E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Blu-Ray)

Review by Con

Out on Blu-Ray for the first time 22/10/12 (PG) 5 Stars (also with DVD and Digital copy)

Parent View:
What can you say about E.T – Its a family classic. I first enjoyed this movie at 6 years old and 21 years later my own Kidz are enjoying a beautiful HD print of the film. The timeless E.T. will be enjoyed for many years to come – a must own for the family home. Highly Recommended!!!!

The Original cast back together again – including a certain little Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. Features:

Imaginary Friends in Film

This year marks the 30th anniversary since one of Steven Spielberg’s most famous films, family blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial., was released. E.T. tells the heart-warming story of an alien who becomes friends with a 10-year old boy called Elliot, after becoming stranded on earth. Along with his big brother Michael and little sister Gertie, Elliot tries to help E.T. to “phone home” and return to his family.
Steven Spielberg, the film’s director, based his idea of E.T. on an imaginary friend he had created to keep him company when his parents divorced as a child. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial we take a look at other films where a fantasy friend pops up for company, and in some cases, to cause mischief!

Ratatouille

Meet Remy, the small blue rat with big bold dreams. He has a passion for cooking and dreams of working as a chef in the finest Parisian restaurants. When his cooking idol, Auguste Gusteau, dies, Remy imagines that he sees a vision of the chef, who inspires him to fulfil his goal and guides him to his old restaurant. Once there, the talented rodent meets the not-so-talented Linguini, the restaurant’s disastrous new kitchen helper. The pair team up and when Remy discovers that he can control linguini’s actions by hiding under his chef’s hat and pulling his hair, they become the perfect double act, cooking up tasty treats galore. Ratatouille tells the story of Remy the rat embarking on a journey of friendship and adventure, a journey that was sparked off by his hero and imaginary friend, Gusteau.

The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat is the ultimate mayhem maker! When brother and sister, Conrad and Sally are left at home while their mother goes to work, she orders them not to step foot in the living room, which she has tidied ready for an important party she is throwing that evening. But the house is thrown in to chaos when a giant talking cat turns up wearing, of course, a red and white striped top hat and brings with him a giant red crate. Cat is determined that he and the children will have fun but when the crate is opened, it releases blue- haired mischief makers, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and unleashes “The mother of all messes” on the house. The kids realise that the fun has gone too far, and it’s a race against time to get the mess cleaned up and the house back to normal before their mum gets home.

James and the Giant Peach

James Henry Trotter has always dreamt of seeing the bright lights of New York City, but when his parents are killed by a giant rhinoceros and he’s sent to live with his nasty Aunts Sponge and Spiker, his dream seems further away than ever. Whilst doing horrible and tiring chores for his Aunts, James meets a mysterious man who gives him a bag of crocodile tongues and promises that they will make his life better. When James accidentally spills the magic tongues by the roots of an old peach tree, a giant peach grows and becomes the home of six enchanting giant insects; Miss Spider, Grasshopper, Earthworm, Centipede, Ladybug and Glowworm. With his six new friends, James sets off on adventure, sailing the Giant Peach across the Ocean and flying through the skies pulled by seagulls to reach his dream destination, New York City.

Casper

When Kat and her Dad, paranormal expert Dr Harvey, move into creepy old house, Whitstaff Manor, they have some spooky house guests to contend with as the house is haunted by four ghosts. Troublesome trio, Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso set about making life hard for Kat and Dr Harvey, but their nephew Casper is a much gentler soul and is grateful for their company and friendship. Kat and Casper form a close bond and Kat helps him to search in to his past and rediscover who he was before he became a ghost. Together, they find a machine that could bring Casper back to life and set about trying to find the formula to make it work.

Alice in Wonderland

When Alice falls down a rabbit hole, she is transported to a fantasy world where she meets, not just one, but a menagerie of magical companions. She comes across a giant white rabbit, a dodo and schoolboy twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Alice is confused when they all seem to know her and believe she is the one to help them defeat the nasty Red Queen so that the gentle White Queen can rule Wonderland once more. She then runs in to the quirky Mad Hatter and his teatime companion the March Hare who, despite their silly antics, help Alice to escape the Red Queen’s Royal Guards. With the help of her new found – if not slightly odd – friends, she finds the courage she needs to face the monstrous Jabberwocky and bring Wonderland back to the vibrant, magical place it used to be.

So despite the mayhem they can cause and the funny looks they might get, in all these films imaginary or fantasy friends have guided the characters to find a way through their problems, given them company and comfort when they’ve needed it most and in the case of the Cat in the Hat, taught them to let go and have fun! As well as making him feel better when he was going through a tough time, Spielberg’s imaginary friend helped him in a way he never would have imagined. He planted the idea for E.T, a film that remains a firm family favourite, even 30 years on.