E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial

​I actually went to go see a movie together with schoolpsychnerd! The last movie we watched together in a theater was...well, actually, it was あん, but before that it was The Golden Compass, way back before we moved to Japan. I'm not usually much of one for movies, and even less for movies in a theater.

So of course, we went to the theatre and saw it with orchestral accompaniment.

I've never seen E.T. before now. I know all about it because of cultural osmosis and because I read the novel adaptation, the same as I did with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But actually seeing it on the screen is different, of course, and I was a little...underwhelmed.

I have the wrong attitude toward E.T., is the problem. I get that he's supposed to be childlike, full of wonder at the world around him in addition to being kind of cute, but all I could think was "a species capable of interstellar travel on a scientific mission to a primitive world and they send this guy?" I can accept that he's confused by human tech, since the Asogians clearly use the Force as the basis of their civilization () and have some kind of collective intelligence, but that he's confused by everything? I had a hard time with that.

Though I did like E.T. trying random foods out of the fridge. It reminded me of all the complaints about scientists being idiots in Promethius.

I have some issues with the ending, as well. Elliot yells that MAJESTIC are killing E.T., but it's clearly not their fault. E.T. was dying before they even showed up, and G-Man was being sincere when he said they were doing everything they could to save him. It didn't work because the problem was separation from the Overmind, which would have killed E.T. even if MAJESTIC never learned about him. He revived when he was back in range, timed so as to create maximum The Power of Love feelings in the audience, but honestly I just rolled my eyes. Elliot is a kid, and medicine is scary to kids. It's all chemicals and sterile smells and tubes and pain, and often the feeling better part comes later enough that it's not easy to associate with the treatment. Of course Elliot thought MAJESTIC was killing E.T. And he did die during the treatment, so it's a reasonable conclusion for him to draw. It's just wrong.
I also liked the end, when E.T. wanted to take the primitive from a backwater world along as a pet.

I liked it, but I have questions, is what I'm saying. I had a hard time with some of the premises and that interfered with my overall enjoyment. But I can see why it's so well-loved, and seeing it with live orchestral accompaniment was absolutely worth it. We had nosebleed seats, but I could still see the screen the conductor used, which had the movie playing along with some green or red lines that went across to keep time during important moments. The performance was superb, of course, and schoolpsychnerd mentioned that having live music meant that she had an easier time paying attention to the soundtrack and not letting it fade into the background. I agree--I know I complain a lot about video game soundtracks becoming more like movies and so becoming orchestral mush, but it turns out that if there's a real orchestra playing that music it doesn't fade into anything.

Much like the way to get me to eat pizza is to call it "flatbread" and charge $20 for it, the way to get me to see a movie is to have live professional orchestral accompaniment.