E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

For all the buzz about alterations to this 20th anniversary release, the impact of these changes is insignificant, at best. With or without them, the film remains the kind of unabashed delight that can make even the most cynical filmgoer feel like a kid wrapped up in a fantasy, as it chronicles the story of a little boy helping an adorable little lost alien to "phone home." For the touch-up, Steven Spielberg tapped CGI technology to give E.T. more life-like movements and complete a scene left on the cutting room floor in 1982, but what continues to stand out is just how good the film's performances are, especially young Henry Thomas, whose emotional connection with a special effects puppet is, more than anything else, what makes us believe E.T. is alive. Yes, E.T. is emotionally manipulative and sometimes over-the-top (the flying bicycles are just too much), but it also admirably stands the test of time, and it's more fun than ever to watch E.T. build an interstellar communicator out of what are now technological antiques (Speak 'n' Spell, record player, etc.). The poor little guy doesn't even have a Pentium processor or a cell phone to work with! Highly recommended. [Note: Thanks to a last-minute intervention by Steven Spielberg, the double-disc DVD set (a three-disc edition is also available) includes both the original (1982) and enhanced (2002) versions. Extras include a brief introduction by director Steven Spielberg, a featurette on the 20th anniversary premiere held at Shrine Auditorium in L.A. (17 minutes), a live performance accompanying the feature by conductor John Williams and his orchestra, space exploration facts about the solar system (recited by an E.T.-like voice), a 24-minute making-of documentary, the 18-minute featurette "The Reunion" with major cast and crew members, photo galleries (design, production, and marketing), cast and filmmaker bios, text production notes, special E.T.-related announcements (including the Special Olympics and Universal Studios theme parks), and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for a landmark film.](R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 25, 2012—Universal, 115 min., PG, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1982's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial sports a great transfer with DTS-HD 7.1 sound. Blu-ray extras new to this release include “The E.T. Journals” behind-the-scenes compilation of original on-set footage (54 min.), a “Steven Spielberg & E.T” retrospective with the director (13 min.), bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Extras carried over from previous releases include “The Evolution and Creation of E.T.” behind-the-scenes footage (50 min.), “A Look Back” retrospective featurette (38 min.), “The Reunion” with the cast and crew (18 min.), “The 20th Anniversary Premiere” featurette with conductor John Williams and his orchestra (17 min.), “The Music of E.T.” with Williams (10 min.), deleted scenes (4 min.), a “Designs, Photographs, and Marketing” section with image galleries, and trailers. Bottom line: a beloved Spielberg classic makes a long-awaited debut on Blu-ray.][DVD/Blu-ray Review—Sept. 19, 2017—Universal, 115 min., PG, DVD: $14.98, Blu-ray: $19.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1982's E.T. The Extra Terrestrial sports a fine transfer with DTS-HD 7.1 sound. Extras are identical to the previous release and include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “The E.T. Journals” (54 min.) and “The Evolution and Creation of E.T.” (50 min.), “A Look Back” retrospective featurette (38 min.), a cast and crew reunion (18 min.), “The 20th Anniversary Premiere” featurette with composer John Williams and his orchestra (17 min.), a “Steven Spielberg & E.T” retrospective with the director (13 min.), “The Music of E.T.” with Williams (10 min.), deleted scenes (4 min.), and a “Designs, Photographs, and Marketing” section with image galleries. Also newly available is a 4K “35th Anniversary Edition” of the film. Bottom line: if you already own the earlier Blu-ray release, you can pass on this one—unless you are picking up the 4K version.]