Review of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) by Spencer P — 18 Sep 2016

I was never a fan of this movie, especially because I think E.T. kind of creeped me out when I was young. Watching it now I do wonder why they went with such an ugly design for the alien species, because it seems like Elliott's desire to treat him as a pet would make sense if he looked cute.

I don't really understand the logic of these kids throughout the movie, because there seems to be no reason to not tell their Mom about E.T., especially since Elliott freely told her about "the goblin" before.

It's as if they keep him secret just so there's something to do through the rest of the movie. The seeming antagonist is some unexplained government agency that just wants to help too, so in the end the only conflict is that E.

T. is dying because...um...just because. The interaction of the kids is realistic, and not in an annoying fashion like in The Goonies. I also like that the mom had her own issues going on but seemed to really care about her kids without being overbearing.

The weird bond/link that Elliott has with E.T. is a cool concept even if it's not explained and comes out of nowhere. It's a movie with several magical moments, and I can see why it connected with a generation of kids, but when you peel away the magic you realize that there isn't much of a plot.

Frankly, E.T. doesn't do much that is special or unique, and I don't think I'll need to watch it ever again.