E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial poster & wallpaper
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Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore ... see more see more... , Debra Winger , K.C. Martel , Sean Frye , Erika Eleniak , David O'Dell , Richard Swingler , Frank Toth , Robert Barton , Michael Durrell , Tamara De Treaux , C. Thomas Howell , Milt [Lewis] Kogan , Robert Murphy , David M. O'Dell , Michael Darrell

Both a classic movie for kids and a remarkable portrait of childhood, E.T. is a sci-fi adventure that captures that strange moment in youth when the world is a place of mysterious possibilities (some ... read more read more...wonderful, some awful), and the universe seems somehow separate from the one inhabited by grown-ups. Henry Thomas plays Elliott, a young boy living with his single mother (Dee Wallace), his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton), and his younger sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore). Elliott often seems lonely and out of sorts, lost in his own world. One day, while looking for something in the back yard, he senses something mysterious in the woods watching him. And he's right: an alien spacecraft on a scientific mission mistakenly left behind an aging botanist who isn't sure how to get home. Eventually Elliott puts his fears aside and makes contact with the "little squashy guy," perhaps the least threatening alien invader ever to hit a movie screen. As Elliott tries to keep the alien under wraps and help him figure out a way to get home, he discovers that the creature can communicate with him telepathically. Soon they begin to learn from each other, and Elliott becomes braver and less threatened by life. E.T. rigs up a communication device from junk he finds around the house, but no one knows if he'll be rescued before a group of government scientists gets hold of him. In 2002, Steven Spielberg re-released E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in a revised edition, with several deleted scenes restored and digitally refurbished special effects. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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65% liked it

30,829,699 ratings

Critics

98% liked it

91 critics

PG, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: June 11, 1982

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DVD Release Date: October 22, 2002

Stats: 1,315,177 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,315,177)

  • superclerk25
    March 19, 2012
    superclerk25
    classic
  • fb100002384654145
    January 18, 2012
    fb100002384654145
    Steven Spielberg's ultimate masterpiece. The film manages to convey the importance of friendship, family, and love in a way that is touching without getting overly-sentimental. Everybody from the child actors to the adults give great performances. The special effects work for ... read morethe character E.T. are so fantastic that at one point I forgot that E.T. was a special effect. I doubt the movie would have felt complete without the fantastic music score by John Williams. Despite taking place in a suburban town, Williams makes the film feel epic nonetheless. E.T. is a timeless classic that can be appreciated by people of all ages.
  • fb619846742
    December 29, 2011
    fb619846742
    A wonderfully constructed sci-fi gem of a film concerning an alien who lands on earth and is accidentally left behind, and takes shelter with a young, isolated boy (Henry Thomas). The biggest thing this film has going for it is its timelessness, being that it shares universal val... read moreues, and taps into human's rebellious tendencies, desire for companionship, and nostalgic hey-days of youth so very well. There are a few scenes that probably could have been cut, as well as a little hokey-ness once in a while, but for the most part this is stellar film-making, with a tear-jerking, intense conclusion that would not be as special without John Williams musical score which packs in own emotional wallop. Just a fine all-around movie that will never get old.
  • aquateen2
    November 2, 2011
    aquateen2
    E.T is an example of what movies were made to be. I guarantee that this charming adorable film will entertain generations of people for many years to come. Absolutley touching but a bit creepy for its own taste.
  • fb729949618
    October 28, 2011
    fb729949618
    It's a shame this film currently has a 65% rating for the audience. I feel that most of these ratings have come from 2005+ which are obviously going to be very different to a review from 1982. This film is nearly 30 years old and it still delivers a strong message to young and ol... read mored, but mainly on the younger audience. It displays a remarkable portrait of childhood and growing up. Sure the film is slow at times and it may be a bit predictable, but that is what's special. Films today aren't like they were in 1982, and films will be different in another 30 years from now. It's important to take date into consideration, and not let that skew your judgement. It was an instant hit at release, and will forever be a classic with audiences young and old.
  • fb100000883534329
    October 27, 2011
    fb100000883534329
    Greatest film ever. Period. I disagree with every list that doesnt list this with best film. This was made a decade before I was born but I had an emotional connection I cant put into words. When I was a child I wore out a copy my parents owned and they had to get another. B... read moreecause of this film, CGI will always seem fake to me, no matter how realistic they try to make it. P.S.- films around the time this came out have been remade in recent years. Personally I will protest any attempt of remakeing this film with CGI or any format
  • spielberg00
    September 27, 2011
    spielberg00
    If Steven Spielberg took his late-'70s sci-fi flick CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, and allowed the aliens to create a more humane, less mysterious, less eerie relationship with the little boy (and more than just making him constantly recite the film's theme, which in both fi... read morelms is composed by John Williams), the result would be a fantastic, touching family movie called E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. When I first saw this, I was about five, and like most seven-year-olds, my thought for even an ever-so-slightly dated film like this was, "Okay, this is stupid. Let me watch something that's actually EXCITING, Mom and Dad." But when I began to appreciate the art of film more, I rented this once more to watch it and see if my view changed. I loved it so much that I forced myself to watch it again the next day. Even if you think you have grown out of family movies, you will never, never grow out of this Spielberg classic.
  • ironclad1609
    August 23, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Charming, magical sci-fi-fairy tale, and a true 80s classic. The excellent child actors carry this film (there is only one adult's face visible for the first 90 minutes), and the E.T. was wonderfully convincing for that time. The message of tolerance and friendship may be naive a... read morend predictable, and the melodrama a bit over the top, but it's hard not to lose your heart to this adorable story. A bit slow at times, the magical, exciting showdown speeds things up really well, leading to a heart-warming solution. Adults may grow out of being fascinated by this film, but it will forever be a movie that brings a glow into children's eyes.
  • kenstachnik
    July 14, 2011
    kenstachnik
    So I finally saw ET. It was probably the biggest film on my "ashamed I haven't seen it list"

