An excellent example of film-making at its finest.

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 2004)

Stepping away from the fact that I adore this film as an icon of my childhood, I feel its enduring popularity owes a debt to the capabilities of a truly creative mind. Spielberg, one in the topmost echelon of directors of the modern age, does what he does best: crafting a tale that both entertains and enlightens us. We are captivated and amused by the effects, and by the actions of the characters, but those same things also serve to teach us about ourselves and our world. Granted, a child will miss the underlying layers, but the broadest sense of the film--that everyone is deserving of, and capable of, love--is essentially impossible to miss.
For those viewers that crave opportunity to see what films used to be about--entertainment AND meaning (without being overtly "preachy")--this is a film for you. It hails from an era when we were not drowning in big-budget extravaganzas, but instead finding a commonality in our enjoyment. This is one of the last in a legacy of films doing just that.