“Indiana Jones 1-3”, “Jaws”, “Jurassic Park”: the list of Steven Spielberg’s masterpieces goes on and on. The father of the modern blockbuster also left his mark on the sci-fi genre (“Minority Report”, “AI”). But Spielberg’s best and most influential science fiction adventure of all is our TV tip: “ET – The otherworldly“ runs today, December 16, 2023 at 8:15 PM on ZDFneo.
If the date does not suit you, you can watch the film at any time in the regular program of your streaming subscription on MagentaTV. Alternatively, the classic is available as (4K/UltraHD) Blu-ray, DVD or paid video-on-demand.
That’s what “ET – The Extra-Terrestrial” is about
During a peaceful exploration mission on Earth, aliens are forced to flee by humans. However, one of the aliens stays behind and takes refuge in a quiet suburb, where ten-year-old Elliott (Henry Thomas) discovers him. Initially shocked, over time the boy befriends the alien and names him ET
Elliott hides his new friend in the house, lets his siblings (Robert MacNaughton and Drew Barrymore) know his secret and wants to help ET contact his house so the stranded alien can return there. But as a supernatural friendship develops between Elliott and ET, government agent Keys (Peter Coyote) is looking for the alien and wants to capture him.
A style-defining sci-fi masterpiece
“ET – The Extra-Terrestrial” has the FILMSTARTS review Achieved a top rating of 5 stars and is in ours Ranking of the best science fiction films of all time in a sensational 5th place – even before similarly iconic masterpieces like ‘Alien’ and ‘Blade Runner’.
Unlike most other representatives of the genre, the alien in “ET” is not a threat, but a peaceful creature. Spielberg tells the story from the perspective of a ten-year-old child and with the magic of cinema, which the master director masters like no other, he lets us become a little child again. Along with Elliott, we get to know ET, we may be initially put off and confused by his unusual appearance, but then we learn to appreciate him as a likeable creature.
Throughout the two-hour running time, the titular alien grows with you. But the film becomes particularly emotional thanks to a clever trick: ET is telepathically connected to Elliott. The two share thoughts and feelings and even suffer a similar fate: Elliott was abandoned by his father, ET by his peers.
The moment when the two say goodbye to each other after everything they have experienced and felt together is downright heartbreaking and will likely leave most of the audience teary-eyed.
These emotions are heightened not only by John Williams’ Oscar-winning score, but also by Allen Daviau’s excellent camerawork. Who doesn’t know the shot of Elliott and ET cycling across the sky in front of the full moon?
The influence of “ET” is still felt decades later. The best example is the Netflix hit ‘Stranger Things’, which simply wouldn’t exist without Steven Spielberg. From the characters (teenagers) to the setting (suburb) to the plot (boy hides someone with supernatural powers who is being persecuted by the government) to the imagery (flashlights in the woods, for example), most of this comes from Spielberg’s story. science fiction hit – and so “ET” continues to impact a new generation, many of whom have probably never seen the film.
Fortunately, you can change that tonight…