(url= "E.T." is a heartwarming science fiction movie directed by Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, which premiered in the United States on June 11, 1982, a day that also became the official birthday of the film's main character, E.T. E.T. stands for "the Extra-Terrestrial." The film tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named Elliott who breaks through the barriers of time and space to form an innocent friendship with the visiting alien, E.T. The movie has been loved by film fans around the world and has become a classic known to people of all ages. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of its release, Universal and Spielberg's own Amblin Entertainment re-released a special edition of the film, including previously unreleased scenes, artistic computer effects, and Dolby sound. (img) This was a movie I often heard about as a child; I remember watching it on TV. To complete the AFI 100, I rewatched it. After watching, I realized that I had no impression of it in my mind at all. Had I not really watched it? Or had it been so long since I watched it that I couldn't remember? Therefore, this rewatch felt like watching a new movie, and I was fully immersed in it.
The film tells the story of several children and an alien. When an alien stays on Earth, it drifts away from its spaceship, causing it to be left behind when it tries to return. The alien, afraid of humans, hides in a little boy's doghouse. The boy notices something unusual in the doghouse and tells his family about it, but no one believes him. Trusting himself, the boy lures the alien with snacks the next day. Discovering that the alien is very friendly, he brings it into his home. To spend time with the alien, he pretends to be sick and does not go to school. After a day of interaction, the boy gets to know the alien and introduces it to his brother and sister, but he doesn't tell his mother.The next day, the boy went to school and discovered that he was connected with the alien; they could empathize with each other. Back at home, his younger sister found that the alien had learned to speak and needed some parts to communicate with the spaceship. The boy and his older brother helped the alien prepare the necessary parts, and on Halloween, tricked their mother so that the boy could take the alien into the woods. After the alien sent the signal, it disappeared the next morning. The boy returned home heartbroken and asked his brother to find the alien. After some searching, the brother found the barely alive alien by the river.
When they returned home, the government arrived with many people and quarantined their house. Despite the scientists' attempts to save it, the alien did not survive, leaving everyone sad. After everyone left, the boy discovered that the alien was still alive and was becoming increasingly healthy. Soon after, the boy and his brother stole the car carrying the alien, and midway switched to a bicycle to escape the pursuers. Finally, after a heartfelt farewell with everyone, the alien boarded the spaceship and left Earth.
This is a very enjoyable sci-fi film. Its appeal does not come from a novel plot, strange creatures, or big special effects or action scenes. The reason it is enjoyable is that it portrays the purity and kindness of children, as well as the good side of human society. The movie also presents a fairy tale-like story of humans and an alien through interesting plot developments. In short, this film is an alternative alien tale, its story resembles a fairy tale, and its cinematography is as dreamlike as a fairy tale, making it a rare gem.
The plot of the film is excellent, with two main advantages: simplicity and humor. The story is simple because it does not follow the common tropes of alien movies, such as alien invasions, extraterrestrial creatures, or evil conspiracies. It simply tells the story of a few innocent children who meet a similarly pure and kind alien and help it return home. Such a pure and unpretentious storyline makes it stand out among all movies about aliens worldwide. This is likely why the film was selected for the AFI 100. The second advantage—humor—is embedded through the details within the storyline.The film doesn't have many comedic moments, but those that exist are hilarious. For instance, the scene where the little sister dresses up the alien as a girl had me laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. Then there are moments like the children screaming when they see the alien, or the silly mother brushing past the alien—these scenes are all extremely funny. Another unique aspect of the film's humor is that it naturally fits into the story rather than being forced. Overall, watching this film brings not only a refreshing feeling but also a light and joyful mood, much more enjoyable than watching formulaic genre movies.
Another remarkable aspect of the film is its distinctive way of presenting the story, which is very evident in the visuals. Before the alien is discovered, all perspectives in the film are centered on the children. During this period, aside from the mother, all the characters are children, and the camera never rises above adult chests. This immerses the film in the children's world, where adults are like aliens intruding into their world, just living beings whose faces, identities, and professions seem entirely irrelevant. Moreover, the use of light during this period is very special. The film employs sunlight, sunset, and flashlights to emphasize the aliens and children under the moonlight and in the dark, creating a dreamy world with pronounced lighting contrasts. Additionally, the scene where the boy kisses the girl at school evokes an uncontrollable sense of romance. In short, watching this film feels like watching a live-action, child-friendly fairy tale, with feelings of warmth, romance, and emotion naturally emerging, allowing viewers to return to childhood and rediscover their original innocence.
As for the theme of the film, it has already been mentioned: it presents the nature of children and the pure, simple, and kind aspects of the child's world. In children's hearts, their souls are as pure as water, free from the various ill intentions of adults. One could say that children's hearts are the most beautiful thing in this world. Praising beautiful things has always been one of the functions of art, but in an increasingly modern society, films that celebrate beauty are becoming increasingly rare.Therefore, Steven Spielberg relied on his own abilities to present to the audience the most wonderful thing in the world—the hearts of children—through this film, allowing people in modern society to find inner innocence. At the same time, Steven Spielberg also fulfilled one of his own dreams with this film.
Finally, let's talk about the film itself. Because the version I watched was the 2002 20th Anniversary Edition, it no longer shows the full appearance of the 1982 release. From the visuals in this version, it can be seen that the 2002 edition's special effects, sets, costumes, and other aspects are no different from modern films, comparable to today's blockbuster effects, although the special effects of this film are not its selling point. In terms of filming methods, besides the lighting mentioned earlier, the music is also excellent. In the first half of the film, the music is tense and heavy, while when the alien interacts happily with the children, the music becomes warm and humorous. Finally, when everyone escapes the chase and the alien returns home, the music becomes grand and solemn. From this, it can be seen that the music in this film is closely integrated with the plot, forming a perfect combination. In addition, the scenes of children riding bicycles and flying with the alien have become classics among classics and can now represent aliens. It's surprising that Steven Spielberg could create such beautiful visuals.
As for the differences between the 2002 20th Anniversary Edition and the 1982 version:
- Added a scene of E.T. bathing with Elliot.
- In the scene where E.T. says "E.T. Phone Home," computer technology was used to make E.T.'s lip movements match the dialogue.
- Additional content in the Halloween section.
- In the original version, when government agents chased E.T. and Elliot, they held guns; in the new version, the guns were replaced with walkie-talkies using digital technology.
- Dialogue changes: In a line where Elliot's mom stops the children from going to neighbors for candy on Halloween, the term "terrorists" was later changed to "hippies".
