E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Whew, this one. Before viewing it for this review I hadn't seen this movie for about 25 years. Why? Well, this scared me as a small child. I'm not sure why this and the old Superman cartoons frightened me while the original Star Wars trilogy inspired me. So, after avoiding it for a quarter of a century, what did I think?

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) is Spielberg's most main stream alien movie.

Impressions
An alien is left behind on earth and is discovered by a young boy. The boy shelters the alien and the two learn from each other. However, a devoted scientist is tracking the alien. Soon it becomes adult versus child as E.T. must find his way home before he's tracked down by the government.

I can definitely see what frightened me about it. At various points, E.T., the scientist and the police are all depicted as fairly menacing. The story itself isn't the best managed. The psychic link developed between E.T. and Elliott would have been incredibly interesting if it weren't brushed over. The friendship between Elliott and E.T. is probably the best thing about the movie. The kids versus adults thing is something that had been done often. The adults come off more ignorant than stupid at least.

Our Heroes
E.T. is a clueless alien from a friendly race who gets stranded on earth. He acts like a child by constantly screaming and flailing. I suppose this is supposed to reflect his otherworldliness and make him endearing. It didn't have that effect on me. When he isn't acting like a child off ritalin, he becomes more tolerable. I'm refering to the part where he gets drunk of course.

Elliott is the little boy who discovers E.T. hiding in his shed. Elliott is awkward and so nerdy it hurts even me. In Elliott's first scene his brother and friends won't let him into their way cool Dungeons and Dragons game. Either Dungeons and Dragons was waaaaaaaaaay cooler in the 80s or Elliott is incredibly pathetic. He's at his best when he gets sympathetically drunk.

Gawking Observers
The little sister is pretty obnoxiously cute. Mind you tiny Dre Barrymore is preferable to the adult version, at least I think so. Naturally she makes the biggest actual breakthroughs with E.T.

The older brother is an incredibly cheesy eighties cool. He sort of picks on his younger siblings while acting like everything he does is awesome.

Their mother is overworked and oblivious to most of what her children are doing. It's played for comedy, though it does get somewhat ridiculous.

Suburban Atmosphere
Ah, suburban Southern California, I know it well. There are certain waves of nostalgia that flow through me when it shows their rooms and neighborhood. Simpler times.

In the End
Deus Ex Machina! Chase! Awkwardly slow farewell. Seriously, take the music away from the last scene and it is painfully slow. However, as cheesey and overly emotional as it gets, it is a satisfying ending.

Overall 
I know I've been hard on this movie, but it's not bad. It is a simple film about accepting others for who they are. It could have been tighter and used its concepts better. However, I must say that I can see why its a much beloved classic. Oh and no, I'm not scared of E.T. anymore, though it'll probably be another 25 years before I decide to re-watch it. Stay way from the 20th anniversary edition where they added some horrible CG faces to E.T. That is scary.
7/10


The next film on the Spielberg list is one that defined my childhood in a more positive light: Jurassic Park.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is a semi-remake of Spielberg's first film Firelight, which is now lost.

Impressions
Scientist Claude Lacombe encounters a group of fighter pilots from World War II mysteriously dropped into the desert. They haven't aged a day. A child's toys all turn on at once and he wanders outside. His mother chases after him. Electrician Roy Neary has his face partially sunburnt when brightly lit objects flies over his truck at night. Soon, those that saw the objects are plagued by visions of a mountain.

Close Encounters is an unconventional story. It still has the hallmarks of a narrative, but it keeps you guessing as to what and why the characters do what they do. Even by the end the alien intentions are still mysterious. The glue of the story is the passion held by the characters to discover why they can't get the mountain out of their heads.

Invited Guests
Roy Neary is an electrician who enjoys modeling and sculpting in his spare time. He has a wife and three kids, but family life has begun to wear him down. After seeing the ships, he becomes increasingly unstable. His obsession drives his wife and kids away and he's left with nothing, but his desire to get the image of a ship out of his mind. This decline eventually draws him to the next stage in his life.

Janine Guiler's son being abducted by the aliens is the catalyst to her journey. In a lesser story there might be a romance between her and Roy, but not this one. Her only goal is to save her son and Roy is the only one willing to help her. Janine proves to be a capable woman and is even more willing to deal with the insanity going on than Roy's wife.

