E.T. Dir. Steven Spielberg, 1982. (image from Wikipedia)
As is a tradition for me and my extreme single status self, Valentine’s Day is one best spent avoiding everything romance related. This year I decided to spend the time with a couple old friends, “Elliot” and his most unexpected of guests, “E.T.” As such, I had one of the best Valentine’s Days in years.
I love “E.T.” As movies go, this is one that sits very high on my favourite favourite movies list. As mentioned before, I’ve many best of lists for many categories, for many different things. But movie wise, E.T sits most definitely on the very best of the very best of list.
As a film it is an exceptional piece of film making. A perfect cast that is utterly believable as a family unit, lead brilliantly by a very young Henry Thomas as “Elliot,” and the main character of “E.T” one that you instantly fall in love with. It’s a great story that is beautifully told, packed with iconic scenes that still amaze me. The use of Reese’s Pieces leading E.T to Elliot’s home, the E.T. Drunk at home / Elliot “drunk” at school scenes, the flying BMX bikes, and of course E.Ts lit fingertip and the famous gruff voiced “Ouch…!” And of course the famous line…”E.T phone home!” It has incredibly tender moments. Funny moments. Great action scenes. And some extremely sad moments.
It’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride, but a good ride it is! Yes, even now, some 30odd years later, I cry at the same scenes, and get that warm fuzzy feeling at the end all over again. Just like the first time I watched it, aged 8, and the too-many-to-count times I’ve watched it in-between that first viewing and last nights.
And I think part of the appeal for me, is that association I have with my first viewing – one of my first ever cinema outings, with best mate (who at the time bore a remarkable resemblance to Elliot,) and Mom 2 (best mates Mom!) where I was utterly mesmerised by the story on screen, and yes, I sobbed big time then too. I just didn’t want E.T. to go and couldn’t understand why he couldn’t stay!
And it’s that innocents that I associate with every time I watch E.T. If that makes sense? A time when my world was perfect. I longed for nothing, I worried about nothing. The faults, problems, stress, trials and tribulations, and pretty much all the general complete shite of the real world that weighs you down more and more every year were yet to affect my life. I had my family, my home, my best friends, my cats. That was it. Nothing else was important. Or an issue. Life was fun. Life was full of dreams and make believe and adventure. Time when I completely and utterly believed it possible for E.T. to be real…
Every time I watch E.T, I think of that first time, and for the 120min running time, I can almost convince myself I’m back there, and everything’s good. Any film that can give you that feeling has to be high in the best of the best list, don’t you think?
Don’t forget, you can always phone home!
Certainly can… Just sometimes wish it came with a time machine option too!!
I remember you sobbing your heart out under the chair at the movies!!!
I was only 8… It was perfectly acceptable!!