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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial poster

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

year 1982decade 80sdirector Steven Spielberggenre Fantasygenre Science fictiongenre Family

115 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Henry Thomas Elliott
Sean Frye Steve
Tom Howell Tyler
Erika Eleniak Pretty girl
David O'Dell Schoolboy
Richard Swingler Science teacher
Frank Toth Policeman
Robert Barton Ultra sound man
Michael Darrell Van man
Pat Welsh E.T.’s voice
Debra Winger E.T.’s voice

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Sean Fennesseyhost Mallory Rubin
Explore episodeClose episode

Producer credits not yet identified.

Apex Mountain

Spielberg (one of several peaks); child actors except Barrymore; Wallace; friendly aliens; penis-breath insult; Speak & Spell; organic product placement (qualified)

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:14:59Read transcript
  • The child ensemble is proposed as a possible Apex, with Stand by Me as a competing benchmark.
  • Spielberg receives an affirmative choice for the Raiders/E.T./Poltergeist period, while 1993 and multiple career peaks remain plausible alternatives.
  • Every child actor except Barrymore is assigned this peak; her later rom-com years, Fever Pitch,50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer are alternatives.
  • Wallace receives an affirmative choice amid a strong run; discussion corrects assumptions about her age to 34.
  • Aliens broadly are rejected in favor of Alien, but friendly aliens receive a yes.
  • Children’s movies are disputed: E.T. may be a favorite, but Toy Story’s industry influence and Star Wars compete.
  • Cute little-girl performers brings Barrymore versus Shirley Temple; semi-degenerate California children prompts Repo Man, and stealth divorce movies is proposed without a settled answer.
  • The penis-breath insult and Speak & Spell receive affirmative choices, with the insult’s post-film popularity recalled.
  • Merchandising is rejected in favor of Star Wars; Grogu and the connected Star Wars/E.T. period complicate the friendly-alien discussion.
  • Reese’s Pieces earns a qualified product-placement Apex for feeling organic; Coke, Coors and V 8 illustrate additional brands.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Last bicycle ride and farewell; first moon flight; meeting the siblings

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:33Read transcript
  • The whole film feels rewatchable; the opening efficiently makes even young viewers understand the curious botanist being left behind.
  • Elliott leading E.T. to his room with Reese’s Pieces is nominated.
  • Meeting the siblings is a favorite for Gertie’s scream, collapsing shelves, Michael’s protection and the toy-filled bedroom.
  • E.T. exploring the house, drinking beer, watching television and bonding with Harvey could sustain a whole comedy by itself.
  • Gertie dressing E.T. and teaching him speech showcases Barrymore’s exceptional child performance opposite a puppet.
  • The first Halloween bicycle flight, silhouetted against the moon, and Elliott’s offer to protect E.T. are nominated.
  • The illness passages are distressing rather than a preferred rewatch, but the revival and glowing heart after Elliott’s goodbye are loved; the glass framing resembles a spaceship window.
  • The group bicycle chase and sunset flight lead naturally into the farewell; dated effects remain charming within strong action filmmaking.
  • E.T. phone home is essential for the line, finger-shadow image and doll costume; extending the Halloween sequence captures his view through the sheet and delighted noises.
  • The beer-drinking psychic link, freed frogs and Quiet Man-inspired sequence supply a sweet tonal departure.
  • The suited scientists’ alarming entrance through the opened door is another favorite.
  • The last bike ride and final 15 minutes are explicitly favored, alongside the first moon flight; meeting the siblings is the favorite short sequence.

What’s Aged the Best?

Williams score; cinematography; child performances; physical E.T.; standalone story; lasting popularity and iconic imagery

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:37Read transcript
  • Williams’s score makes viewers emotionally believe in the puppet, restores childhood wonder and gives the ending its force.
  • Spielberg reportedly edited the final chase to Williams’s music, reversing the usual film-first scoring process and showing unusual trust.
  • The almost wholly score-driven soundtrack and Williams’s many iconic themes put him at the peak of his profession; Gordon Willis is offered as a comparable technical master.
  • Favorite images include forest flashlights, steam above the kitchen sink as Elliott looks skyward, and the wide shed shot when the ball rolls out.
  • The unsettling dolly zoom over the housing development is a favorite, compared with later Goodfellas camera work.
  • The ambiguous early 1980 sCalifornia setting works without a precise location, with a near-Tahoe intention recalled.
  • Barrymore’s continuing adult success and Spielberg’s chronological shoot, letting the children genuinely say goodbye at the end, have aged well.
  • The child-eye-level shots and C. Thomas Howell are enjoyed, with a wish for another recognizable child actor in the group.
  • The physical E.T. effects still work despite their age; the living, blinking creature had to meet an audience already familiar with Yoda.
  • Keeping the original science-fiction story standalone instead of making its planned sequel preserved its legacy; Spielberg’s existing Indiana Jones franchise may have helped him resist.
  • The yearlong theatrical run and stronger eighth Friday illustrate extraordinary staying power. The moon silhouette and phone-home line are called top-ten icons, with the moon shot proposed as the most iconic ever.
  • Imitating E.T.’s voice has aged both best and worst because impressions vary greatly.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Adult skepticism; M&M’s; Asteroids reference; lost Barrymore surprise; plagiarism dispute; voice impressions; video game

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:02Read transcript
  • E.T.’s apparent death, especially the overhead river image, remains painfully distressing; the earlier resurrection reference offers hope.
  • Growing older shifts identification toward Mary’s safety concerns and the scientists’ lost discovery, reducing childhood’s unquestioning wonder.
  • Mars declining M&M’s placement and the now-obscure Asteroids-score reference have aged poorly.
  • The surprise that the child became adult star Barrymore has disappeared; this is merely something that aged rather than a moral criticism.
  • The hosts discuss an unresolved plagiarism allegation involving Ray’s 1967 Alien script, Scorsese’s apparent support and Spielberg’s denial; independent similar ideas remain plausible.
  • Bad E.T. voice impressions are a downside to the memorable vocal style.
  • The rushed 1982 holiday video game is called among the worst and blamed in contemporary accounts for the 1983 industry crash.
  • The hosts recount unsold cartridges buried in a New Mexico landfill and a 2014 excavation, illustrating the video game failure.
  • Sayles’s unmade Night Skies is a regretted lost project despite elements surviving in E.T.; his Piranha work reportedly led to Spielberg hiring him.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Peter Coyote; older brother; Erika Eleniak (qualified)

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:21Read transcript
  • Coyote was initially recognizable as Keys before becoming a familiar name; the older brother similarly became known through this role.
  • Eleniak as the science-class girl is a qualified that-guy choice, with later Baywatch and Under Siege fame noted.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Elliott’s bicycle; communicator/Speak & Spell; posters; puppet debated

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:43:53Read transcript
  • The bicycle with its basket is the leading choice over the communicator; an inert puppet would feel disappointing rather than magical.
  • A Coors beer is an easily obtained alternative; Speak & Spell, the NFL poster and Elvis Costello poster are desired, but the bike is immediately recognizable without explanation.
  • The puppet remains appealing to another speaker, with display in a glass case suggested and its present whereabouts unknown.