User reviews

This movie really disgusted me. But let me explain....

It is not that I don't believe in sentimentality. I am a HUGE Frank Capra fan. And I can't watch "Field of Dreams" (which I know isn't Capra) without tears in my eyes at many points in the movie.

So that isn't it. It's just that "E.T." is so phony, so synthetic, so made-up, so ENGINEERED to try to make me feel something, that I have to resent it.

I'll just never understand Spielberg. For so long, I had nothing but contempt for him. Till Schindler's List. (Does anyone (other than Nazis) not like Schindler's List?)

And then, too, he made Saturday-morning worth getting up for. (Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain). I finally (and grudgingly) had to admit that the man is a genius. But he is a genius who has done some bad work. And E.T. was some of his worst work.

I dislike E.T. because ever time I watch it, I feel like I'm being emotionally manipulated by a series of cutesy images, plot mechanisms that defy logic, and a score that is WAY over the top.

E.T. is supposed to be an intelligent being, capable of interstellar travel, but in this movie, he is relegated to the role, basically, of a child, and acts as such. I guess that's part of the point of the movie: the parallels between E.T. and Elliot (yes, I know: Elliot's initials are ET). That they are each lost and lonely, one in his own world, the other in a place far from home. But even understanding that does not make this movie any more palatable to me. I guess I wanted a more mature treatment of the little guy.

An example of the plot doing this movie in for me is arguably the most famous scene from this movie: the flying bicycles. The whole movie E.T. has presumably been in great danger of discovery, and is apparently unable to help himself. But when he and the kids are being chased on their bikes, not only is he able to levitate Elliot's bike, but all the rest of them, too! Sorry, but my reaction to that was `Where the HECK did that come from?' (For the record, and so you don't think I'm completely heartless, I do love the image of the bikes in front of the moon).

Lastly is John Williams' overpowering score. When I listen to his music as part of a movie, I feel like I'm being hit over the head with a sledgehammer.

All right, so I'm an ogre for not liking E.T., and my children will doubtless grow up to be delinquents, but it's the way I feel. I do think he took the easy way out in creating something with broad appeal: he did it not through character development and growth, but through a series of cute images and gimmicks.

In terms of box office bucks this was the most successful film ever . It might have made even more if it wasn't for the fact that a lot of people including myself hadn't watched it on pirate video in 1983 . In truth I don't think it deserved to set the universe alight because of its premise ET starts with a spaceship landing in a desolate woodland one dark night . Now spaceships landing in desolate woodlands on a dark night mean only one thing , if you've seen an episode of THE OUTER LIMITS or DOCTOR WHO or UFO it means trouble for humanity with the human race losing some brave warriors at the very least . You see the problem ? The narrative has just started and already we know nothing horrible is going to happen . This is not what alien landings are about , there not about monsters with extendable necks being vulnarable - They're about carnage , gunfire , explosions and lines like " We can't hold them sir "

If anyone thinks I'm missing the point let me say this: Spielberg's first movie was a pseudo horror movie called DUEL a fairly effective thriller ( Casting aside ) about a man driving through desert wilderness . Spielberg then made SOMETHING EVIL a chilling horror film and then made JAWS another legendary quasi horror movie with a monster that exits in reality a great white shark . JURASSIC PARK is to all intents a horror movie , and I bet the upcoming WAR OF THE WORLDS will get a few pulses racing . In other words Spielberg despite his flaws can make an audiences heart leap out of their mouth but his main flaw is that he all too easily drowns an audience in gooey sentimentality . THE TERMINAL suffered from this and so did parts of SCHINDLER'S LIST and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN , and without doubt ET is the best example of Spielberg's sugary sentiment suffocating a story , not that there was much of a story to start with . And I haven't even mentioned the all American kids or the ridiculous flying bikes sequence or the terrible John Williams score . The only significance ET has in my life is that it introduced me to the words " Geek " " Wimp " and " Douce-bag " and that I had to watch nearly every sci-fi movie of the mid to late 1980s revolve around a plot of a cute alien being adopted by a child . Give me THE THING and LIFEFORCE anytime

The first thing you need to know is that my impression of this film is forever colored by my first exposure to it. When ET was released, I was 4 years old. It is the first movie I can remember seeing in the theater, and it scarred me for life. Really, this is a widespread phenomenon. If you were not born between the years 1977 and 1980, you may not understand what I'm talking about, but I'm telling you it's true. Ask anyone in that age bracket--if they saw ET in the theater, I guarantee they had the same experience.

Imagine yourself as a four-year-old, in a dark room, filled with people you don't know, watching the story of ET. You are a bit apprehensive about this strange-looking creature, but as Henry Thomas and Drew Barrymore grow to love him, so do you. You want one of your own...he's like a pet or maybe a stuffed animal come to life. What fun! Until, that is, the horrible people in the white jumpsuits take over the movie. All of a sudden, all these grown-ups are out to get ET. The screen is taken over by mean-looking people and, even worse, all those scary tubes and quarantine equipment. At this point, you--the four-year-old--are terrified. You don't understand why all those mean people want to hurt ET. Your parents take you out of the theater, into the shock of daylight, and more than likely vow not to take you to a movie for a long, long time.

Now, I can understand that ET is a highly regarded film, and I can appreciate why many people love it. But I defy you to find someone born in 1977-1980 who loves it. We were all scarred for life.

I didn't like this film when I was ten, and twenty-one years later it's appeal is still lost on me.

Substitute E.T. with a stray puppy and you've got a movie of the week, minus the lame glowing Christ finger. John Williams hammers home music cues, demanding nothing less than total elation at a flying bike.

