Steven Spielberg was lonely. That is the honest truth behind the 1982 masterpiece. Before it was a global phenomenon, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial movie was a tiny, personal project born from the trauma of Spielberg's parents' divorce. He imagined a friend. Not just any friend, but a creature that could fill the void left by a departing father. It wasn't supposed to be a blockbuster. It was supposed to be a quiet indie film about a boy and his alien.
Most people remember the Reese’s Pieces and the flying bicycles. But if you look closer, the movie is actually a gritty, sweat-stained look at suburban childhood. It feels real. The kids swear. They argue over Dungeons & Dragons. Their rooms are messy. It doesn’t feel like a "Hollywood" set, and that is exactly why it stuck.
The Secret History of the Little Brown Space Man
Spielberg didn't want a "man in a suit" if he could help it. He hired Carlo Rambaldi to design the animatronic, and the result was something intentionally ugly-cute. The face was a mashup of Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, and a Pug dog. It sounds like a disaster on paper, doesn't it? Yet, when those giant blue eyes blink, you’re done for.
Funny thing about the casting—Henry Thomas got the role of Elliott by crying on command during his audition. He thought about his dog dying. Spielberg, moved to tears himself, famously told him, "Okay kid, you got the job." There was no corporate committee. No multi-stage screen testing for months. Just a director seeing raw emotion and saying yes.
The production was shrouded in secrecy. The working title was "A Boy's Life" to keep the press away. Spielberg wanted the performances to be organic, so he actually filmed the entire movie in chronological order. That is almost never done in Hollywood because it’s expensive and a logistical nightmare. But he wanted the kids to actually feel the grief of the ending. By the time they filmed the goodbye scene, the tears from Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas were mostly real. They had spent months bonded to this puppet.
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Why E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Movie Beat Star Wars at the Box Office
At the time, sci-fi was all about lasers and dogfights. Star Wars had changed everything, and every studio wanted the next big space opera. Universal Pictures wasn't even sure about E.T. at first. Columbia Pictures actually passed on it! They thought it was a "wimpy Walt Disney movie." Talk about a massive mistake.
It worked because it wasn't about the "extra-terrestrial" part. It was about the "extra" in our ordinary lives. Melissa Mathison’s script is incredibly lean. There isn't a lot of fluff. It focuses on the telepathic bond between Elliott and E.T., which serves as a metaphor for empathy. When E.T. gets sick, Elliott gets sick. When E.T. drinks a beer and gets tipsy, Elliott is the one stumbling through his school science lab. It's brilliant. It's funny. It's weirdly dark.
Think about the "government" characters. For the first two-thirds of the film, you only see them from the waist down. Keys jangling at their belts. Flashlights cutting through the dark. They are terrifying shadows because that’s how a child perceives threatening authority. Spielberg understood that perspective better than anyone else in 1982.
The Reese’s Pieces Gamble
You probably know the legend. M&Ms was the first choice for the candy trail. Mars Inc. said no. They didn't want their candy associated with a "scary alien." Hershey’s, however, said yes to Reese’s Pieces. Sales tripled within weeks of the film's release. It basically invented the modern concept of product placement.
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The Animatronics and the Magic of Puppetry
We live in a world of CGI now. Everything is pixels. But in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial movie, you are looking at a 1.5-million-dollar hunk of rubber, steel, and cables. There were actually three different versions of the E.T. puppet. One was a "reach-around" for the upper body, one was fully electronic, and another was a costume worn by little people, including Tamara De Treaux and Pat Bilon, for the walking shots.
The movement is jerky. It’s a bit wobbly. But that imperfection gives it life. When E.T. extends his neck, it’s a physical feat of engineering. The lighting by Allen Daviau—who was nearly fired before the shoot—uses heavy shadows to hide the seams. It creates a sense of mystery. You don't see E.T. clearly for quite a while, which builds the tension.
- The Voice: Pat Welsh, an elderly woman who smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, provided the rasp.
- The Sound: Sound designer Ben Burtt used a combination of breathing noises, animal sounds, and even the sound of someone sliding their hands through jelly to create E.T.'s movements.
- The Score: John Williams. Enough said. The music is so integral that Spielberg actually edited the final chase scene to match the music, rather than making the music fit the film.
The Darker Side: Night Skies and Near Misses
Before E.T. was a heart-tugging family film, it was a horror movie called Night Skies. Spielberg was developing a story about malevolent aliens terrorizing a farm family. It was based on the Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter. Eventually, he realized he wanted to focus on the one alien who got left behind instead of the ones attacking. He split the "horror" elements off into a different project that eventually became Poltergeist.
There is a version of history where E.T. is a monster. I'm glad we didn't get that one.
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The 20th-anniversary re-release in 2002 saw some controversial changes. Spielberg digitally replaced the guns held by the federal agents with walkie-talkies. Fans hated it. It felt dishonest to the stakes of the original film. Years later, Spielberg admitted he regretted the change, saying he shouldn't have messed with his own history. If you're going to watch it today, find the original theatrical cut. The guns make the threat real. The walkie-talkies make it feel like a cartoon.
Impact on Pop Culture and Modern Sci-Fi
You can't have Stranger Things without E.T. You can't have Super 8 or Midnight Special. It created the "Kids on Bikes" subgenre that still dominates our nostalgia today. It captured a specific American vibe: the sprawling suburbs, the flickering streetlights, and the feeling that something magical could be hiding in your tool shed.
The movie also changed how the industry looked at merchandising. It wasn't just a film; it was an ecosystem. Lunchboxes, sleeping bags, Atari games—even though the Atari game was so bad they had to bury millions of copies in a New Mexico landfill. That failure is a whole other story, but it shows just how much the world was obsessed with this creature.
Misconceptions People Still Have
- E.T. is a botanist. People forget this. He wasn't a warrior or an explorer in the traditional sense. He was a scientist. He was literally just picking up plants when his ride left him.
- The "E.T. Phone Home" line. Most people quote it that way. In reality, E.T. says "E.T. home phone" first, and then Gertie (Drew Barrymore) corrects him.
- The Ending. Some people think E.T. died and came back to life. It’s more accurate to say he was dying because he was disconnected from his "life force" or collective consciousness, which was restored when his people returned.
How to Experience the Movie Today
If you haven't seen it in a decade, re-watch it as an adult. You’ll notice things you missed as a kid. Look at the way Mary (the mom) is struggling. She’s overwhelmed. She’s heartbroken. She’s trying to keep a household together while her world is falling apart, and she doesn't even notice there's an alien in the house for half the movie. It’s a brilliant portrait of adult distraction versus childhood wonder.
Actionable Steps for Movie Lovers:
- Watch the 1982 Original Cut: Avoid the 2002 digital "walkie-talkie" version if possible to see the director's true original vision.
- Listen to the Score Individually: John Williams’ "Adventures on Earth" is a masterclass in orchestral storytelling. Listen to it without the visuals to see how the music carries the emotion.
- Check out the Special Effects Documentaries: Look for behind-the-scenes footage of Carlo Rambaldi’s workshop. It’s a fascinating look at the "pre-CGI" era of Hollywood.
- Visit the Universal Studios Ride: If you’re ever in Orlando, the E.T. Adventure is one of the last remaining opening-day attractions. it uses the same practical-effect philosophy as the film.
The movie remains a gold standard for a reason. It doesn't talk down to kids. It acknowledges that being young can be scary and lonely. It reminds us that saying goodbye is the hardest part of growing up, but the connection makes it worth it.