Definitely worth seeing in the theater whether you've seen it before or not.

Rating: Null/10 (20 March 2002)

Watching the 20th Anniversary re-release of "E.T." will give those of us who grew up with it will get that warm, nostalgic feeling (while feeling a little older!) and those who were too young to experience it in theatres will be treated to one of the best family films of all time.
Some say that this is a cash-in to ensure that "E.T" keeps its title as one of the top grossing films and also to make sure the inevitable DVD release gets even more attention. The other way to look at it is that this is a classic that a whole new generation can and will enjoy. It's extremely hard to find on video and hasn't been on screen in many, many years, so it's about time that a whole new crop of kids (and adults alike) get to experience what we were lucky enough to have "when we were younger".
The film itself has held up pretty well and doesn't seem too outdated. Kids in the screening seemed to enjoy it thoroughly and didn't really seem "lost" at all. While there are five extra minutes, it's hard to tell where they are for most that haven't seen the movie in a while. E.T. does a little more running this time around, with some help from newer CG techniques. Other than that, the CIA agents are now armed with walkie talkies instead of guns and the "terrorist costume" line has been replaced with "hippie costume". Those are silly little things, though. Due to our country's newfound sensitivity, I suppose it makes sense, but also doesn't seem like it would be too offensive or scary! I mean, this is an older movie! Those things have been there for 20 years now! Most people have seen it numerous times already anyway. One amazing thing is to see Drew Barrymore again as a child. It's wild to think that at 27 we've been seeing her grow up in film now for over 20 years now. While the rest of the cast is pretty low-key these days, Drew continues to evolve and work steadily despite the "child actor" curse. The cast really does work well together and are just as loveable as ever, including that pudgy, ugly little alien, E.T. This is definitely one to catch in the theaters whether you've seen it or not. Sure, it will come out again on video (and DVD), but that's why it's on the big screen again. That's the way it was supposed to be experienced. One can only hope that the rest of Spielberg's classics ("Jaws", "Close Encounters", etc.) will get the same treatment with the inevitable success of this re-release.