Claude Lacombe is a scientist who has been on the trail of aliens for years. He has finally managed to figure out where the aliens want to meet. After meeting with Roy and Janine he becomes sympathetic to their cause, but he can't aid them on their journey.

Uninvited Guests
The Military is not really a villain per se. Their desire is to prevent panic and be sure that the aliens are actually harmless. It's nice to see that in an alien film, since most of time the military is evil.

Unidentified Flying Objects
The Aliens are more an unknown force with little known motive or reasoning. They manage to be jovial and friendly in one scene, threatening during Barry's abduction, and serene during the climax.

Atmosphere
The film is beautifully shot from suburban Indiana to the middle of Wyoming as is to be expected from Steven Spielberg. The alien ships are amazing. The brightly lit shapes in prime colors give off a vibe that has come to be recognized as futuristic.


In the End
The climax is a bit confusing. The film has a tremendously positive perspective on human acceptance. Roy's actions come off as strange, though after what he's put through it isn't that surprising.

Overall
This is a prime example of a film that succeeds despite the lack of a primary antagonist. The story could best be described as man vs. the unknown. I think the humor laced through helps hold the confusing bits together. Roy's story is one of never being to old to be inspired and try new things, though they may leave your old life in shambles. THis is a must see for fans of science fiction.
8/10

I'll continue next time with another alien film: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Jaws

Another late review! So, I backdated it to when I should have posted it. I'll fill in a few for June later and hopefully have some for July.

Jaws (1975) is Spielberg's blockbuster film that allowed him to make whatever films he wanted.

Impressions
A land-lubbing sheriff takes over the small island community of Amity just before its summer tourist season is about to begin. However, the mangled body of a young girl causes Brody some pause. The coroner rules it a shark attack and Brody begins to try and shut down the beach. The mayor and local officials quickly get the report changed and convince Brody that they need to let the beaches open.

Jaws is such a classic suspense film that I doubt I needed that little introduction. Jaws manages what few horror films can, making an ordinary situation blow up into full fledged hysteria. The pressure of money forces an upstanding lawman into ignoring the problem, until he must confront his fears to end the problem once and for all. A combination of the right script at the right time and a team with a dream.

Our Heroes
Chief Martin Brody is a family lawman who has a fear of the water. It's nothing deep, nothing psychological, just a fear. He genuinely wants to do the right thing with the shark attacks, but is clearly out of his depth. He allows himself to be dissuaded from his original conviction. After discovering the truth he's forced to cave via political pressure. All these things are understandable, but his conscience won't let him just lay down.

Matt Hooper is an oceanographer called in to deal with the shark attacks. He provides much of the comic relief especially when paired with Quint. Despite being a humorous character, he has his own dramatic arc. He longs to be taken seriously and accepted by the elder Brody and Quint.

Captain Quint is a shark hunter and all around badass. His entrance scene where he scratches his nails on a chalkboard is a bit corny nowadays, but you can't knock is overall demeanor. He is never in doubt of his abilities and is unwilling to even show off for free. If you want to write an awesome character, just look at this one.

Mysterious Foe
Jaws (aka Bruce) is a massive great white who eats people. What surprised me about seeing it again was how little our eponymous fish actually shows up in his own film. Jaws acts as an unknown terror and could represent either Brody's own fear of the ocean or humanity's general fear of the unknown. Or he could just be a big shark that likes the taste of human flesh.

Summer Atmosphere
The island itself is picturesque. You really get the feeling of a summer trip to a beach city. Mind you, I live in California, so I can do that any time. The time period is also well preserved, harking back to a simpler time when kids had nothing better to do than take a summer trip.

In the End
The ending is classic over the top adventure horror that has been copied and parodied so many times. I think the fact that it is so satisfying is the reason, it even provides a short epilogue for the surviving characters.

