After countless years, E.T. can still bring that light close to our hearts.

Rating: 10/10 (20 September 2008)

My Take: A classic family movie. Moving, tear-jerking and simply brilliant.
(This is a review of the 2002 re-restored edition)
Come on, admit it! It gets you every time. I would. You know what I am talking about, those scenes that still bring a small tear into our eyes and a cheer to our hearts. Whether it's the scene where E.T., who got sick, is desperately being cured by a couple of scientists who only want him alive for the (non-dying) sake of science, while the boy who becomes his friend only wants him alive because of their friendship. Or what about that scene near the end, the scene where little E.T., finally found his way back to his spaceship. As the lights flood from the doorway and the doors almost close, as E.T.'s earth-bound friends go teary-eyed, a dog walks into the ship's door, desperately wanting to go but can't. This, and perhaps many other scenes, is what makes E.T. the classic that it is. Re-released in a new restored version, it only makes E.T. more a classic that it is. The film adds many great things to the already great piece, but thankfully doesn't take anything else, at least not those that made it good.
Being born in the 90's, the restored version of E.T. is the only way I this classic met my eyes back when I was a kid, even until now. But this "new" version is still quite the film critics and public alike described. Maybe because the film's restorations, unlike the restorations George Lucas did to his STAR WARS trilogy, the 'changes' done here weren't major. Things like adding a new CGI E.T. in a few scenes were Carlo Rambaldi's puppet didn't look pretty convincing or digitally removing guns since Steven Spielberg felt it to be too intense for his vision are very small alterations to a brilliant film. Other than that, the sound and picture quality is cleaned-up for good measure, making it as good-as-new. In that way, it does the film some justice and at the same time, giving it a little makeover.
But in the end, it's the story that still wins us over in this, or any other version. The power of E.T.'s adventure on earth with his friend Elliot (Henry Thomas) and his gang (not to mention Drew Barrymore's familiar performance as Elliot's charming sister Gertie). When the film was released at the Cannes Film Festival back then, it received a standing ovation. Or in simple screenings in the theater alone, E.T. has the power to grab our hearts and mellow it until our eyes shed a tear. Be it joy or sympathy, this is a movie with big emotions. We care about the characters and what happens to them. Is it no wonder those scenes in this film still has the power to grab the audience and let them go with tears and cheers. E.T. is still one of the finest piece of family entertainment, perhaps one of the best films ever made. Okay, that maybe an overstatement, but could you disagree?
Rating: ***** out of 5.