E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Whilst visiting Earth an Alien is accidentally left behind and strikes up a friendship with a young boy.

The story centres around E.T. and his relationship with three children in a family where the parents are divorced and the father is not around. Much has been written about how autobiographical the movie is about Spielberg's own childhood and lots of unique little moments along these lines are captured in the most cinematic way possible. In fact some of the strongest scenes involve simple interaction between the family and their friends. These are not idealised Hollywood versions of families, but natural slices of suburban life that always feel real.

E.T.'s arrival and the events that follow help to fill the emptiness in the heart of the youngest son Elliott and they soon form a psychic bond together. Peace, tolerance and communication are explored constantly as we see visuals and hear dialogue connected to these themes throughout the movie.

We see everything from E.T.'s perspective and share his experience as an alien visitor in a strange world. Nothing is explained, because what we see with our own eyes tells us everything we need to know. In fact the visuals are so powerful there was very little I had to explain to my three year old companion as she watched it with me.

Everything builds towards a spectacular climax, which is one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history. Again very little is said as this wonderfully emotional sequence very efficiently breaks our hearts.

I didn't care much for E.T. during the 80s. I think it's because I was conditioned from a very young age by more violent and action orientated movies. Also, my mother was quite enthusiastic about it which back then could scrape the cool off most things. It was not until I was pushing forty with a three year old daughter that my perspective changed forever.

Well done Mr Spielberg, probably your finest moment.

Continuing my plan to watch every Steven Spielberg movie in order, I come to E.T.

Alongside Field Of Dreams, this is a movie guaranteed to make me cry every single time I watch it. I don't know what it is, but I automatically become 5 years old every time I watch it. It is seriously flawed (My 12-year-old ripped it to shreds) but I can't hate anything about it.

Lots more product placement and Daddy issues

The end of the film was one of the most significant musical experiences for John Willims. After several attempts were made to match the score to the film, Spielberg took the film off the screen and told Williams to conduct the orchestra the way he would at a concert. He did, and Spielberg re-edited the film to match the music, which is unusual since the music is normally edited to match the film. The result was Williams deservedly winning the 1982 Academy Award for Best Original Score.

E.T was the number 1 movie of 1982, as it grossed $359 million at the domestic box office (beating Tootise (2nd) an Officer & A Gentleman (3rd) and Rocky 3 (4th). Giving Spielberg back to back number 1's and his third no 1 movie of the year, making him the most successful (box office wise) of all the people I have done this for.

The classic of family classics, 'E.T.' is a wonderful and heartfelt portrait of childhood exploring the friendship between Elliot, a young boy living in California, and an extra-terrestrial who gets accidentally left behind by his spaceship. From the multiple viewings during my childhood to the nostalgic sense of warmth I get from watching it nowadays, there is no way I can fault this science fiction masterpiece. One of Spielberg's greatest films, 'E.T.' is a compassionate and emotionally-driven tale packed with clever storytelling, bold direction and state-of-the-art visual effects.. oh and it also features one of the most iconic images in cinema history. A remarkable adventure that acts as both a touching family drama and an exciting sci-fi flick, and one that needs to be seen by all.

Today when I was at my house alone, looking through my DVDs, trying to figure out which movie I should see for entertainment. I saw E.T and I hadn't seen it for nearly 3-4 years ago. I seen the film ever since I was 4 years old, so I wondering if I would still enjoy it when I'm an adult. As I was watching the film, I had this rush of nostalgia running through me, I was remembering the times when I was a kid with my family. The film didn't at all feel to childish to me, I was actually having a lot of fun, like I used to when I was a kid. This film has not aged at all since 30 years ago. This film is a truly timeless film, and will always be remembered. This is one of the best Steven Spielberg films. (And that is no easy task) A Timeless Classic 10/10

I still can't believe this came out in 1982. It looks like it was made a lot later with better technology.. I mean 1982 had some real old lookin stinkers and E.T. was so ahead of it's time, back when Spielberg was in his prime!! I remember seeing this at the theater multiple times and I was born in December of 1977 so I couldn't have been any older than 4! I am watching it with my two girls as I type this. They are ages 10 and 8 and they are absolutely mesmerized lol.. also I'd like to point out the GREAT acting especially by Henry Thomas (Elliot). If you ever get a chance to look on YouTube, look up his original audition for this movie. It'll blow you away.. Anyway, E.T. is a timeless classic not to ever be forgotten. The people rating it a 1 who are saying it was boring need to stick with their "Transformers" movies lol