E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Review: Suburban Wonder

Is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial worth watching?

Yes. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of the great family films, a story of friendship between a boy and an alien that still delivers wonder, laughter and genuine heartbreak more than four decades on. Steven Spielberg tells it almost entirely from a child’s point of view, and that choice gives even the simplest scenes an emotional truth that few films aimed at families achieve. If there is a reservation, it is that the film’s sentiment is laid on thickly at times, and some younger children may find its darker moments upsetting.

What is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial about?

In suburban California, ten-year-old Elliott (Henry Thomas) is lonely and unsettled, living with his mother Mary (Dee Wallace), his older brother and his little sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) after his father has left the family. One night he discovers a small, strange creature hiding in the backyard: an alien botanist accidentally left behind when his ship fled Earth. Elliott hides the visitor in his bedroom, and the two form a bond so strong that they begin to feel each other’s emotions.

The children decide to help E.T. contact his home planet, while mysterious government agents close in on the neighbourhood. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Melissa Mathison. It is an American production in English and runs 115 minutes.

A world seen at a child’s height

The key to the film is perspective. Spielberg frames much of the story at the eye level of his young characters, and for long stretches adults are glimpsed only from the waist down or as silhouettes with torches and jangling keys. The grown-up world is something to be hidden from, confusing and faintly threatening, while the children’s world of bedrooms, closets and bikes is where the real drama happens.

That approach makes the fantasy feel domestic and believable. The alien lives among toys and stuffed animals, learns to speak from children’s television, and gets drunk on beer from the family fridge. The comedy of these scenes is gentle and specific, and it grounds the extraordinary in a very ordinary American home.

Performances that feel unscripted

Henry Thomas gives one of the finest child performances in film history. Elliott’s loneliness, stubbornness and fierce loyalty all feel real, and his scenes with E.T. carry an emotional weight that would crumble if the audience ever doubted him. A very young Drew Barrymore is funny and completely natural as Gertie, and Dee Wallace makes Mary a harried, loving mother who is both overwhelmed and entirely sympathetic.

The alien himself, a puppet and animatronic creation designed by Carlo Rambaldi, is a marvel of practical effects. His wrinkled face and huge eyes manage to be strange, ugly and deeply lovable all at once, and the film makes you believe in him completely.

Music, magic and the limits of sentiment

John Williams’s Academy Award-winning score is as important as any performance. It swells, soars and aches at exactly the right moments, and the image of a bicycle silhouetted against the moon, set to that music, has become shorthand for movie magic itself.

The film does not always know when to hold back. Some of its emotional beats are underlined heavily, and viewers allergic to sentimentality may feel pushed. It is also worth seeking out the original theatrical version rather than the 2002 anniversary edition, which altered a few shots digitally and was widely criticised for it.

Who should watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial?

It is ideal viewing for families, and one of the best films to share with children aged around seven and up. Adults revisiting it will find it just as affecting, perhaps more so. Parents should know it includes some mild language, a few frightening scenes involving government agents, and moments of real sadness that may upset sensitive younger viewers.

If it casts its spell, try these:

• The Wild Robot, a modern animated family film that shares E.T.’s tender bond between a young creature and a stranger far from home.
• Star Wars, the other defining science fiction blockbuster of that era, built for pure adventure rather than tears.
• Disclosure Day, Spielberg’s much later return to alien contact, in a far darker thriller register.

The verdict

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a near-perfect family film, a story about loneliness, friendship and belonging told with extraordinary craft and emotional honesty. Its sentimentality occasionally overflows, but its wonder, humour and heart remain as powerful today as they were in 1982.

Rating: 4.5/5