ET - The Extra-Terrestrial

I haven't watched E. T. since it came out, as is typical of me with Spielberg's films. For me, his movies are a bit like a soppy greeting card: you view it once, get the expected emotional reaction, then put it aside somewhere to be forgotten. Now that I'm a dad, it seemed like a good time to revisit this 'classic.' As it turned out, my 6-year-old didn't make it past the half-hour mark; the movie was 'too boring' for her. I kind of have to agree. The wife and I finished it on our own, and by the time it was over, I was ready to leave the room (especially after that overlong 'goodbye' scene!). E. T. is practically slopping over with the sort of sepia-tone sentimentality that has made Spielberg the household name he is. I was impressed by the puppetry present in the eponymous alien, though it was always clear he was not a living thing. The (human) performances were adequate, though a bit too one-dimensional to cause me to relate to any of the characters. John Williams dished up his usual bombast for the soundtrack, which often seemed to be going about its business independent of the action onscreen. We checked this out on BD, and it looked quite nice, and the sound was crystalline. The extras looked plentiful, though the only one we ended up watching was the cast reunion (where Henry Thomas was oddly silent, Robert McNaughton seemed to be upsetting the we-still-have-careers crowd and the puppet didn't turn up). If you liked this movie as a kid, more than likely it'll dredge up the same mushy-sweet feelings it gave you back then. I was never a big fan, so it's hardly surprising an adult re-view didn't do much for me. I can't even imagine watching this for the first time as an adult; if you're in that crowd, I'd say just skip it.

I was 7 years old when I first saw this film. 30 years on, I watched the BluRay version with my two kids. Better than I remember. Made us laugh, cry etc. A timeless classic. Brilliant. My little one keeps quoting 'B. T. Home Phone' which makes us laugh.

I remember watching 'ET - The Extra-Terrestrial ' on the Pictures way back in 1982 and seeing Adults all around me with their Children, not knowing if they should smile, or cry.....

This film still has the same effect on whoever watches it today.

A fantastic film, that has never dated.....

'ET - The Extra-Terrestrial' will probably be one of those films that will go on forever.....

Just like 'The Wizard Of Oz' !!!

Like Em1981, I was the same.

I found E.T. scary, but did love the film and would love to see the blu-ray.

I also found Jaws very scary as I was only 10 when I saw that, and still scary today.

Saw it in the cinema recently. Both my mum and I felt as shocked as we did at home. A true classic in every way and it was brilliant on blu.

But why online rentals are so slow I do not know. Plus I absolutely hate them doing it.

love this film so much, its the sort of film that family members can watch over and over and not get bored with.

so moving and brilliant it'll have you laughing and crying.

defo worth watching