Overall
Jaws is one of those films that is difficult to watch objectively. I think nearly every scene in this film has been copied or parodied or homaged at least once and that's probably an understatement. This film is a prime example of suspense and terror with a few flourishes. I think the scene where the mother of a shark attack victim shows up in full mourning garb to slap Brody should have probably been cut. However, compared to the scenes on the ship, the unnerving music and the dashes of genuine humor, a few excesses are allowed. This is a must see film.
9/10

Next up: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Something Evil

Spielberg Summer continues with Spielberg's second TV film. It is a bit debatable whether this should be included, but I watched it and I'm not letting that suffering go to waste.

Something Evil (1972) is Spielberg's second television movie...

Impressions
A family moves into an old country house that's possessed by the devil.

As you may be able to tell by the lovely title card, Something Evil is something awful. The version I watched was barely at the hour and a half mark, but managed to have two sets of the same credits in. This thing is entirely low budget and incredibly boring. I'm not sure how much of this can be put on an incredibly young Spielberg,especially given the skill shown in Duel.

Our Heroine?
The wife (you won't remember her name either) is fairly bland other than getting ready for etsy 40 years early. Perhaps I'm being too harsh since she does appear to be kind of a good mother, though she seems to forget her daughter in a few scenes. After she absolutely flips out we pretty much lose our semi-protagonist.

Coincidental Observers
Her husband is distracted by his job to the point of neglect. He also doesn't seem to react to his, clearly off her hinges, wife. He seems loving at the start and has no reason to believe the devil BS, but he could at least try to treat her as an insane person.

Ralph Bellamy is the old spooky guy who knows about these sporadic country devil infestations. He is sadly wasted on a very stereotypical old guy. Also, his son is in this to make the movie longer, I guess.

Original Foe
The Devil is our villain. He works through crying babies, glowing red jars, strange microphone noise and lots and lots of wind. Truly a foe to be reckoned with...

Country Atmosphere
The setting could have been creepy, if it had been used to any effect. There is a level of creepiness to

In the End
Wind, levitating children, and praying. Spoilers, I guess.

Overall
I feel I may have left the impression that this film has redeeming qualities. There are a few good shots which give this film that one out of ten. Otherwise, I can't recommend this be included in any Spielberg marathons even for die hard fans. Even I can't wait to see if even A.I. gets this low.
1/10

Next up, we look at Spielberg's second major movie: Jaws. We're doing this thematically, so I'll get to the Sugarland Express eventually.

Duel 1971

Welcome to my latest ongoing series: Spielberg Summer. It will be occurring sporadically throughout the summer in conjunction with DC's The Good, The Bad and The Magnificent. We'll be looking at all Spielberg's films to try and examine his long term success. Be sure to check out our reviews of Spielberg's Lincoln (DC's and mine) and continue reading as we explore his whole filmography.

Duel (1971) is the first feature length film by director Steven Spielberg. It started as a TV film on ABC, but was later lengthened and re-released for theaters.

Impressions
A man sets out on his long drive home. He's in high spirits and enjoying a program about tax returns on the radio. Soon he gets behind a truck as it moves slowly up a mountain. He passes it and continues. The truck soon appears behind him and tailgates him. After letting him pass, the truck slows down and blocks him. This begins a cat and mouse chase through the deserts of California.

Duel has some fantastic direction with its tense car chases and imposing truck scenes. Several of the car vs. truck scenes are quite inventive and superbly filmed. However, quite a lot of this film is just driving through the desert, which can get a bit monotonous. There is also a diner section at the middle that lasts a bit too long and has some dreadful voice-over internal monologue that would have been better off left out.

Our Hero
David Mann is a business man who's trying to get home to his family. He's far from a perfect individual and can be a bit of a hothead. His internal monologues appear out of nowhere during the aforementioned diner scene and appear for a bit afterward. It isn't actually the fault of the actor, Dennis Weaver, his paranoia would have probably worked had the scene remained silent. His final break before fully committing to the duel is definitely one of the film's highlights.

Proto Jurassic Park T-Rex Scene!

Diesel Foe
The truck and its mysterious driver are menacing in the best possible way. If you've seen Jaws then this aspect should be familiar in the mysterious nature of the shark. The fact that we never see the driver makes him all the more menacing.

Lonely Highway Atmosphere
The feel of driving  long distance through the California desert is perfect. Just the long stretches of highway and the radio. While this does get a bit lengthy at sections, it doesn't go too far.

