Poster for the twentieth anniversary theatrical re-release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 science fiction movie, directed by Steven Speilberg. It stars Henry Thomas as Elliott, Dee Wallace as Elliott's mother, Robert MacNaughton as his brother Michael, Drew Barrymore as his sister Gertie and Peter Coyote as "Keys". The character of E.T. was voiced by Pat Walsh.
This film was a very big hit, and after its release, became the highest-grossing movie of all time, surpassing Star Wars. It remained so for eleven years, until it was surpassed by Jurassic Park in 1993.
This movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won four, Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. The American Film Institution (AFI) ranks E.T. as twenty-fourth on the list of best movies of all time. Other AFI polls ranked it as having the fouteenth greatest music score and as the third greatest science-fiction film. The line "E.T. phone home" was ranked fifteenth on the list of best movie quotes.
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for some of its themes and some uses of bad language.
Plot
This film begins in California, where a space ship comes to collect flora. When the U.S. government come, the aliens quickly flee, but accidentally leave one of their own behind.
Meanwhile, a young boy, named Elliot, is being tortured by his bother Micheal, and his friends. Elliot goes outside, and notices a strange creature in the tool shed. He quickly runs inside and tells his family, but nobody believes his story.
Despite his family's disbelief, Elliot does not give up. He lures the creature into his room using Reese's Pieces candy. Elliot notices the creature mimics his every move.
The next day, Elliot fakes a fever, so that he does not have to go to school and is able to play with the creature all day. Elliot and the creature bond, as Elliot shows him everyday objects. Later that day, when Michael, and Elliot's younger sister Gertie come home, Elliot introduces them to the creature. When they ask the creature where he is from, the creature levitates a ball, and creates a model of the solar system, which lets the children know that the creature is an extra terrestrial. The three children decide to keep this alien a secret from their mother.
The next day, Elliot goes to school, and experiences a psychic connection with the alien. He begins to act crazily when the alien gets drunk, and soon begins freeing the frogs from a dissection class. As the alien watches the kiss scene from the movie, The Quiet Man, Elliot kisses a girl from his class.
When Gertie returns home from school. she watches Sesame Street, and notices the alien. The alien begins to develope a speech pattern from watching her watch Sesame Street. When Elliot comes back from school, he finds the alien dressed up as a girl. At first Elliot is upset about this, but then realizes that Gertie taught him to say his name. Elliot is impressed, and teaches the alien to say E.T., which decides is tobe the alien's name him. E.T. says his name and says "E.T. phone home". Elliot and Gertie realize that he wants to return to his family on his home planet. Elliot, Gertie, and Michael decide to help E.T. with that. They decide to set up a phone with a Speak & Spell toy. Michael notices that E.T.'s health is declining and that Elliot is referring to himself and E.T. as one person.
E.T. is taken out of the house on Halloween night, covered by a ghost costume.
The three children decide to sneak E.T. out of the house, and build the phone on Halloween night. E.T. is dressed up as a ghost and anyone who sees him assumes he is Gertie. Elliot and E.T. make there way into the forest on a bike. However. E.T. begins to control the bike, and causes it to fly. The two fly into the night. E.T. then successfully makes a phone call.
The next morning, Elliot wakes up in a field, and discovers that E.T. has disappeared. He returns home heartbroken. Michael soon finds E.T., dying in a ditch. He takes E.T. home and discovers that Elliot is dying as well, due to their connection. Elliot's mother is frightened when she hears this. Suddenly, government agents invade the house.
The government sets up a medical center in the house, and attempts to separate the connection between Elliot and E.T. They manage to do so, and E.T. dies. The government give Elliot a chance to say good bye to E.T. alone, before they take him away. Elliot is upset as he knows they plan to take him to a lab and do experiments on him. Elliot says good bye to the motionless E.T., then notices a plant which E.T. has previously revived, comes back to life. E.T. suddenly comes back to life, and tells Elliot that his family is coming back for him. Elliot is thrilled to see him alive and tells the news to Michael.
Elliot, Michael and his friends, steal a van which E.T. was loaded into, and escape with E.T. from the government. They then ride their bikes, as they are being chased. Suddenly. the children come to a dead end and it seems that the government has caught them. However, E.T. uses his powers to make the bikes fly and they fly into the night.
They manage to land in a park, where Gertie, their mother, and the head of the government agents named "Keys" show up. Suddenly, a spaceship lands, with E.T.'s family in it. The children say good bye to E.T., and Elliot gives him a hug. E.T. tells Elliott "I'll be right here", pointing his glowing finger to Elliott's forehead. He then picks up the flower Gertie gave him, walks into the spaceship, and takes off, leaving a rainbow in the sky as they all watch.