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ET: A New Appreciation

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ET: A New Appreciation

Old 05-13-03, 02:21 PM
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ET: A New Appreciation

Like most of you, I was pretty young when E.T. came out. I was 14, and right at that age where innocence and jaded sarcasm collide. The first time I saw it, I was pretty overwhelmed, but subsequent viewings made the film seem hokey and overdrawn. The film itself is extremely dated -- it was hard to watch in 1985 or 1986 because many of the references (Yoda, Dungeons and Dragons, etc.) seemed so of that time frame.

I watched it again on Sunday night when all of my favorite shows had deserted me for the summer. (No more Alias, no more Sopranos or Practice...) I watched it with my two young kids, and with a new perspective as an adult and a father.

The amazing thing about E.T. is that it works in many different subtle ways. The dialogue (especially from the kids) works extremely well, and does not seem forced in any way. The acting is extremely "real", and even the rubber puppet E.T. has enough mannerisms and personality to truly come across as a real character. Even the villains are not horribly villainous -- I know that Spielberg took a lot of flak for changing the government agents guns to walkie-talkies -- shades of Greedo! -- but I think he may have even been right on that point. The bad guys aren't really bad, just myopic and misdirected.

Anyway, long and short of it is -- I liked it. Much more than I thought I would. It made me wonder what kind of memories many of you have of this film, and how you think the movie holds up for today's audiences. (You can also criticize the reissue and the newly added (dorky) special effects, but I think there is probably already a thread for just that purpose...)

What do you think?

Last edited by NCMojo; 05-13-03 at 02:23 PM.
Old 05-13-03, 02:39 PM
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I happened to be thinking about this film the other day as well.

I was considering the box office failure of the 20th anniversary and I realized the truth: this film really isn't appealing to kids.

Kids don't like it. I sort of enjoyed it when I was a kid, but that was it. The film made dough because PARENTS LIKED IT. Parents took their kids over and over because it was the parents who liked it. I recall being taken to it 3 different times when it was in the theater. I was 4 years old that summer and I didn't "want" to see it, or ask to see it, at that age you're just "taken" to it. Clearly it was my moms love of the film that caused me to see it 3 times, not my love of the film. Older children and teens probably didn't like it much either because....

...By the time it came out on VHS (I think that was 1989 or 1990?)I was 12 and I HATED the movie. I thought it was slow, too sentimental, and dated.

I watched it again freshman year of college (17) and cried my eyes out. Now that I'm an adult (25) I see the beauty of the film. It is really well made, great script, great photography, great acting. Its pace is perfect, but I still don't think older children or teens will like it.

I think the appropriate ages for this film are 0-6 and then 19-90. The reason for the failure of the re-release is that E.T. has absolutely ZERO interest to the key 12-18 demographic. It is loved by infants and adults.

It's NOT a kids movie.
Old 05-13-03, 02:48 PM
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I think you're pretty much right on the money, Pants. It's a film about childhood, and as such, it draws in a family audience, almost out of necessity. But it really connects with adults who can appreciate the friendship of child and alien.

It's a sweet, simple story and it very easily could have wandered into sitcomish or campy terrain (not that that would necessarily be bad..."ALF" was a great show!), but Spielberg's treatment elevates it to a point where it's tough to lament the film for any reason rather than "*I* couldn't get into it."

I think kids will like it, as it has universal appeal, but a good deal of the B.O. success can be attributed to how the film connects with adults. I'm never comfortable when "E.T." is classified with Family Films, alongside something like Spy Kids or Air Bud. It somehow trivializes the film, which transcends a bunch of genres (fantasy, drama, adventure, sci-fi) and just lands among "great cinema."
Old 05-13-03, 04:05 PM
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Loved it then, love it now. Such a touching movie on so many levels.
Old 05-13-03, 04:08 PM
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Unforgettable scene when the ramp lifts up with ET beind it, at the end. Such beauty.
Old 05-13-03, 05:47 PM
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If you watched it on abc, some of the "puppet" shots were actually cgi shots. Another reason why many kids hate it (I did for awhile until the dvd came out) is that it has a very slow pace for most kids to follow.
Old 05-13-03, 09:02 PM
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Originally posted by Kal Jedi
Loved it then, love it now. Such a touching movie on so many levels.
Ditto.
Old 05-13-03, 11:55 PM
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Well, I loved it as a kid. I caught the tail end of it as well on ABC. I am not sure why, but it still makes me cry. I guess if you have ever lost someone you love (family member, friend), it seems to bring back those memories.
Old 05-14-03, 02:20 AM
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It makes me laugh and cry. I love it.
Old 05-14-03, 08:03 AM
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And it's Dawson Leery's favorite movie!
Old 05-14-03, 08:39 AM
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Re: ET: A New Appreciation

