A landmark family sci-fi adventure with unusually strong emotional clarity, visual storytelling, and a deeply humane sense of wonder. Its effects and child-centered perspective still land because the movie is built around feeling, not just spectacle.
77% ★★★★☆ (1,670,111)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Adventure · Science Fiction · PG
1982 · 1h 55m · ★ 77% (2M)
He is afraid. He is totally alone. He is 3,000,000 light years from home.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton
Overview
An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.
Director
Steven Spielberg
Production
Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
Cast
Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton, Peter Coyote, Dee Wallace, Erika Eleniak, K.C. Martel, C. Thomas Howell, Sean Frye, David M. O'Dell, Richard Swingler, Frank Toth, Robert Barton, Michael Darrell, David Berkson, David Carlberg, Milt Kogan, Alexander Lampone, Rhoda Makoff, Robert D. Murphy
Curator Review
Verdict
A landmark family sci-fi adventure with unusually strong emotional clarity, visual storytelling, and a deeply humane sense of wonder. Its effects and child-centered perspective still land because the movie is built around feeling, not just spectacle.
Best for
families and older kids
viewers who want heartfelt sci-fi
fans of classic Spielberg
people who like emotional coming-of-age stories
audiences seeking iconic movie magic
Skip if
you want fast-paced modern sci-fi
you dislike sentimental storytelling
you prefer hard science fiction
you are looking for dark or cynical alien stories
Overview
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of the defining movies of popular cinema because it understands wonder as something fragile. Spielberg stages the story at child height, where a backyard can feel like a wilderness and a flashlight beam can feel like a rescue mission. The film’s emotional power comes from how carefully it treats loneliness, friendship, and the ache of separation.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the balance between intimacy and spectacle. The special effects are iconic, but they never overwhelm the human scale of the story. The family scenes, the quiet jokes, and the sense of discovery give the movie its warmth, while the final act turns that warmth into something almost operatic.
Bottom line
It is sentimental, yes, but in a disciplined and deeply crafted way. The movie earns its tears through patience, empathy, and visual invention, making it one of the rare blockbusters that feels both universal and personal.
Top Letterboxd reviews
ciara (5★) · 7245 likes
E.T. is gay and here’s my evidence: 1) literally comes out of a closet dressed in drag 2) spaceship leaves rainbow trail in the sky 3) has magic powers e.g. can make u fly (only gays are that powerful)
Patrick Willems (5★) · 5261 likes
The last twenty minutes of this movie is John Williams doing Beethoven-level shit
David Sims (5★) · 4062 likes
he’s been on earth less than a week before he’s puttin on flannel shirts, flipping on the TV and pounding beers…ET Gets It