E.T

E.T

            Steven Spielberg's 1982 science fiction masterpiece E.T remains a staple in children's film and is still quoted and is that classic film that parents just have to show to there kids, even thirty years after its initial release. A beautiful score and great cinematography guide the viewers through a journey where they meet a young boy named Elliot, who discovers he has a psychic connection with a lost alien named E.T. Elliot is similar to most boys ages 8-10 due to his immaturity, his want for friendship, and his desire to be taken seriously by adults. The young protagonist is brave and subdues his curiosity by wielding a flashlight and venturing outside during a spooky dark night (something I never would of done at the age of ten, just ask my siblings) or looking through a forest in search for other fantastic creatures. Elliot is telling the truth but no one believes him at first simply because he is a young boy and kids tend to make up stories about witnessing aliens. Elliot is a developing child, which literary theorists Carrie Hintz and EricTribunella describe children in this model as having certain adult qualities but remaining immature or incomplete and impacted by not only physical growth but psychological factors, that are common among prepubescent children (26). Throughout the story E.T is being tracked and hunted down by the government and rather than run in terror from the alien, Elliot wants to be his friend and protect him. 

           People are often repelled from anything that looks or sounds different, especially kids, but Elliot is intrigued by the alien. He talks to him as if he is another kid and in one scene he shows him all of his toys. Elliot exudes a sense of calm around E.T, maybe its because the alien gives Elliot his undivided attention and he just cant wait to unravel the mystery surrounding E.T and his origins. The film does a great job at expressing the wonderment that children feel when they think they have discovered something fantastic. In Elliot's case he has, and there are several scenes where the young protagonist just stares at E.T with a doting look of love. Pulitzer Prize winning film critic Roger Ebert describes Elliot's natural likability by stating, "He's natural, defiant,easily touched, conniving, brave and childlike". Although special effects become dated with time I believe that audiences in general are magnetized to this film because of its emotional undercurrent. Although this is a science fiction movie it is more about friendship and finding something to stand up for. While I watched this movie I kind of forget about everything going on around me and just enjoyed seeing Elliot interact with E.T. 

To read Roger Ebert's 2002 review of the re-release of E.T simply click, http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/et-the-extra-terrestrial-2002

This Youtube clip shows Elliot and his younger sister coaching E.T on how to speak. Notice how invested Elliot looks, you can really tell that he is intrigued by the Alien. https://youtu.be/6xZif3WmG7I 

Hintz, Carrie, and Eric L. Tribunella. Reading Children's Literature: A Critical Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.