Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Classics: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial


How can one describe the experience of watching E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial? There does not seem to be a word in the English dictionary that can fully describe the total experience of watching such a masterful film. It is moving, heart-wrenching, funny, optimistic, and exciting, all in one.

When one hears the simple premise of a young boy befriending an alien from outer space, they must think that this is the worst film of all-time, but that person would be wrong. E.T. is quite simply a masterpiece, one of those rare pieces of cinema that comes around only every so often. I genuinely believe this to be director Steven Spielberg's greatest film.

What Spielberg did with this film was simply magical, no other filmmaker could have made this film. E.T. is a lovable character, even though he is so ugly. Spielberg made us care for a character who in the wrong hands would have just ended up being an ugly Muppet that would terrify children, but Spielberg managed to bring E.T. to life.

Though E.T.'s true heart lies in its simplicity, through a child-like view of the world, more specifically the view of Elliot and his siblings. Henry Thomas stands out here as Elliot. He has this gleam in his eye that makes you believe that E.T. is a real creature, as if the fantastical is all possible. Thanks to the terrific performance from Thomas, and Spielberg's masterful touch, E.T. is a film wrapped in beauty and poignancy, telling the story of a lost boy from a broken home and his finding friendship.

E.T. is one of the most beautiful films of all-time. It is a film that will make even the most hardened moviegoer cry, but never tears of sadness, but tears of joy and happiness. When you come to the end of E.T., you feel as if you just got off of one of the best emotional roller coaster rides of your life, and it never changes each time you ride it. This is one of cinema's finest achievements.

I give E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial a perfect A+!

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