Posted by tonester on 29th September 2002 07:43 PM:

E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial
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“He’s not a goblin, he’s a space man”

E.T. is one of the quintessential children’s films in cinema history, and is responsible for some of the most enduring images in movie mythology. Director Steven Spielberg was at his best, and on its original release in 1982 the film sent shockwaves through the box-office record books.

It’s the story of a 10 year old boy who befriends an alien botanist who was left behind when his mission was discovered, causing a hasty retreat by the mothership. Elliot (Henry Thomas)finds and befriends the stranger, and tries with his family (including a very young Drew Barrymore) to keep him from the clutches of government scientists who are on his tail. And although the director, as usual, lays the emotion on pretty thick – the epic John Williams score helping in this department, you can’t help but be charmed, and even though the effects (despite the reworking) are primitive by today’s standards, the sheer beauty of the movie allows for an easy suspension of disbelief, and thus allows for the captivation of adults and children alike.

E.T. is pure movie escapism, and family entertainment in the traditional sense. Its innocence, sense of discovery, and the central relationship resonated with moviegoers worldwide, and has captivated generations since. And this is Spielberg’s specialty: entertainment on a grand scale through the genres that have kept audiences entertained since the beginning of motion pictures.

Now, scarily, 20 years have passed (as they say, time flies) and the powers that be decided that the film deserved another go. Subtle changes have been made to the original, namely to the effects (CGI has come a long way on 20 years) and in particular to the animation of the alien himself, who has been given a little more in terms of expression and fluidity of movement. There’s also a restored scene between alien and child in the bathroom, and guns have been removed from the agents’ hands and replaced by walkie talkies (that they brandish, funnily enough, just like guns). The sense of wonder about this classic film has not changed, though, and I’m sure that E.T. will continue to entertain as long as there are children to be entertained by it (and the odd adult reviewer too).


Technical Specifications
Distributor: Universal
Studio: Universal
Cinema Release: 1982 (original) 2002 (re-release)
DVD Release: 2002
Video Format: 1.78:1 (16:9 ENHANCED)
Audio Format(s): DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Classification: G


Video
The transfer, although generally very good in light of the age of the movie, does display some fairly annoying and consistent artefacts.

Presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and 16x9 enhanced, on the whole, it displays a good level of detail and sharpness. There are times, though, when there just seems to be too much happening on the screen: many of the early scenes of the movie are set in semi darkness and contain a foggy mist. Add to that low light, horizontal blinds everywhere and a few wire fences, and you have a compression nightmare, and although for the most art this is handled beautifully, some grain and softness occasionally result. For the most part, shadow detail is good too, although many scenes are shot in silhouette, making it difficult to determine whether the lack of detail is intended, although it probably is.

More annoying is the amount of aliasing and moire effects. There are many, many scenes where a large portion of the frame contains either a set of horizontal blinds or louvre doors, and occasionally the aliasing is quite severe. It also crops up on roof tops in a couple of wide shots of the town, as well as on some of the police and FBI cars. Moire occurs at times on the couch in Elliot’s home, as well as on a fairly tightly patterned blanket.

When the transfer is good, though, it is excellent, especially during the daytime scenes, where it looks as good as any I’ve seen. The colours are vibrant at these times (and are good throughout), with blacks good and deep. I didn’t spot any film artefacts: I imagine that no Spielberg film will suffer from poor preservation.


Soundtrack
The sound comes in two flavours: DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1: both were remixed for the 20th anniversary edition of the movie. I listened to the DTS track, and sampled the Dolby Digital track at various points throughout the movie.

Most of the track is centred on the front three speakers, with there not being too much in the way of action for much of the film. When things do get happening, the epic orchestral score tends to drown most everything else out.

The big winner from the remix is the score, which is the only real enveloping factor to the sound, and the biggest user of the subwoofer. The dialogue has also been nicely treated to ensure it is always crystal clear.

With the exception of the score the surround channels don't get too much use, although the odd directional effect (such as during the chase sequences at the beginning and end of the movie) gets a go, with the cars at times whizzing around the soundstage. There is also some nice ambience from the surrounds, especially during the initial scenes in the forest, and at various times throughout.

