What It's About:

A gentle "extra-terrestrial" creature is stranded on Earth, and gets discovered and adopted by ten-year old Elliott (Henry Thomas). Nicknamed "ET", the being is sweet and cuddly, but Elliott can't keep its presence a secret for long, particularly when younger sister Gertie (Barrymore) finds out. It's also clear that prolonged exposure on Earth is sapping ET's health. With government agents closing in, Elliott must get ET back to the spot where his fellow creatures will land to rescue him.

Why I Love It:

Spielberg creates movie magic with this warm-hearted yet gripping fantasy tale. ET himself is a creative marvel, the cutest, most non-threatening alien in sci-fi history. The child actors are uniformly good, particularly Thomas and the beguiling Barrymore. "ET" ingeniously turns science-fiction conventions on their head, as the earthling grown-ups are the bad guys, and the alien, the hero. Larger-than-life emotion (and tension) elevate this film to timeless family classic, aided by another majestic John Williams score.