The quintessential fantasy film - a cult classic!

Rating: Null/10 (12 October 2004)

The sale of "Reeses Pieces" suddenly surged, "E.T. phone home!" became the catch-phrase, while children and parents alike pondered the term "penis breath".
It was the summer of '83, and the world couldn't get enough of "E.T.", another brainchild of Hollywood's Wunderkind Steven Spielberg, and the biggest blockbuster movie since "Gone With The Wind". The time was right for a sci-fi fantasy for kids that would also draw great crowds of "grown-up kids" to the theaters. The Disney Production was the very first to require a PG-Rating, quite a departure for the previously 100% family-oriented (and G-Rated) Disney Studios. Aside from a few mildly violent scenes and "no-no-vocabulary", there was nothing to keep even the youngest of viewers away from this cinematic delight.
The story of a boy who first hides, then protects "E.T.", an adorable 3 ft. tall alien from outer space who was left on Planet Earth by accident, is a feast of laughs and touching moments, throughout the nearly 2 hours of running time. Your eyes will be misty by the time everything is worked out in the end.
Steven Spielberg pioneered the inclusion of "sponsor messages" in video versions of films, enabling him to drop the excessive purchase price (up to this time around $100.00 per VHS tape!) to an affordable level ($29.95). As copies of the "E.T." videos flew off the shelves (setting a sales record that was not to be broken until Disney's "Lion King"), other studios followed suit, and eventually video versions of theatre releases cost less than 2 meals at McDonald's.
"E.T." was the pioneer for many great films to come. To me, there never will be another film quite like this one. I give it my highest recommendation!