, Steven Spielberg's fantasy about a stranded alien from outer space protected by three kids until it can arrange for passage home is certain to capture the imagination of the world's youth.

First off, I am so disappointed my children found this film boring when I took them to the theater for a 35th anniversary screening. They didn't hate it, but they did not get the sense of wonder and magic that I got when I watched this film as a child. Granted I was a few years older than them, but I'm still disappointed. Anyhow, "E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial" drips in 1980s nostalgia, with Mike and his friends playing Dungeons & Dragons while ordering pizza from a corded telephone, Space Invaders t-shirts, references to someone getting the high score on Asteroids, BMX bikes prominently featured, and so on an so forth. That alone made this film fun to rewatch, but beyond Gen-X nostalgia, Steven Spielberg does what he did best during this period of his career, he brought a sense of magic to the world. Spielberg at this time also populated his world with characters who seem very real and identifiable. I was the exact same age as Henry Thomas when this film first came out (I suppose I'm same age now as well), so that likely also added to me feeling a strong connection to the characters in the story when I originally saw the film. Thomas is great and very genuine in his performance, but this was Drew Barrymore's first film and she really does steal every scene she's in. It's hard to say a six-year-old has star quality, or if it's the script, or if it was Spielberg, but she has some of the film's best moments; dressing up E.T., calling him a deformed kid, telling her brothers, "Give me a break!" or her the film's heartfelt finale with E.T. telling Gertie to "Beeeeeee... gooood." The overall story is of a boy hiding a lost alien in his closet and helping him get home is charming, but I believe it's really all of these small moments that made this film great. It's as if "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" is entirely filled with precious Spielbergian scenes like the one from Jaws where Chief Brody and his son mimic each other at the dinner table. I couldn't get over how charming and innocent moments of the film were, particularly when Elliott first coaxes E.T. out of his closet and tells him all of his toys. Those little touches all add up to making the audience more connected with these characters, even if they don't necessarily forward the plot. Those are the scenes that stick in your mind, although the flying bicycles are certainly going to stick in your mind and are a big plot moment. A few things I don't think I picked up on when I originally watched this film was some foreshadowing of E.T. and Elliott's connection. Early on in the film when Elliott is getting food from the fridge, E.T. is startled by something in Elliott's room and shrieks, causing Elliott to also shriek and spill a carton of milk. Upon first viewing, you'd think it was E.T.'s shriek that startled Elliott, but it's the start of their psychic and physical bond between the two. The other part of the film that escaped me as a child was Elliott's mom, Dee Wallace and a great performance that's very nearly very easy to miss, struggling with being a newly single mom and a still coming to terms with a recent divorce. Her struggles as a parent are something I now identify with as an adult and allowed for a new emotional connection to the film and characters. It was also fun when rewatching the film to see how many tips-of-the-hat that were done in "Stranger Things" to this film. It's no secret that "Stranger Things" cribbed heavily form Spielberg, but I was struck by how spot on "Stranger Things" was when I actually went back to watch a Spielberg film from that era. Overall, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a film classic and if Elliot saying, "You could be happy here, I could take care of you. I wouldn't let anybody hurt you. We could grow up together, E.T." doesn't get to you, you have a heart of stone.

This movie attracts me because the alien which appears on this film is not scary but coward and a little cute. Of course, he is alien so that he does not know about human world. He is willing to try various things as human being does. This attitude is interesting. The key point in this film is the friendship, I think. ET and Eliot, the main character, gradually cultivate relation between them. Even if the object is not mutual lives, we can live together. There is a point I notice. When everyone hear of this word, ET, what do they associate? I am suggested the image that ET and Eliot join their index finger. However the scene does not exist. It is just jacket design of the books and DVDs. I was so surprised when I noticed it. Although now that CG technology has been developing and a lot of spectaculars have been made, I think that this movie was revolutionary in those days.