the fresh films reviews

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E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Director:
Steven Spielberg
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Science Fiction/Fantasy/Children's
NORWEGIAN TITLE
E.T.
RUNNING TIME
110 minutes
Producer:
Steven Spielberg
Kathleen Kennedy
Screenwriter:
Melissa Mathison


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Mary Dee Wallace
Keys Peter Coyote
Gertie Drew Barrymore
Elliot Henry Thomas
Michael Robert MacNaughton
Greg K. C. Martel
Steve Sean Frye
Tyler C. Thomas Howell
Pretty Girl Erika Eleniak

 

Review

In Steven Spielberg's esteemed fantasy classic, alien visitors from outer space aren't only more advanced than us intellectually, but they are also as loving, loyal and cosy as your family dog. It was the perfect concoction for both kids and their parents, who desperately wanted for their children's future to be bright and optimistic and not bleak like Cold War era politics. Seen today, E.T. has acquired that attractive position of standing with one foot in a time when children were biking around in suburbian streets trying to kill time and discover the world, and the other foot in a future in which we need to look for alternative solutions to an increasing amount of challenges as a species. Around halfway through, the film goes from cuteness to weightiness, from entertainment to message. And here is Spielberg's biggest achievement; he lifts E.T. from a cute, well-told children's story to a multifaceted experience, without losing sight of his motif or his target-audience. With fine, sympathetic performances by the children, all of whom seem to have enjoyed this experience immensely. The wonderful, CGI-less special-effects were created by the award-winning SFX-artist Carlo Rambaldi, who had already won an Academy Award for his work on Alien.

Re-reviewed: Copyright © 03.05.2019 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang
Original review: Copyright © 26.05.1996 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang