E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
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A young boy befriends a stranded extraterrestrial and must help it find its way home.
The story
After a group of extraterrestrials visits a California forest, one becomes separated from the others and takes refuge in the home of a young boy named Elliott. Initially fearful, Elliott eventually forms a deep bond with the creature, whom he names E.T. As the two become close, Elliott must navigate the challenges of keeping the alien's presence a secret from his family and the authorities. With the help of his siblings, Elliott attempts to find a way to help E.T. escape Earth and return to its home planet before it is captured by government agents.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A group of small aliens visits a California forest, but one is left behind after the others depart before government agents arrive. The creature hides in the shed of ten-year-old Elliott Taylor. Elliott lures the alien to his room using Reese's Pieces and hides it from his mother, Mary. The children bond with E.T., who displays telekinetic abilities and communicates through shared thoughts. Elliott builds a communication device to help E.T. 'phone home.' On Halloween, they go to the forest to use the device. The next day, both Elliott and E.T. grow weak. When government agents quarantine the house, Elliott's brother Michael finds E.T. and brings him home. During a confrontation with agents, E.T. appears to die, but is revived by Elliott's love. The children then flee with E.T. in a vehicle, eventually reaching a forest where E.T.'s ship arrives. E.T. says goodbye to the children and leaves Earth, leaving a rainbow in the sky.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Spielberg
- Writers
- Melissa Mathison · writer
- Cast and characters
- Dee Wallace · Mary Taylor; Henry Thomas · Elliott Taylor; Peter Coyote · Keys; Robert MacNaughton · Michael Taylor; Drew Barrymore · Gertie Taylor
- Genres
- science fantasy; children's; coming-of-age; science fiction
- Themes
- growing up; friendship; tolerance; communication; alienation
- Tone and mood
- mystical; dreamlike; heroic
- Premise and plot tags
- extraterrestrial; childhood; telekinesis; government conspiracy
- Reception
- The film was universally praised by critics and is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. It was a massive box office success, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time in 1983.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 99% · scale: percentage · review count: 146; Metacritic · score: 92 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Score · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination; Academy Award · Best Director · nomination; Golden Globe · Best Original Score · win; Saturn Award · Best Science Fiction Film · win; Saturn Award · Best Writing · win; Saturn Award · Best Special Effects · win; Saturn Award · Best Music · win; Saturn Award · Best Poster Art · win; Grammy Award · Best Original Score · win; Grammy Award · Best Recording for Children · win
- Production trivia
- The film's concept was based on an imaginary friend that Spielberg created after his parents' divorce.; The animatronics for the film were designed by Carlo Rambaldi.; The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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