Henry Thomas on life after ET: ‘We got a lot of weird visitors – some people were fanatical’
The actor shot to fame as Elliott in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 hit. Now a father himself, he talks about why he almost quit acting, being recognised and whether he’d let his kids act
April 2023
Steven Spielberg: ‘No film should be revised’ based on modern sensitivity
TV tonight
TV tonight: seven celebrity pilgrims take a hugely emotional trip
November 2022
ET model from 1982 film expected to fetch $3m at auction
Mechanical model to go on sale in auction that also includes items from Harry Potter films
September 2022
From satanic panic to billion-dollar business: how Dungeons & Dragons conquered the world
A role-playing game born half a century ago in a Wisconsin basement has spawned an empire spanning film, TV and YouTube. How did it leave its mark on Stranger Things, ET and everyone from Stephen King to Elon Musk?
July 2022
Week in geek
Thinking the unthinkable: is Hollywood really going to make a sequel to ET?
Comments this week from Henry Thomas, who played Elliott in the 1982 hit, indicated that ET, wherever he is, just might be getting a call …
June 2022
Cultural prescription
Where the heart is: the music, film and more about feeling homesick
ET the Extra-Terrestrial at 40: Spielberg’s sci-fi smash remains a wonder
December 2019
Shortcuts
ET go home: why Spielberg’s alien shouldn’t be flogging wifi
‘The audience is going to get everything they want out of a sequel without the messy bits,’ say bosses, as they casually destroy your childhood memories to sell a cable TV and internet subscription
October 2019
'I didn't sleep well for months': the films that terrified our writers as kids
For Halloween, Guardian writers discuss their most horrifying childhood cinematic experiences, from Arachnophobia to Freddy vs Jason
July 2019
Mark Kermode chooses 25 of the best films for children
From early animation to foreign-language gems via all-time classics, a range of movies to whet budding cinematic appetites
April 2019
From the Observer archive
From the archive: the world according to Spielberg as ET is launched, 1982
Martin Amis interviews the director – and is grief-stricken by the film
April 2018
ET: the alien who reminded me why I fell in love with America
Emma Brockes
My fondness for my adopted home was wearing very thin. Then this American fairytale came to the rescue, says the Guardian columnist Emma Brockes
March 2018
Steve Rose on film
From Tomb Raider to A Wrinkle in Time: why Hollywood has daddy issues
Whether it’s a traumatic childhood that spurs on a hero or the drive for adventure, the trope of the absent father has long been a catalyst for cinema
April 2017
Hello? ET? Just wait until you see the phone bill…
Barbara Ellen
$100m spent and still there is no sign of extraterrestrials
March 2017
The crush
Why I love… Drew Barrymore
Her whole vibe is ‘aggressively gentle hippy’ with an edge
November 2016
ET and Back to the Future producer vows neither movie will be remade
‘We’re never touching those,’ says Frank Marshall, who served as producer on both alongside Steven Spielberg
August 2016
Claudio Ranieri: more chance of ET landing than Leicester retaining title
Claudio Ranieri has said it is more likely that ‘ET comes to Piccadilly Circus’ than that his Leicester City side will retain their Premier League title
July 2016
Steven Spielberg: ‘It’s all about making kids feel like they can do anything’
From ET to Jaws, Steven Spielberg has brought us cinema’s most enduring stories. He reveals why he’s driven by fear, how he beat his bullies – and the heartbreak behind his take on The BFG
February 2016
Melissa Mathison remembered at Oscars ceremony
The screenwriter of ET the Extra-Terrestrial and Kundun was honoured in the Academy Awards’ In Memoriam tribute
