Twenty years ago, a wonderful movie about love, friendship, and overcoming the odds was first released. I laughed, cried, cheered, and cried some more as I sat in the middle of a packed theatre in Minneapolis. ET is, by any measure, a movie for all ages - and for the ages. I recommend it highly. But I DO NOT recommend the 20th Anniversary Edition! Here's why not: In the original movie, the government wants to get its hands on the little alien. Among scientists and bureaucrats are a host of gun-toting FBI agents. Now consider for a moment: Are FBI agents typically armed? Uh, yes. Would FBI agents most likely be armed when going up against an unknown entity? Yes, even more emphatically so. Now, as you might suspect from the PG rating, nobody gets shot. But the threat is there, and the threat adds to some of the emotions the audience feels as it pulls for the so-ugly-he's-cute extraterristrial to make it back home alive. The guns fit into the plot, and are in no way gratuitous. But for the 20th Anniversary Edition - in which many special effects are updated and enhanced - Director Stephen Spielberg has had all of the guns digitally changed to walkie-talkies! That's right. The bad, scary guns were all replaced with harmless, helpful walkie-talkies. Does this make the movie better? No, and it arguably takes something away from it. But does this make Spielberg feel all warm and fuzzy in his little anti-gun heart? Apparently, it does seeing as how he's publicly stated that he did it solely to get rid of the guns and not for any upgrade purposes whatsoever. ET: The Extraterrestrial is a wonderful movie on virtually every level. The script is moving; the acting is good; and the special effects, even by today's standards, are just fine. So by all means, see the movie. Or see it again. But rent it on video or DVD. Use your rental fees to boost earnings on the original, and keep your money from supporting Spielberg's politically correct revisionism. Family Suitability: The movie was originally rated PG solely because of one word, or so the rumor went. I can believe it - nothing else in the film warrants the warning, and by today's standards, even that one word is probably safely rated G (the word, for those of you who simply must know, is "penis"). There are some moments of intensity that very young children might find difficult to handle, but anyone old enough to understand that a movie isn't real is old enough for this one. ©2002 by Lady Liberty and ladylibrty.com, all rights reserved. |
ET: The Extraterrestrial, 20th Anniversary Edition