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Reviews
An Adventure for the First Time
Unlike most of you,
I never grew up with shows like Muppets or cultural phenomenons such as
Star Wars or Indiana Jones. These shows had no cultural significance
in my country, until the Satellite and Internet were introduced.
In 1992, two years after I emigrated from my homeland, I was walking around in
a big video store, hunting for a Disney Animated Feature (in those days, I used
to be a Disney fanatic). While exiting the kids' section, my eyes caught a glimpse
of a movie case featuring a a boy on a bike, flying across the full moon, along
with the word E.T..
Curious, I walked up to the shelf and checked the back cover to see what it was
about. After seeing the face of a freaky creature hugging a boy, I put it away
in disgust and told myself and all family members never to rent the movie entitled
E.T..
Who knew that a year later, a dinosaur movie would not only change my life but
make me a fan of the man who created that "freaky creature" movie. After watching
Jurassic Park, I found myself engrossed in the world of films and finally
had found something that sparked my interest. In a span of 3 years, I was able
to catch up with all Spielberg films including E.T..
Did I love it? Although I liked it very much and saw it more than once, I didn't
experience the same feelings as those fans who saw it as kids, and then 20 years
later, as adults.
With the 20th Anniversary
Edition out in theatres, I finally had the opportunity to see E.T.
on the big screen. As the only E.T.
admirer among family and friends, I went to see it at AMC on the first Saturday
of its release, by myself. The theatre was packed with little kids and most of
them were the kids of those people who had viewed the movie 20 years before, as
kids themselves. who saw E.T..
It was a nice environment but a slightly noisy one. After watching 20 minutes
of previews, the film finally started.
The opening featured the new logo of Universal Studios: Elliot and E.T.'s classic
bike ride across the moon. It was good to see that opening titles remained unchanged.
I'm not going to talk much about the film but more about the computer effects
that were used to enhance E.T..
It was good to see the creature's computer enhancements but to witness a fully
computer generated E.T.
was a bad sight. Last year, when I heard that Spielberg had given the greenlight
to replace the puppet E.T.
with a CGI one in a few scenes, I was not pleased. When it comes to CGI, Spielberg
has always been one of the few directors to use it effectively but with the 20th
Anniversary Edition of everyone's favorite alien, he tampered with his own
reputation. Knowing him, he probably won't do it again.
In the never before seen bathtub footage, a full CGI E.T. is featured, which failed
to please me. The computer generated creature was animated brilliantly, however,
it wasn't consistent with the puppet E.T..
In addition, you can easily tell that Elliot's eyes are focusing at the original
puppet E.T. not the
new CGI one.
As far as the replacements of Guns is concerned, I didn't have any problems with
it. In fact, the walkie talkies fit seamlessly and looked great. Whether you are
a first time viewer or not, you can hardly notice it. The new enchanced spaceship
also fit perfectly with its surrounding. Especially, during the landing sequence
in the beginning, the spaceship is created outstandingly. At one point, it looks
realistic and believeable whilst the other, it appears like a child toy.
On the whole, watching E.T.
for the first time on the big screen was an overwhelming experience. It was a
soul stirring adventure that was provoked by the friendship of Elliot and E.T.
and the uplifting magical score of John Williams. It still remains a great family
entertainment for all ages. Go watch it with your family and friends.
What do you think of the film or my review? Post your thoughts on Talk
Back.
For more on this film, visit DreamWorks
SKG Fansite-Amblin's E.T. 20.
- Reviewer: Jawad Mir
- Score: 9 out of 10
- Added: September 30, 2007
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