Classic

Rating: 5/10 (1 November 2009)

The movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is about an alien life form that is left on Earth by a space craft. A boy named Elliott comes across E.T. and brings him into his room in order to protect the alien from being discovered and possibly killed by other human beings. The part of Elliott is played by an actor named Henry Thomas. Elliott has a brother named Michael played by Robert MacNaughton, and a sister named Gertie who is played by Drew Barrymore. Michael and Gertie discover that Elliott is keeping this alien in his room and are sworn to secrecy. Together, the three children learn about the powers that E.T. possesses, and teach it things about how human beings live on Earth.
During E.T.'s stay at the residence, Elliott and his siblings learn about its many different powers that are unlike those of a human being's. Elliott also gains an appreciation of how E.T. thinks and feels by experiencing its senses firsthand.
The theme of the movie is that one should not judge something until adequate information is known about it. Another way to state this is "don't judge a book by its cover". At first thought of a creature from outer space the children are frightened. As they get to know this unfamiliar creature they learn that he actually has much in common with them, except for a few special features. Another movie with a similar theme is Harry and the Henderson's. In this movie the Sasquatch is feared in the beginning, but eventually it is learned that he is actually a friendly creature.
Much of this movie is shot in low key lighting which gives it a more dramatic effect. It also gives the alien a more daunting look in the beginning of the film, which formulates the impression that E.T. is a harmful creature by giving it shadows cast across its face. This feature adds to the theme of the movie as it gives E.T. an erroneous sense of being intimidating while he is simply harmless. One motif in this film was the repetitive saying "E.T. phone home". This adage brings to light the fact that deep down, E.T. is much like a human being. E.T. is able to learn some of the English language and connect with the children. This motif goes along with the theme of the movie that one should not judge something until they fully understand it.
Overall, Elliott, Gertie and Michael learn a great deal from the space creature named E.T. What was once a space invader to be feared by everyone, actually developed a close relationship with the children. E.T. and the children learned a great deal from each other, particularly Elliott who has a more intimate connection with the creature.