"E.T."--Now and Then

It's hard to believe 20 years ago a cute little alien with an abnormally large head and big eyes wandered away from his spaceship and into box office stratosphere.

Yet, in 1982, that's just what happened.

When E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was released, no one expected it to become the phenomenon it did. Honestly, a story about an alien botanist who gets left on Earth by mistake and has to find his way home with the help of an 11-year-old boy? Where's the barf bag?

The movie hit America right where the heart is, under the excellence guidance of wunderkind director, Steven Spielberg. It became the one of the highest grossing films of all time, and remains at number four on that list. It helped to create one of the most successful production companies in Hollywood, Amblin Entertainment. There were E.T. toys, games, books. Even Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, wrote a hit song about the endearing but decidedly wrinkly alien.

Now, we get to experience the fun all over again. Universal will be re-releasing E.T. nationwide to commemorate its 20th anniversary--this time with a new facelift. Spielberg and special effects company Industrial Light and Magic have reworked over 140 shots to bring the film blazing into the 21st century.

Most importantly, we get to see all those great characters again--Elliot, Gertie, Michael, Mom--and the actors who brought them to life, a gang of mostly unknown actors who managed to create this endearing family classic.

Here's a look at them then, and what they are up to now.

Story

Even if the some of the images are redone, the story remains true to form--and fits surprisingly well in this savvy 21st century. As it goes, an alien botanist), visiting Earth to collect some vegetation, gets stranded when his space friends have to make a hasty exit before getting caught by the big bad American scientists lead by "Keys" (Peter Coyote, known as such because of the keys jangling from his belt). E.T. ends up befriending an 11-year-old boy, Elliot, (Henry Thomas) and his siblings, older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and little sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) and discovers such earthly pleasures as beer, TV and Reese's Pieces. Yet, as much fun as he's having, all E.T. really wants to do is go home, and soon it becomes a matter of life or death for the little alien to get there as quickly as he can. Elliot, who has now bonded with his new friend, tries as hard as he can to help E.T. get home before its too late--and before Keys and his group get hold of him.

Direction

Why mess with a classic? Well, if you're a perfectionist like director Steven Spielberg, you want to make the 20th anniversary of one of your most beloved films to be the best that it can be. Honestly, when watching the film again, it's hard to pinpoint where the changes were made, since they blend seamlessly with the rest of the film. Apparently, 140 shots were reworked, E.T. got a more friendly makeover and a few never-before-seen scenes were added in (like the great scene where E.T. falls into a bathtub of water). True, E.T. looks even more lifelike and you can tell the spaceship had a few more bells and whistles on it, but it doesn't really matter. The film is a pure gem, proving once again what an incredible visionary Spielberg truly is.