Guess I've got a heart of stone, but Close Encounters seems a much more honest and complex film about alien contact.

When I first saw this movie I was a kid about 10-11 years old and I was excited about seeing it as it was raved about by so many people. Even at that age which I assume is the demographic the movie was aimed at I found it extremely boring.

I could not see why so many people rave about this film. It was simply too boring to be considered great by any standards but I suppose there are a bunch of people who go around looking at boring movies and raving about artistic merit.

This is simply one very boring movie and I can't see a lot of artistic merit to it either. The English Patient was an example of a boring movie that had a lot of artistic merit E.T. isn't.

I remember back in 1982 when E.T. came out, I was very young and most probably the target audience for this movie. I recall going over to a neighbour's house and watching it on pirate video (I think that E.T. was the most pirated video ever). I was pretty excited to see it. In the event my neighbours all were in floods of tears, as I sat there strangely, yet deeply unimpressed with what I had just seen. I don't know what it is but I have revisited this film again a further couple of times in the last three years or so and I still come away somewhat ambivalent and unmoved. Maybe I am dead behind the eyes? I must be going by the reaction most people seem to have to this movie. But I can't change my reaction no matter how I try and find this to be overly sentimental and slightly tiresome. It's not that I don't like Steven Spielberg – I think on his day he can be great – but he sometimes makes films so twee in nature as to be very off-putting.

It also sort of baffles me how E.T. himself can be such a super-intelligent being when he allows himself to be led up a staircase by a child via a line of sweeties. That surely is the behaviour of a creature with an IQ no greater than a domestic dog and not a galaxy-hopping alien, surely? And why hasn't his alien race invented clothing? We have people on earth who go out in public in the nude but we throw them in prison on the grounds of mental illness.

Simply Put...Popularity does Not always Equal Quality.

This Movie has Accomplished many things. It is one of the Highest Grossing Films ever. It is one of the most Popular Movies ever.

Director Spielberg took a Modest Budget, employed No Name Actors (mostly children), utilized some of the most Clunky SFX and Puppetry in a Film of this Stature, and turned it into a Fortune both Financially and Critically.

The Creature looks Like a Reject from the Jim Henson Studios. The Spaceship resembles a Christmas Tree Ornament. The Adult Characters have about Five Lines each. The Humor is Unfunny Slapstick. The only Quotable line is a Dud..."E.T. Phone Home". The Musical Score is highly Intrusive and Derivative and is just Awful.

Film Historians and Scholars are still Wrestling with the Film's Success and Vary Wildly nowadays on its Merits as a Work of Art. There's Not Much Artistry unless You call Manipulating Audiences and Critics into Thinking this is a Masterpiece.

It is no doubt a Success Story. But the Story here is Nothing New...A Boy and His Dog. Overall the Film is Just too Clunky and Unimpressive to the truly Objective Viewer.

If Detached from the Hype and the Hypnosis it is revealed as a Mediocre Children's Story packaged as a New Age Modernism of Suburban Sentimentality, with an Extraterrestrial Visitation template, that Struck a Chord with Family Viewings and a need for something Sweet to Balance the Cynicism, Violence, and Stylized Reality that comes to the Multiplexes on a Weekly basis.

Foul-mouthed precocious little kids and a plot that hasn't aged well. So why does this film continue to pose as "family fare"? See it and satisfy your curiosity, or pass it up (recommended) for a good film, one that will compliment your family's intelligence. They're out there. (The films, I mean.)

I first saw this movie when I was 5, and I liked it pretty well. My parents even bought for me...and I don't think I've watched it since (other than clips). I cannot remember most of the jokes and dialogue in the movie, but I remember the big picture still. After all, the movie is still popular.

Let me start by saying that Spielberg entered in this movie some of the best aspects of filmaking and also some of the worst. The movie is magical, especially for a young child. The relationship between E.T. and the boy is indeed heartwarming, and the special effects are good enough to compete with Cameron. However, the disappointing aspects of this film overweighed the good in my mind. This movie was rated PG-13 in some European countries. Why? Spielberg lures kids in to watch this movie, only to tell them that parents are close-minded and completely out of touch with kids, while also encouraging children to defy their parents when they "know" all the answers. Now granted, Spielberg doesn't come right out and say it, but for very young kids, this atmosphere could be harmful.

Moreover, much of the movie is directed to people who fall in love with lots of cute things. I don't mind cute movies, but it is overdone in a movie which is meant to be a sci-fi movies for kids, and a serious drama for adults. There are also many contrivances and plot holes that I believe are only accepted because the director was Speilberg and because it was a "cool" sci-fi flick. However these do not affect my rating of the movie, as I also am willing to ignore some poor or formulaic writing when the rest of the movie is great.

It seems I am in the minority on this movie. Even AFI has it 25th best all time on their list. But even throwing away all my personal taste, the message sent in this movie would still detract me from rating it among the classics.

I give it a 4 (out of 10) for effort.

As a kid my parents burned me out taking me to this film. Every day they wanted to get rid of my sister and me for the day they took us to E.T. By the third or fourth time, I really began not to really care for this movie to the point of being incapable of wanting to watch it again. The story is simple though and good for kids to watch. Even as a kid though I got quickly bored of this on and today I never want to see it again. I will say I really enjoyed it the first and second time I saw it, but I have to say this movie is definitely for kids and they will get the most enjoyment of seeing Elliot help the little alien call his friends to pick him up. This movie was also a really big advertisement for the candy Reese's pieces...they were basically unheard of before this movie.

This is mush of a kids movie so I do not like it. The story line is not that good. When I was a kid I really like this movie. But now that I am 35 I do not like it that mush. 7.9 come people it is just kids movie.