Steven Spielberg’s E.T. has finally gotten a sequel in the form of a Comcast Thanksgiving 2019 commercial. Released in 1982, Spielberg’s now-classic film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial tells the tale of a young alien who’s accidentally left behind on earth by his family and befriends a similarly lonely boy named Elliott. It’s known for being one of the director’s most personal works and was partly inspired by his own parents’ real-life divorce when he was a child. For the same reason, Spielberg has always been fiercely protective of the movie and its legacy.
Of course, E.T. was also a massive box office hit and still holds the #21 spot on the list of highest-grossing films of all time (domestically). As a result, the movie has since been adapted for other entertainment mediums, including an infamous Atari video game in the early ’80s and a popular Universal Studios Florida theme park ride in the ’90s. A proper sequel, on the other hand, has never come to fruition - though, a newly-unveiled four-minute Comcast ad has now picked up Elliott and E.T.’s story, thirty-seven years later.
Per its synopsis, the E.T. sequel commercial (titled A Holiday Reunion) picks up in the present-day, as E.T. returns to earth for a surprise visit with Elliott, both of them all grown-up and with families of their own. Henry Thomas even reprises his role as Elliott in the ad, which you can watch below.
All things considered, this commercial is fairly sweet and almost feels more like a short film sequel to E.T., rather than an advertisement. This explains why Spielberg gave the whole thing his blessing, after years of considering making a sequel (even going so far as to craft a screen treatment with writer Melissa Mathison) before - most people would agree, wisely - deciding it wasn’t a good idea. In his statement about the commercial, Thomas even talked about that, saying “Looking at the storyboards, I could see exactly why Steven (Spielberg) was really behind it, because the integrity of the story isn’t lost in this retelling”. Indeed, even in the parts of the ad that are heavier on product placement, E.T. and Elliott never behave in a way that feels disrespectful to Spielberg’s original film.
Like a lot of legacy movie sequels produced in recent years (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mary Poppins Returns, Doctor Sleep), this E.T. commercial is full of nostalgic homages and nods to its predecessor’s most iconic moments. But again, they’re done in good taste, and there’s something even genuinely touching about the idea of E.T. visiting adult Elliott just to spend time with him and his family, and take his children on a flying bicycle ride. A full-blown film sequel still sounds like a bad idea, but as far as ways to continue E.T. go, this is a pretty harmless and unexpectedly cute one.
Source: Xfinity