    Really solid film, but why is Elliot's room so smokey in the beginning? Does he smoke cigars? and also the light in the shed is insane bright and always on. Who keeps a 10k in their tool... read more shed?
  • sergioogarcia
    July 5, 2011
    sergioogarcia
    I had a huge poster like this in my bedroom. I had also one of those little rubber ETs and some other toys. I cried like Mery Streep. For a 8 year old kid is a very strong movie and teach you to say good bye and let go. That's what I remember. Now 30 years later is definatelly a ... read moregreat story and Spielberg knows how to work with kids in the best way. Introducing Drew Barrymore and the fantastic John Williams song that until now, still gives me the goosebumps.

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Critic Reviews

Stanley Kauffmann
February 15, 2011
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

An appealing film this new one is, with some charm, some glee in the childrens' triumphs, some share in their friendship with E.T. Full Review

Don McKellar
June 4, 2007
Don McKellar, Village Voice

More than the work of any other filmmaker, Spielberg's output seems uniquely designed to induce in me this queasy false-memory syndrome. Full Review

James Berardinelli
June 4, 2007
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

On inherent merit, the movie would not warrant such a highly publicized re-release, but this is one of those films that transcends what's on the screen. Full Review

Liam Lacey
June 4, 2007
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A contemporary classic. Full Review

Dave Kehr
June 4, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Though marred by Spielberg's usual carelessness with narrative points, the film alternates sweetness and sarcasm with enough rhetorical sophistication to be fairly irresistible. Full Review

Vincent Canby
October 24, 2002
Vincent Canby, New York Times

[It] may become a children's classic of the space age. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
July 9, 2002
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

A film that connects so beautifully to our sense of wonder and joy.

Mick LaSalle
March 24, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Viewers returning to it, as well as those discovering it, will find it an enduring children's film -- but one whose impact has diminished with the passage of time. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
March 24, 2002
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

If we approach with sympathy and curiosity, we will be rewarded with same. And our souls, not to mention our bicycles, will soar to the heavens.

Peter Travers
March 24, 2002
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The tenderness of the piece is still intact.

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Facts

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    • E.T. [uncredited]: ET... Phone... Home.
    • Elliott: Ouch!
    • E.T. [uncredited]: [E.T.'s finger lights up] oooooooooouuuuuuuuuch! [E.T. heals Elliot's cut on his finger]
    • Elliott: It was nothing like that, penis-breath!
    • Gertie: He won't hurt you.
    • E.T. [uncredited]: I'll... be... right... here.
    • Tyler: Where is he from, Uranus? Get it? Your anus?
    • Greg: He doesn't get it, Ty.
    • Tyler: Get it? Your anus?
    • Greg: He doesn't get it.
    • Elliott: Your so immature!
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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Trivia

  • Which movie has the siblings Gerty, Elliot, & Michael?  Answer »
  • In what movie did actress Drew Barrymore accidentally use the term penis breath, which was left in the film?  Answer »
  • "He is afraid. He is totally alone. He is 3 million light years from home" was the tagline for which 1982 movie?   Answer »
  • May 1991 Playmate Erika Eleniak has given us such lovable roles as Ellie May in The Beverly Hillbillies and bodacious Tony Johnson in Chasers, but way before she disclosed her... assetts, she had her first, tiny part as a terrified schoolgirl in a swarm of frogs in this sci-fi feature:  Answer »
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