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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

★★★★ — E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Steven Spielberg made E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982, coming off the back-to-back successes of Jaws (1975), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), a run that had already made him the most commercially reliable director in Hollywood. Produced through his own Amblin Entertainment banner with Universal, the film had a modest budget of around ten and a half million dollars, yet went on to gross nearly 800 million dollars worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film ever made at the time (a record it held until Jurassic Park, another Spielberg picture, overtook it in 1993). Shot largely on location in the suburbs of Tujunga, California, it marked a breakthrough for young Henry Thomas and an early role for a six-year-old Drew Barrymore.

This movie basically raised me. Must've watched it a hundred times as a kid, riding bikes with my mates afterward pretending we were hauling E.T. around in a basket. It’s amazing how something so simple (a boy and an alien becoming friends) can feel so magical and timeless. Sure, by today’s standards some of the effects and acting (especially the adults) are a little rough around the edges, but none of that matters. What Spielberg captured here is pure childhood wonder. That glowing finger. The bike flight across the moon. And John Williams’ score.... Perfection. It holds up not just as a kids' movie, but as a story about friendship, curiosity, and being kind to what’s different. I’ve shown it to my own kids now, and even without all the modern CGI gloss, they still got it. That’s magic. A true classic. Doesn't age. Just stays with you.

Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 1982 | Watched: 2025-05-14

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