E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial is possibly one of the most iconic movies of the 20th Century. Not only is it a sci-fi movie about a group of kids who find an alien in the forest, it’s also a coming of age movie about growing up and saying goodbye.
E.T. is certainly a product of its time. With multiple references to Star Wars and Star Trek, and with a soundtrack written by John Williams, it’s hard not to imagine this being shown in picture houses and on TV sets in the early 80s.
At its core, this movie really is a story about making and losing friends. Elliot finds E.T. at the start of the film and immediately forms a bond with him. Elliot feels E.T.’s feelings. At first, this is something new and exciting, opening up a whole new world of possibilities unexplored by mankind. E.T. is something completely new and… well. Alien.
This proves to be problematic as the story goes on, though. Elliot feels all of E.T.’s feelings – the good and the bad. Not only can Elliot feel wonder and curiosity, he can also feel sickness, pain and death. He doesn’t know how to handle these feelings, and he almost loses his life as a result of them. They are forced apart in a desperate attempt to save Elliot.
Of course, like any other 80’s family movie, this film has to have a happy ending. E.T. recovers and comes back to life in an almost messianic plot twist. Everyone is overjoyed, but it becomes clear that E.T. can’t stay on Earth anymore.
Elliot and his friends risk their own safety to bring E.T. back home. His spaceship arrives in the forest, and E.T. and Elliot say their final farewells. Although their friendship is truly something special, it’s impossible for it to continue. E.T. doesn’t belong on Earth, and Earth is Elliot’s home. They have to be separated for their own wellbeing. And so, their friendship and the movie come to a close.
Sometimes friendships are torn apart because of unfortunate circumstances, through no fault of either party. It isn’t Elliot’s fault that E.T. can’t survive on Earth, and it isn’t E.T.’s fault that Elliot feels all of his feelings. This is one of the main messages that I believe Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison were trying to get across when they wrote this film. E.T. is a family movie disguised as a sci-fi. The themes of space and the unknown only add to the themes of growing up and moving on with life.
E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial is a worldwide family favourite and one of Spielberg’s most famous movies. If that isn’t enough to persuade you to watch it, it’s incredibly important in terms of modern pop culture and has been referenced over and over and over again by multiple other movies, books, TV shows, etc. Everyone should watch E.T. at least once, even if it’s just to say that you’ve seen it. It’s so important in film history and definitely worth the two hours it’ll take to watch it.
9/10
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