Originally posted by ncmojo
The amazing thing about E.T. is that it works in many different subtle ways. The dialogue (especially from the kids) works extremely well, and does not seem forced in any way. The acting is extremely "real", and even the rubber puppet E.T. has enough mannerisms and personality to truly come across as a real character. Even the villains are not horribly villainous -- I know that Spielberg took a lot of flak for changing the government agents guns to walkie-talkies -- shades of Greedo! -- but I think he may have even been right on that point. The bad guys aren't really bad, just myopic and misdirected.
I am confused...which version did you watch? Both of them? You mention both the rubber puppet and the changes with the guns being taken out. They did not use a rubber puppet in the remake, but a CGI character (which really didn't look good, IMO, but that is another topic for another thread).

I just wanted to say thanks for this thread, because it makes me more interested to see this movie again. I did buy the two disc set, because it's just one of those movies I felt I had to own, even if I would only watch it once or twice. And the limited edition thing was also a motivation. But I am like most of you here, I saw it as a kid, and I just wasn't that impressed with it, and was impressed with it even less when I watched it on TV a few years later. And I planned on watching my DVD of the movie (I already looked at the supplimental disc, which is where I saw the comparision shots between the rubber puppet and the CGI and the CGI ET just made me cringe) eventually, but this makes me interested enough to watch it as soon as possible.

The ironic thing to me is I remember a special on TV when this movie came out, where Spielberg was intereviewed and talked about his motivation to make this movie. He talked about all the sci-fi flicks he loved as a kid that caught his interest and wanted to make something for kids today that they could like, a sci-fi movie for that day that would do for kids of that generation that the sci-fi movies he grew up on did for him. Personally, I think he failed in that way.
Old 05-14-03, 08:31 PM
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My psuedo-professional opinion: Kids' attention span nowadays are a lot more limited than they were 20 years ago because of technology. With more kids growing up on t.v, video games and the internet, they tend to care more about flashy images that don't require as much thought and wonderment.

E.T. is dated only because it was made with a more classical approach of filmmaking. Things unravel at a slower speed. Spielberg masterfully builded a sense of awe, wonderment, heartbreak and good spirit.

It is like others have said before me, not a kids movie.
But much more.

-Or-

At least it's better than Mac And Me.
Old 05-14-03, 11:03 PM
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Re: Re: ET: A New Appreciation

Originally posted by calhoun07
I am confused...which version did you watch? Both of them? You mention both the rubber puppet and the changes with the guns being taken out. They did not use a rubber puppet in the remake, but a CGI character (which really didn't look good, IMO, but that is another topic for another thread).
Actually, I think that only the puppet or costume shots that did not seem convincing enough to Spielberg were replaced by cgi shots. In some cases, only a digital face has been added over the old image. They did not actually remade the entire film.

But to remain on the main topic, I have to say I disagree with Pants. I must say that the film is really entertaining to kids or at least, it was when I first saw it in a theater 20 years ago.

I asked both my parents to bring me back again several times. I must have seen it 6 or 7 times in a theater in a year. But then, I only saw it again when it was released on video in the late 80's and by that time, I had grown into a cynical young man so I could not watch it with childlike eyes. All I saw was a greedy attempt to cash in again on another Hollywood flick.

I finally managed to see it again when it was released on DVD last year. I guess I appreciate it better now for its cinematic values but it will never again have the same meaning it had to the 11 years old kid I once was.

And I totally hate what they have done with the new version. I mean come on! Freakin' Walkie-talkies! At least he should have used electric toothbrushes. It would have been more consistant.
Old 05-14-03, 11:06 PM
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I was 7 when this came out and I just caught something new that I had never caught before. When ET tells Drew Barrymore to "be good" at the end of the movie, it was a reference to when Drew teaches him to talk. Et is saying his letters while watching tv and says "B". Drew says, "B. Good!" as though she is congratulating him.

Which leads me to believe that ET hasn't really learned much

SPY
Old 05-15-03, 12:46 AM
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Even though it comes off a little cheezy now, it's still a classic. Glad I got it in my collection.

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