Quintessential Spielberg. This touching tale of love between a boy and
his Christ-figure alien friend should have been mawkish and
sentimental. While sentiment is abundant, Spielberg was in complete
control of his powers and you cannot help but empathize with the
characters; the operatic conclusion never fails to bring goose bumps
and summon tears. The blunt messiah parallels and crude religious
imagery actually add gravitas and pathos: a masterclass in execution
over content. A rare beast, ET is a perfectly realised film with every
ounce of joy, sadness and awe squeezed from it, and it moved the world.
Wonderful.
