carneys_ID's Full Review: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
We recently introduced our three year old daughter to the magic of the movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Was it too soon? Was she too young? Would the special effects, although laughable by today's standards, scare her too badly to sleep at night? The answer is a resounding no.
L is entering the age of imagination, creativity, and nightmares. At the beginning of E.T., where Eliot first finds evidence of the alien, L was so scared she had to sit on Daddy's lap. After repeated reassurances by both parents, she was soon repeating the phrase "It's not real. It's just pretend. She even grew to love the wrinkly extra-terrestrial.
Most everyone has seen this movie so I will only glide quickly over the details. Ten-year-old Eliot (Henry Thomas) finds and befriends a lost little alien, all the while hiding it from his mother with the help of his siblings. Sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore at age five - her first roll) and brother Michael (Robert Macnaughton) are in awe. They all help E.T. learn about life on earth and teach him the famous phrase "E.T. Phone Home". Mom (Dee Wallace) is a little distracted by the trauma of divorce, work, and raising three kids alone or maybe she'd have noticed sooner that they have a little visitor.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this movie was released in 1982 and billed as "...[a] heartwarming masterpiece of love between a young boy and a visitor from another planet..." It was re-mastered in 1996. The special effects, (E.T.'s glowing fingertip and heart, the alien itself, the flying bicycles) were good for 1982. I watched the joy dawn on yet another generation as my daughter viewed Eliot riding his bicycle while flying in front of the moon.
At an hour and fifty-five minutes, this was a two-parter for my preschooler. It's hard for a little one to sit through such a long viewing. But she could hardly wait to see the ending this evening and lobbied hard for it to be viewed before dinner.
In the end, watching E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial hasn't scarred her. She got over her fright (much too strong a word, but it will have to do) fairly quickly but kept Mommy and Daddy in sight while it was playing. There have been no nightmares. Rather, there is a lot of pretending that she is Eliot and talking with her dollies, who have obviously become E.T.
Every child is different, so you'll want to make sure that yours is ready to see this movie or you just might end up with an extra person in your bed. L did very well, with no ill-effects to report. Other than she wants to see it again already!
Director Steven Spielberg s heartwarming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagi...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.