In the End
The end is pretty much to be expected. It was satisfying and climactic.

Overall
Duel is most definitely a product of the early seventies, though not in a bad way. There are a few misfires, like the diner scene, but this a film that shows plenty of Spielberg's future greatness. I'd recommend it if you enjoy car chases or want to see the film that gave Spielberg the opportunity to make Jaws.
7/10

Next up, we look at Spielberg's second TV movie: Something Evil.

Lincoln 2012

Since, the Academy Awards are coming up, I thought I'd put out my thoughts on a few of them. I'm going to start with one of my favorites.

Lincoln (2012) is an excellent piece of historical film making by writer Tony Kushner and director Steven Spielberg.

Impressions
The film opens with scenes of Civil War combat. We cut to Lincoln speaking with two black soldiers about the abolishment of slavery. Two white soldiers interrupt by bring up Lincoln's famous Gettysburg address. They start it, but are called away before finishing. One of the black soldiers finishes it before leaving. We then see a blurry Lincoln aboard a ship headed for land in the distance. After waking up, he tells it to his wife. She believes it is about passing the 13th amendment and begs him not to destroy his popularity by trying to pass it.

This film is more about passing the 13th Amendment than an overview of Lincoln's life. Since the end result should be known, by most American viewers at least, the film focuses more on the characters and pressures that occurred while trying to pass it.

Our Hero
President Abraham Lincoln has recently been re-elected and has been through four years of the American Civil War. However, he feels the time is right to push the 13th Amendment through during the lame duck session of congress. Lincoln is portrayed masterfully by Daniel Day-Lewis as a quirky old man who enjoys telling stories. Lewis disappears into the role and brings this historic figure to life.

Political Observers

Mary Todd Lincoln is Abraham's wife. She is considered mad by the people and is very insecure about her relationship with her husband and family. She provides the most antagonism of any character, but remains largely supportive of her husband. What is most surprising is the reasons for her point of view make sense. Impressive for a 'madwoman.' She intersects with all the plotlines of this film and manages to bring something to each of them.

William H. Seward is President Lincoln's Secretary of State. It is his job to pass the 13th amendment. Though he questions the president's decisions, he nonetheless carries out his task with zeal. He appoints three men to do the dirty work for them, which provides much of the comedy in this otherwise weighty film. He is also quick to bring up the possible peace agreement with the Confederacy.

Thaddeus Stevens is the leader of the radical Republicans and is the man who wants to see the bill passed the most. He is also a humorous character, with some fantastic curses and retorts. This humor never overrides the seriousness of his purpose though. His character is treated with an interesting narrative touch, in that we get more of his personal positions than Seward, but see less of him. He is perhaps my favorite character of the film and Tommy Lee Jones is perfect as the principled man who must face his ideals if he hopes for his dream to succeed.

Robert Todd "Bob" Lincoln is Abraham's son who visits from law school. He wants to sign up for the Civil War and argues with both his parents over enlisting. He helps bring the cost of the Civil War to the Lincoln home and creates a great deal of tension in Abraham's marriage. We also get to see the most edge from Abraham's character in scenes with his son. Bob's subplot is perhaps the least important, but makes such great cinema that I'm glad it wasn't cut.

Political Foes
Representatives Fernando Wood and George Pendleton are the chief voice for the opposition to the 13th Amendment. They are pure racists with fiery vitriol for their opponents. They hatch several schemes to shut the whole process down and weed out the 'traitors' in their party.

Civil War Atmosphere
Men fighting like savages, using anything they can to kill one another or piles of uniformed corpses. There are relatively few shots of the Civil War, but all of them are gruesome and cold.  There are also some great shots of everyday life in and around the capital.

In the End
Umm, the amendment passes. Yes, there is way more to it than that.

Overall

Lincoln is a film with many threads that treats this famous event with dignity and reverence. This film does not treat its audience like they're idiots, so it might be good to at least know something about the American Civil War before watching. I'd imagine it doesn't play well to foreign audiences, but I love history from any nation, so I could be wrong. If you enjoy historical character pieces or political dramas then this is a movie you cannot miss. I watched it twice in under two days and still would watch it again anytime.
10/10

I review Spielberg's earlier films in:

War of the Worlds 2005

I've gone through the novel, the audio and the 1953 film version, so now it's time for the second feature film:

War of the Worlds (2005) is an interesting blend of all the previous versions of the the story and probably the best big budget science fiction remake of the aughts.