Pretty much the same goes for the LFE channel, with it mainly being lightly utilised for the score, and only the occasional effect.

Not being able to switch audio tracks on the fly makes a comparison between the two difficult: in fact, I couldn't tell any real difference between them, and there is a real lack of episodes to compare them in any event.


Extras - Disc One

Bonus Materials - Hitting this button in the menu starts a brief discussion from the director (1:57) on the issue of the enhancements contained in the 20th Anniversary reissue and the DVD presentation. This then leads to an option allowing the movie to be played with the score as recorded at the premiere of the reworked edition at which John Williams conducted an orchestra playing the score live (applause and all). Dolby Digital 5.1 is the only option here, and the new version of the score is mixed with the balance of the audio. This is an unwieldy way to present this sort of feature, although it is nice to hear the brilliant score sparkle.


Extras - Disc Two

The presentation quality of all of the extras is excellent, although at the relevant points in the clips from the movie the video problems, in particular the aliasing, recur.

Evolution and Creation of E.T. - (50:16) (1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0): This comprehensive and extremely detailed featurette documents the origins, production, success and reissue (detailing the changes) of this enduring film. It contains present day interviews with many of the cast and crew, including the screenwriter, director, and many of the actors. There is also plenty of excellent behind the scenes production footage including screen tests and special effects material. An excellent documentary as opposed to the usual promotional fature.

The Reunion - (17:56) (1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0): Steven Spielberg gets together with the original cast to reminisce on the production. Liberally sprinkled with clips from the film and some production footage, this is a decent featurette shedding some additional perspective on the making of the movie.

The Music of John Williams - (10:05) (1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0): A nicely put together look at the subject that the title suggests, with, as you would imagine, lots of interview footage with the composer and the director, with whom he has collaborated on lots of occasions.

The 20th Anniversary Premiere - (17:49)(1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0) This is a good featurette documenting the premiere which saw the composer conduct a live orchestra to accompany the film on the big screen. The logistics of the event is covered, as are the who’s who in attendance. Some good use of split screen, and excellent presentation quality make this more enjoyable than your average featurette. John Williams claims that this is the first time that this sort of thing has been done, but I’m afraid to say I saw the Phillip Glass Ensemble play the score to Koyaanisqatsi at the conducted by the composer live at the Opera House at least 2 years before Williams did it.

Designs, Photographs and Marketing - Six sections of stills. E.T. Designs by production illustrator Ed Verreaux (42 images), E.T. Designs by Carlo Rambaldi (11), Space Ship Designs by Ralph McQuarrie (8), Designs by production illustrator Ed Verreaux (9), Production Photographs (60) and Marketing E.T (58). Good for those completists out there.

Space Exploration - (Dolby Digital 2.0): A strange feature where you can select from the planets of the solar system, the sun and the moon, and have an annoying voice modelled on (and speaking just as slowly as) the star alien reveal some facts about each. On reflection, it may be good for the kiddies.

Trailers - (Dolby Digital 2.0): Three options here. The first is the E.T. Theatrical Trailer (2:04) (2.35:1, not 16x9 enhanced), for the 20th anniversary theatrical re-release. Second is a trailer for the range of E.T. games (1:30) (1.33:1) available on the various platforms. Third is a natural piece of cross promotion with Universal’s other big release this year, the Back to the Future trilogy (1:33) (1.33:1). All are in good shape as they are of recent vintage and use the remastered versions as source material.

DVD-ROM Featuring Total Axess - (0:47) (1.33:1, Dolby Digital 2.0): A brief introduction alerts you to the fact that you can be linked to the Universal site for the film, and take advantage of extra material available only through this “Exclusive Pass”.


And The Survey Says...
E.T. for many reasons is one of the all time classics, and it is about time that it graces the format of DVD. The video transfer is a little disappointing, though, being regularly affected by aliasing, and the soundtrack, despite the presence of a DTS mix, isn't too mich to write home about (although the source material doesn't call for much). The extras package is a comprehensive one but for the lack of a commentary, but some excellent featurettes go a long way to making up for the omission. All in all a more than adequate package for a film of this stature, but it could have been a little better.


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