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DVD E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (Widesceen)
Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit about a stranded alien and his loving relationship with a fatherless boy (Henry Thomas) struck a chord with audiences everywhere, and it furthered Spielberg's reputation as a director of equally strong commercial sensibilities and classical leanings. Henry Thomas gives a strong, emotional performance as E.T.'s young friend, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore make a solid impression as his siblings, and Dee Wallace is lively as the kids' mother. The special effects almost look a bit quaint now with all the computer advancements that have occurred since, but they also have more heart behind them than a lot of what we see today. --Tom Keogh
Review(s): DVD E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (Widesceen)
E.T., you little candy eating freak
I love this film about a turtle that lost his shell and is searching for it. He is about as realistic as Pam Anderson's breasts. I would have beat that little guy senseless and cook him up for supper. Free meal, bet he tastes like chicken. How is Dee Wallace in this, she turned into a werewolf in the "Howling" and had her brains blown out. Look close for Drew Barrymore drinking beer in the background. Turtles rule and run the country. Please help "save the turtles foundation" is looking for you. I gave a nickel.
E.T.: For the Kid in All of Us
Remember back in the early eighties, when filmmakers like Steven Spielberg just told great stories without all the politically correct nonsense which has inundated moviemaking in recent years? A perfect example is "E.T."
Probably my all-time favorite movie, "E.T." still makes me laugh and cry like it did when I saw it in theaters over and over again when I was nine (about the same age as Henry Thomas was in the film). I think I related to it very well because it's really about the boy Elliott, not about the alien. Elliott is a young boy whom no one listens to or takes seriously until the end, when he proves himself to be intelligent, selfless, and brave. I liked this theme because it should teach parents that their children are human beings with feelings with a lot more brains than they are given credit for.
As other reviewers have pointed out, I don't like the changes that Spielberg has made in the Special Edition DVD. He should have kept the rifles in the chase scene because when the rifle is pointed at Elliott before his bicycle takes off into the sky, it proves that Elliott has grown and cares more about E.T. than himself as he faces imminent danger to save his alien friend.
I also didn't like the CGI effects used which made E.T.'s eyes look different as he was watching TV. It's easy to see that it was computer-generated.
Although it was a mistake for Spielberg to tinker with his classic, it would take a lot more than what he did to ruin this movie for me. "E.T." still brings back great memories for me as a child, and it is a film to be cherished from generation to generation. I feel honored that it was in my generation that the movie was made.
An acceptable caricature
My kids bought me this dvd for my birthday. I ripped it open and popped it in the player, eagerly anticipating old childhood memories to resurface. I own the VHS original, but I haven't watched it for quite some time, so I was a bit excited to get the 'new and improved' version. I also proceeded with a bit of trepidation because I had heard that there were changes made to the movie that many don't appreciate. After watching, I can understand and share much of their displeasure. Spielberg traversed dangerous ground and almost made a classic movie into a cartoonish travesty. Almost.
First, the scene in the beginning where ET is running from men in the woods was redone so that ET is now Computer Generated, and you actually see him running through the forest. In the old version you see ET moving through the woods, and admittedly he doesn't seem to be running, as he smothly coasts over the forest floor. In my chilhood imagination, I always attributed this to the fact that ET had special powers. Heck, ET could fly - so obviously he used his powers to glide seamlessly over the forested carpet. But nooooo... Spielberg took all imagination away by creating an ET that looks like Kermit the Frog leaping on lilly pads. It was truly silly. Next, in the original scene where ET is walking over the hill towards the town, you only catch a glimpse of him as he goes over the crest of the hill - but in the new and "improved" scene, you see the entire ET walk off and over the crest, stealing all of the mystique and wonder of the moment. The whole beginning of the movie was pretty much ruined. It gets a little better from there, but throughout most of the movie the old ET is replaced by computer generated images. Sometimes the old ET is still there, but you can always clearly see when the old ET is there versus the new ET. ET was not ET anymore. It was truly distracting and disappointing.
There were also a couple of deleted scenes added. They weren't bad, but it was pretty evident why these scenes were deleted in the first place. They didn't seem to quite fit.
Still, even with all of the nonsense, I admit that it was still enjoyable. My little kids liked it, they laughed; and were sad when ET "died", and sad again at the end when he went home. There was still enough of the old magic left to make it worthwile. The movie was decent, but the extra features are probably the best thing about this release. If you have the original, I'd say don't bother with this one. Why mess with a masterpiece?
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