Review of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) by Martin R — 11 Nov 2015

I need to review something because I haven't done so in a long time, so I figure why not review the classic "E.T," directed by Steven Spielberg. That's pretty much all that needs to be said, really, for it truly is a classic.

A beloved one as well, although, there is some irony there (for me) because I hated this film the first time that I watched it. The project in the early stages was questioned because the creature wasn't cute or adorable, and everybody involved had the task of making audiences connect with the little fellow.

The cast definitely does a wonderful job in making things feel 'real,' none of the dialogue or behavior seems out of ordinary; the younger actors cuss and act like, well, people. It wasn't until 2002 that Spielberg wanted to add some "political correctness" to the picture, which, thankfully, he changed his mind for the blu-ray release.

Although I do prefer the little hop that they gave E.T for the 2002 edition for the opening scene, the original's movement for E.T still looks kind of weird in some of the shots, but that's a really small complaint.

I'm only talking about the opening scene anyways since the actual puppet they used for the original looks superior to the CGI E.T for the rest of the movie. Another weak point of the movie (for me) would be the whole psychological connection between E.

T and Elliot, it's just not something that I think of and go "yeah, I can't wait for that scene!" No, the scenes that really get the adrenaline going [and are now part of Hollywood's 'movie magic' moments] are the 'Over the Moon' and 'Over the Sun' scenes.

'Over the Sun,' in particular, is my favorite. Not only would I argue that it's some of the best 15 minutes ever filmed in movies, it's also some of the best 15 minutes of music ever. John Williams' score was so important to "E.

T" [it really is the heart and soul of the picture] that for the last, like, 8 minutes, Spielberg was basically like: "okay, you can conduct the orchestra the way you see fit and I'll edit the film to conform to the music.

" I don't know if that's happened since, but if has, I can tell you this: it won't have the achieve the same level of effectiveness. When we first meet E.T, we aren't sure what to think of him, if he's bad or good, but the characters go on to grow closer to him (and with each other) and the audience follows suit, and by the the time the movie triumphantly concludes--it's a complete journey.