With disc two we get, besides the original 1982 cut of the film, a "Spotlight on Location" making-of featurette, which runs about twenty-five minutes. It tells about how the new effects in the 2002 cut came to life. We also get a featurette called "The Reunion," with interviews with the main cast, Spielberg, and producer Kathleen Kennedy (in December of 2001). There's a vintage 1982 promo about the Special Olympics. Also to be found are your normal set of cast and filmmaker bios, a trailer, and various design and advertising galleries.
As a big movie score fan, I was sad to see that something called "The Music of John Williams," featuring interviews and footage of the long-standing relationship between John Williams and Steven Spielberg, was not to be found on the DVD, even though it was advertised on the cover. This and a fifty-minute documentary was removed from this set, but not from the cover, to make room for the 1982 cut of the film. It was probably decided at such a late stage of development that the cover could not be changed without delay. Sad, sad, sad...
Limited Edition vs. Ultimate Edition Box Set:
The 2-disc set will do justice to the film for most people, but if you are a true "E.T." fan (or this was the movie that you took the love of your life to for the first time), you might want to take a look at the Ultimate Edition Box Set. If you choose the box set, this is what you get besides the two DVDs in the Limited Edition:
An extra DVD with:
a fifty- minute making-of documentary;
a ten minute John Williams featurette;
an eighteen minute "Creating E.T." featurette;
the John Williams CD soundtrack;
a book called "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: The Illustrated Story of the Film and The Filmmakers"; and
a collectible senitype.
(Note: The 1982 cut of the film in the Ultimate Edition Box Set does not have a DTS track.)
Conclusion:
"E.T." is movie magic at its best, and it is sad that Universal did not avoid all the problems concerning not knowing which version is on what set and which documentary is to be found where. I hope that this review has shed some light on this subject so that you now know which version you will be taking home. Any way you slice it, not even bad management from a studio can destroy a film like "E.T."
As a big movie score fan, I was sad to see that something called "The Music of John Williams," featuring interviews and footage of the long-standing relationship between John Williams and Steven Spielberg, was not to be found on the DVD, even though it was advertised on the cover. This and a fifty-minute documentary was removed from this set, but not from the cover, to make room for the 1982 cut of the film. It was probably decided at such a late stage of development that the cover could not be changed without delay. Sad, sad, sad...
Limited Edition vs. Ultimate Edition Box Set:
The 2-disc set will do justice to the film for most people, but if you are a true "E.T." fan (or this was the movie that you took the love of your life to for the first time), you might want to take a look at the Ultimate Edition Box Set. If you choose the box set, this is what you get besides the two DVDs in the Limited Edition:
An extra DVD with:
a fifty- minute making-of documentary;
a ten minute John Williams featurette;
an eighteen minute "Creating E.T." featurette;
the John Williams CD soundtrack;
a book called "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: The Illustrated Story of the Film and The Filmmakers"; and
a collectible senitype.
(Note: The 1982 cut of the film in the Ultimate Edition Box Set does not have a DTS track.)
Conclusion:
"E.T." is movie magic at its best, and it is sad that Universal did not avoid all the problems concerning not knowing which version is on what set and which documentary is to be found where. I hope that this review has shed some light on this subject so that you now know which version you will be taking home. Any way you slice it, not even bad management from a studio can destroy a film like "E.T."
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]11512[/release]