Impressions
We get our standard 'War of the Worlds' into read by the voice of God himself, Morgan Freeman. Our main character, Ray Ferrier, leaves his job and gets his kids for the weekend. His son refuses to even acknowledge him and even his daughter seems disappointed to be there. After they settle in, a lightning storm appears and strikes one spot multiple times. This leaves a tiny hole that is cold around the impact site. Soon that area cracks and caves in and giant mechanical tripod emerges. It howls and fires its heat ray, vaporizing those around it. Ray escapes and goes to try and get his kids out of harms way.

This film has some great scenes that are more daring and striking than most studio films dare to be. The scene where Ray realizes that he's covered in human ash is a very effective addition that I never would have thought to add. There's also the river scene where Rachel sees hundreds of bodies floating down the river. Not to mention the confrontation about the van. These help the fact that we're dealing with a story most people know and the anticlimactic nature of the ending. Even issues with the characterization are forgiven in this harrowing film.

Our Heroes
Ray Ferrier is a deadbeat Dad who works the docks and is taking care of his estranged kids for the weekend. He's good with cars, which comes in very handy as he solves the EMP issue. The character growth isn't a huge change by the end, but the things he is put through leave a definite mark. He is a loathsome character at the beginning and an okay one by the end.

Fleeing Observers
Rachel is his overly intelligent and inquisitive daughter. She is allergic and has back problems... These stupid, forgettable quirks aside, her character is actually used effectively in the film. Dakota Fanning gives one of her most convincing impersonations of a human child that I've seen.

Robbie is Ray's delinquent son proves more capable and less stupid as the movie progresses. His real turning point comes when he saves some individuals cling to a ferry as it flees the martians. Unfortunately, his fatal character flaws that involve a strange fetishization of the military. This isn't explored much from his point of view, but leads to some more character building for Ray.

Harlan Ogilvy is a man who gives them shelter near the end. He's a combination of the curate and the artilleryman of the novel, and the combo really works. His scenes are a blend of several that take the suspense of the novel with some of the visuals of the classic film. It even takes the best scene of novel and takes it to an uncomfortable extreme.

Spielberg 'Bad' Aliens

Foes from Another World!
In this version the martians arrive in electromagnetic lightning storms, similar to the EMP used in the 1953 film. They also have shields, again from the '53 version. The heat ray is present, but once again they are without their siege weapon, the black smoke. In this version the martians buried their tripods on earth in the past and came down in small lightning propelled pods. The martian tripods are cool, but the actual martians themselves looked too similar to standard Hollywood aliens for my taste, though this film does bring back their original motivation for invasion. Yes, I know they're never called 'martians' in the film, but calling them 'unnamed Spielberg aliens' would be really irritating. I'm just going with martians to keep it consistent. Spielberg never names his alien races anyway.

War Torn Atmosphere
"Is it terrorists?" This film clearly shows the date through cinematography and style. It is right in between 9/11 and the economic crash. This film has all the sense of terror and destruction that I found lacking in the previous one. As the world descends into chaos, humans become as great a threat as the martians (if not greater). The scenes of destruction are palpable and incredibly rendered.

In the End
The end is faithful to the original with an overly sappy end for our main characters. There is a bit where the army takes down an already dying tripod that I'm not sure why it was added, other than to add in an homage to the 1953 film. They did kind of edit the 'man's responsible stewardship' message, but most of the intent is there. This includes a reading directly from the end of the book by Morgan Freeman.

Overall
Tom Cruise singing "Little Deuce Coop" was a definite low point of the film, but it's really just on of some minor personal issues with this. I feel this film actually helps me justify watching the '53 version and one ups it by incorporating more of the novel. This film provides a gripping reinterpretation of the story in a big action blockbuster. Be sure to check it out.
7.5/10

Finally, I don't end on a low note! Looking at my plans for the future, I don't think they'll stay that way.

Also see as I review the rest of Spielberg's movies in: