E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – 1982
It has been many years since I have seen E.T. Not only was this great science fiction, it was a touching and heart-warming story. Director, Stephen Spielberg, is at the top of his game. The film was a world-wide phenomenon that was, at the time, the highest grossing film ever, having taken the spot from 1977’s Star Wars, until it was dethroned by another Spielberg film in 1993, Jurassic Park.
The story was engaging and the fantastical sci-fi special effects were amazing for their time. Most of the main cast was made up of children, making the acting surprisingly wonderful. Henry Thomas played the lead as Elliot, a 10 year old boy who befriends an alien from outer-space that is stranded in a California forest. The adorable alien, eventually named E.T., is actually a botanist, and has a number of magical abilities.
He has telekinesis, telepathy, empathic powers, and healing powers. He also seems to be incredibly intelligent and physically agile. That last one may be a stretch, considering his tiny legs and his squat shape. But remember, there were several times in the film where he is running through the forest, fast enough to evade his pursuers.
But it is his empathic powers that made him so interesting. He quickly develops an empathic bond with Elliot so strong that the boy begins to not only feel his feelings, but his life force seems to be tied in to that of the alien. The first sign of this is seen within the first 24 hours of their relationship. When Elliot is looking into the refrigerator to find food for E.T. to eat, E.T. is in the bedroom, looking through Elliot’s things. When the alien is frightened by the opening of a spring-loaded umbrella, the boy feels his fear and is left breathless.
Henry Thomas was fantastic for such a young actor. He was so very believable in his portrayal of a young boy who falls in love with a new pet, which is almost how he treated E.T. in the beginning. But it was fascinating to see how, as the psychic bond grew stronger, Elliot would speak of himself and the alien as one being, using the word “we” instead of “I”. And this fact was not lost on his older brother, Michael, played by Robert MacNaughton. His younger sister, Gertie, played by Drew Barrymore in her first big-screen role, treated him as a live doll.
Their mother, a recently divorced woman named Mary, played by Dee Wallace, was pretty clueless of E.T.’s existence until the emotional climax of the film. And I love the way that whole scene was played out. E.T. has grown sick and is dying, and because of the psychic connection, Elliot is dying as well. When Mary walks in and sees the two lying on the bathroom floor, her first reaction is not to fall in love with the creature. When the alien calls her Mom, she grabs her children and tries to get them away from a potentially dangerous animal.
But just then, the character known only as “Keys” arrives with the government agents who have been searching for E.T. since the beginning of the movie. His character’s name is never revealed, but he is played by Peter Coyote. Mary has the dying Elliot in her arms and is trying to get out of the house. Suddenly, a man in a space suit blocks her way at the front door, walking into the house with his arms extended like a monster. She turns and runs to the back door, only to find another man in a space suit. But then another creepy space suit man starts thrusting his arms through the window blinds, as if he is trying to climb in through the window. Why? The only reason I can think of is that it made the home invasion seem even scarier… like they actually are being attacked by a bunch of zombies.
The part where E.T. is dying and is breaking the connection with Elliot was, for me, the emotional climax of the film. Elliot’s cries of “Don’t leave me!” are just heart-wrenching, even more so than their emotional goodbye before E.T. gets on his space ship to go home.
Just as an interesting note, I occurs to me that the symbiotic emotional bond between E.T. and Elliot seems just a little more… odd, when you consider that Elliot is a 10 year old child, while E.T. is, presumably, an intelligent and emotionally mature adult of his species. It makes me wonder which one of them was the “pet” and which one was the loving “owner”. Think about it.