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A service to our youth through you, their parents and grandparents, in His name by His Word MAR22027 E.T. The Extraterrestrial, 20th Anniversary Special (1982), PG Analysis Date: March 22, 2002 CAP Score: 83 CAP Influence Density: 0.30 |
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E.T.: THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL (1982), 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (PG) -- The language and attitude are still there ... at least the guns are gone. Distributed by: Universal Pictures Director: Steven Spielberg Producers: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Melissa Mathison Written by/Screenplay: Melissa Mathison Cinematography/Camera: Allen Daviau Music: John Williams Edited by: Carol Littleton Special Effects by: Gary Crawford, Dale L. Martin, Andrew Miller, Steven Willis (E.T. operator), Robert E. Worthington He's ba-ack. the lovable and cuddly, "squashed" E.T. (Pat Welsh, Debra Winger) from 1982 is back. There are some things different in this 2002 replay of the famous 1982 blockbuster. It is amazing what you can remember from twenty years ago. The language and attitude are still there -- the five uses of middle school locker room language, the adolescents yelling at their mother, ignoring her, lying to her, sneaking out, etc. and another trying to touch her posterior. At least the guns are gone. The scene of the government agent cocking a shotgun is gone. The guns of the agents at the blockade have been replaced with walkie-talkies. Nice touch. There is some new stuff such E.T. taking a dip in the bathtub, and the spaceship's propulsion turrets now have an aura bubble under them them instead of beams of light. And there is a lot more footage of E.T. being chased by the science team. A spaceship towers in a forest as two of its occupants scour the countryside. For what purpose is not revealed. No matter. The point of this part of the film is that the ship takes off as an earth science team nears the ship, leaving one of its occupants behind. Stranded. Millions of miles away from home. The one we know as "E.T." After being chased for a few minutes, the bawling and braying E.T. finds his way down the hillside to the home of Elliot (Henry Thomas), his older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and his younger sister Gertie (Drew Barrymore) and their mother (Dee Wallace). E.T. hides in a utility shed at the back of the home. During a table game party with two of Michael's friends, Elliot fetches a pizza from the deliverer and hears some noises coming from the shed. Investigating it, Elliot tosses his baseball into the shed and it comes back out. Screeching, Elliot runs back into his house telling all of the intruder in the shed that threw his ball back to him. The entire household now investigates, even after the command of the mother telling them to all stay in the house. Armed with mom's $20 kitchen knives the older boys rush out and all others follow. Finding some footprints in the dirt, Michael proclaims the coyotes are back. Then all retreat back into the house. Later, Elliot's curiosity breaks down his inhibitions and leads him to reinvestigate. Elliot and E.T. meet for the first time with mutual screams in a cornfield. Once parted, Elliot again succumbs to his curiosity and leaves a trail of candy from the nearby forest back to his home. Waiting in the dark, armed with only a flashlight, Elliot hopes the bait will lead the spaceman back to him. And it does. Now begins the touching fantasy tale of a boy befriending a stranded extraterrestrial. Elliot brings E.T. into his home and starts to indoctrinate E.T. with earthly things. Elliot is home alone at this time I might add. Dad has fled to Mexico with Sally, leaving mom behind to fend for herself. Single-parent homes often find themselves resorting to taking chances with the safety of young children in order to work to feed the creditors and mouths. When Michael gets home Elliot makes him swear the most excellent promise to not tell about what Elliot is about to show Michael. Soon, Gertie shows up and is coerced by the two boys with threats to tear up her doll of she tells. Soon, all three accept the new friend from space and agree to deceive mom about E.T. E.T. shares a variety of new things with the kids, including his power to levitate. I am not going to get into a debate about the evilness of levitation. Many of you will remember His wisdom though me that the source of the power determines its holiness, not the user nor its use. As in *Marry Poppins* there was nothing sinister or evil about the use of levitation. For all we know it could have been a gift from God. Eventually, E.T. succumbs to the difference in environments and begins to die, taking Elliot with him in symbiotic connection. By now the science team have E.T. under custody and try their best to save E.T. but cannot. At a point, the symbiotic connection between Elliot and E.T. is broken and Elliot returns to normal health, but not E.T. He dies. Or so the since team thinks. Once E.T. is "packed in ice", he revives and through a series of Rube Goldberg shenanigans, the teens return E.T. to his ship which returned because E.T. built a communicator from a Speak-n-Spell, a phone and a number of hardware items rotated by a child's record player (if anyone remembers a record player nowadays). There are many things that happen between the highlights I gave you. If you have not seem E.T.: The Extraterrestrial and wish to do so, you will see that all I have given you will not spoil the movie for you. But if you do decide to take your kids with you, note that there are a number of foul words spoken by Michael [Titus 2:6-8]. Also note that one of the boy guests tried to touch mom's backside [Ruth 2:9, 15]. And there were many of the typical adolescent issues of other forms of arrogance and rebellion [Is. 30:1]. While containing a decent "message" of kindness to strangers, the ignominious content may have an impact as well on the coping skills and behavior mechanics of your little ones, which includes at-home teens [1 Cor 15:33]. Please consult the listing in the Findings/Scoring section for a complete accounting of the findings. SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION(S) If needed to focus or fortify, applicable text is underlined or bracketed [ ]. If you wish to have full context available, the Blue Letter Bible is a convenient source. If you use the Blue Letter Bible, a new window will open. Close it to return here or use "Window" in your browser's menu bar to alternate between the CAP page and the Blue Letter Bible page. *******Food for Thought******* As always, it is best to refer to the Findings/Scoring section -- the heart of the CAP analysis model -- for the most complete assessment possible of this movie. |
 Wanton Violence/Crime (W): Impudence/Hate (I)(1): Sex/Homosexuality (S): Drugs/Alcohol (D): Offense to God (O)(2): Murder/Suicide (M)(3): |
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| NOTE: The CAP Analysis Model makes no scoring allowances for trumped-up "messages" to excuse or for manufacturing of justification for aberrant behavior or imagery, or for camouflaging such ignominy with "redeeming" programming. Disguising sinful behavior in a theme plot does not excuse the sinful behavior of either the one who is drawing pleasure or example from the sinful display or the practitioners demonstrating the sinful behavior. This is NOT a movie review service. It is a movie analysis service to parents and grandparents to tell them the truth about movies using the Truth. |
| "There are some in the entertainment industry who maintain that 1) violent programming is harmless because no studies exist that prove a connection between violent entertainment and aggressive behavior in children, and 2) young people know that television, movies, and video games are simply fantasy. Unfortunately, they are wrong on both accounts." And "Viewing violence may lead to real life violence." I applaud these associations for fortifying 1 Cor. 15:33. Read the rest of the story. From our nearly seven years of study, I contend that other aberrant behaviors, attitudes, and expressions can be inserted in place of "violence" in that statement. Our Director - Child Psychology Support, a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist concurs. For example, "Viewing arrogance against fair authority may lead to your kids defying you in real life." Or "Viewing sex may lead to sex in real life." Likewise and especially with impudence, hate and foul language. I further contend that any positive behavior can be inserted in place of "violence" with the same chance or likelihood of being a behavior template for the observer; of being incorporated into the behavior mechanics and/or coping skills of the observer. In choosing your entertainment, please consider carefully the "rest of the story" and our findings. |
