Thursday, January 28, 2016

680. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
1982
Directed by Steven Spielberg









This is one of those family movies that are a bit hard to swallow, owing to the immense cheesiness of it all (although perhaps that is a poor description as I have never had a problem swallowing cheese).  I have seen "children's" movies that are a bit more adult friendly though, so I might be a bit harsh.

A little boy named Elliott discovers ET, a weird, plant-like creature left behind on Earth after a routine flower picking trip with his fellow aliens (because of course).  Elliott hides him with the help of his two siblings and attempt to get him home, while avoiding capture from government agents.  To further complicate things, ET and Elliott begin to form some kind of psychic connection for some reason and seem to be dying for some other reason.

There are quite a few holes in this story that seem to only be cleared up by the answer "because magic" which seems a little out of place in a sci fi story.  At least give us some kind of explanation even if it involves a lot of nonsense like "midi-chlorians" or "hacking into the hard drive."  I suppose I am not the audience for this film now, although I do recall watching it as a child and not being too impressed either.  Little Amanda was quite the snob.

At least we get to see Drew Barrymore young and listen to a pretty awesome score.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

It is generally thought that product placement was born in this film, in this case with Reese's Pieces.

Sarah Michelle Gellar auditioned for the role of Gertie.  She is everything.


3 comments:

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  2. Groan. OK, not quite as groan worthy as Sound of Music, as, thankfully, they refrain from singing. But it still has vomit inducingly cute kids. And that includes the title character.
    Sorry, a big no from me. (but you probably guessed that)

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    Replies
    1. I could have guessed that. Recently a friend of mine revealed that ET has always scared him.

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