E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial          

By Tom Keogh

Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit about a stranded alien and his loving relationship with a fatherless boy (Henry Thomas) struck a chord with audiences everywhere, and it furthered Spielberg's reputation as a director of equally strong commercial sensibilities and classical leanings. Henry Thomas gives a strong, emotional performance as E.T.'s young friend, Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore make a solid impression as his siblings, and Dee Wallace is lively as the kids' mother. The special effects almost look a bit quaint now with all the computer advancements that have occurred since, but they also have more heart behind them than a lot of what we see today.

Academy Awards

E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial received Academy Awards for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Score; John Williams), Sound (Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don Digirolamo, Gene Cantamessa), Sound Effects Editing (Charles L. Campbell, Ben Burtt), and Special Visual Effects (Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren, Kenneth F. Smith). It was nominated for Best Picture (Steven Spielberg - Producer, Kathleen Kennedy - Producer), Directing (Steven Spielberg), Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen; Melissa Matheson), Cinematography (Allen Daviau), Film Editing (Carol Littleton).

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