Thirty-five years after Steve Spielberg unveiled the gnarliest alien this side of Yoda, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial arrives in a bike on Blu-ray and Digital HD. See how Elliott (Henry Thomas), Gertie (Drew Barrymore), and Michael (Robert MacNaughton) survive ’70s and ’80s genre experiences and human distrust for what they can’t understand with their limited view… and consider whether the world has really changed all that much.
E.T. of course is the alien who loves Reese’s Pieces, sees John Wayne mix it up with Maureen O’Hara, learns English from Sesame Street, and dreams(?) of being like Buck Rogers. But the real narrative here is about how E.T. is the alien misunderstood by adults and loved by children, the alien who would use his powers to help out his small friends, the alien who might just have something to teach us about what it should mean to be human.
Ironically, E.T. is that polarizing film that finds various ages of audiences and individuals arguing over whether E.T. is worthy of re-watching because of what appears to happen… and then doesn’t. What proves to be genius about the film is that the friendship formed here makes us care, even for those who aren’t drawn to sci-fi. There’s something powerful, provocative, and soulful about the film for those who can see it, who can look past the tragedy, into the triumph.
And the coolest bike ride ever, right?
With special features clocking in at over three hours, fans can now explore the impact of E.T. on Spielberg (and vice versa) with a look back through the filmmaking, deleted scenes, the crafting of the score with John Williams, the design of the film, and even an E.T. reunion!
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