E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

A re-viewing, maybe for the first time since its premiere, after about forty years. So I was able to view it with something approximating fresh eyes. Seeing this most well known and iconic of films in that way created some surprises. For instance, this movie is a case study in deeply emotional storytelling; for all of its sci-fi elements, there’s very little in here that speaks to any particular technical concepts. A lot of the second half of the film is devoted to heartstring-tugging, and it achieves its goal quite effectively. Yes, I cried at the big tearjerker scene—you know the one—in the theater the first time; but I found myself teary-eyed even more so this time around, not just for that one scene but for much more of the film, and for external reasons, too (to wit: I found myself touched thinking of all that has changed, and been lost, in these past four decades.) The film’s setting is truly another time and place, one that is somewhat familiar to me though long gone now. And the minor revelation, on watching this again, was just how good the kids were in their roles. All of E.T.’s adoptive family members brought something good to the proceedings, especially the astonishingly young Drew Barrymore; I remembered her for having a few good lines, but in truth she nails a great deal of her dialogue in a way that makes the story so much better than it would have been without her. Remarkable stuff for someone only 6 years old. Henry Thomas is fine as well, in a really demanding part. There can be a few quibbles, if you want: the depiction of the government agents is somewhat cartoonish, though in fairness we didn’t quite have the sense in the eighties of the government being quite so sophisticated in its villainy. And really, the star’s second act is a deus ex machina that takes believability to its limit (though of course the whole tale requires massive suspension of disbelief). None of that diminishes the achievement—this is a true classic, one that redefined the science fiction genre in ways that still show up to this day in a regular subset of films. Almost but not quite Best of All material, but that hardly means you shouldn’t watch it again—and you certainly must watch it for a first time if you’ve never seen it before. May we all get to be kids again and feel the wonder once more.