Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72624 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-10-22
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, Colour, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: 3.66 pounds
• Running time: 115 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This 20th Anniversary edition of E.T. introduces the warmth and sense of magic of Steven Spielberg's much-loved movie to a whole new generation. And it is the youngsters at whom this new version has been aimed, with the film being given a Star Wars-style make-over in the hope that it will appeal to a generation weaned on digital effects. Thus, ET now has a souped-up space ship and the pursuing FBI agents are more politically correct, carrying walkie-talkies in place of guns. They've even given ET himself a CGI face-lift, digitally replacing the beloved puppet in certain scenes.

But this is no Apocalypse Now Redux. The re-edited scenes are small and insignificant to the plot: the only additional footage of any note is ET taking a bath and demonstrating that he can breathe underwater, which is amusing but irrelevant. The surprise is that the deleted scene with Harrison Ford playing Elliot's school Principal has still not made it to the new version. Despite such grumbles, E.T. is still the joyful experience it was 20 years ago, only this time grown-ups can follow the story through an added glow of nostalgia, as they fondly remember just how great BMXs were! --Nikki Disney

On the DVD: E.T.--20th Anniversary Edition has the revised version of the movie (but not the original cut) on Disc One, presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and with a choice of gloriously remastered Dolby 5.1 or DTS sound options. The major beneficiary of this new presentation is John Williams' outstanding music score, which uniquely can also be played along with the film in the live version from the LA Shrine Auditorium 2002 premiere. A documentary about Williams conducting this extraordinary performance and a feature on his original scoring sessions are the best extra features on Disc Two. Other documentaries cover the "Evolution and Creation of ET"; a "Reunion" of the principal cast and crew with some fun behind-the-scenes footage; a piece on the planets of the Solar System narrated by ET himself (!); a photo gallery; trailers, and DVD-ROM extras. There's no director's commentary, but Spielberg does briefly introduce the movie on Disc One. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews

ET: Is this box set worth it?
As millions of people know, E.T is a steven speilberg creation, an epic adventure in volving elliot's friendship with a creature not from this world, an Extra Terrestrial.
But we want to know what the special features are on this box set. It includes both the 1982 and 2002, so one can see the differences in the special effects and techniques used in both. Also there are slight variations in some scenes, especially when E.T takes a bath! For viewing purposes I would reccommend the newer edition, but nothing beats the original and therefore its a must have seeing as your getting the restored anbd the original!
All in all a great buy and adds another special edition to my or anyone's collection

Great in 1982, Better in 2002!!
This DVD boxset comes with both the 1982 original and the 20th anniversary edition from 2002. The 2002 edition has added scenes and done up special effects and the like. The 20th anniversary edition also has a live soundtrack from the premier of the special edition conducted by the man himself, John Williams!! It really is uplifting to hear the score being cheered as it reached its climax at the end!! There are also other special features such as documentaries and so on!!
The film itself is great stuff! It follows the story of a young boy who befriends an alien stranded on Earth who is trying to find his way back to his mothership before the Feds get to him first.
The soundtrack is great, (and rightly won an Oscar) done again by Spielberg regular John Williams! The end scenes will have you close to tears and the music plays a massive part in it! Try watching it with the sound off and it wont have the same effect!
All in all, a nice wee package with 2 versions of the film so you can compare them and a healthy amount of features to keep you amused for a while, but its the film that will keep you coming back!

Sensational Film!
ET is, without question, Steven Spielberg's acknowledged masterpiece.

Originally released to stunned cinema audiences worldwide in 1982, ET is a movie containing all of the basic elements required to make it a box office hit. There are comic moments (like ET blowing bubbles in the bath), there are moments of suspense (like when ET tried to run back to his spaceship and we are all wondering if he'll make it), there are haunting and harrowing moments (like the bit when the men in spacesuits invade the house) and there are pure emotional moments (for example, the final scene when ET says goodbye).

The 20th anniversary edition has been digitally remastered and a few extra scenes have been added. John Williams has also brushed up his award-winning score and added a few new tracks to the soundtrack, available on CD.

The DVD contains plenty of interesting and informative extras - especially the option of watching the movie in sync with John Williams' live performance of the score from the premiere at the LA Shrine in March 2002. This basically means that as you watch the movie, the music you hear will be 'live', so the speak - you can ever hear the amazing standing ovation during the end credits! There is also a featurette on reuniting the cast and Spielberg himself, who talk openly and emotionally about their experiences of filming and the effect ET had on their lives.

This DVD is an absolute must for any respectable DVD collection. In my opinion, ET is the greatest film made since the Hollywood boom.